RUGBY AND ECOLOGY TWO WORLDS MORE AND MORE LINKED

The calendar for the 2022/2023 Top 14 season has been announced by the National Rugby League. This season will start on September 3rd. On this occasion, we take the opportunity to present you some actions developed by TOP 14 rugby clubs in order to reduce their daily ecological impact.

Let's start with the winner of the Brennus for the 2021/2022 season, the MHR. Over time, the club has developed a strong partnership with the Biterre-based association Project Rescue Ocean. The collection of waste by the players of the club, is part of the recurring actions of this partnership. It turned out that in two hours more than a ton of waste was collected by the volunteers of the club from Herault. Congratulations! but it is not reassuring for all that.

Another finalist for the 2021/2022 season, Castres Olympique, who, like ASM (Clermont club), deployed a watering control device, allowing them to better manage their water consumption. The Castres Olympique has also launched an initiative aimed at eliminating phytosanitary products to promote a more natural maintenance of their lawns.

The Stade Toulousain, a major club with numerous French and European championship titles, has made a commitment to Time For The Planet, a non-profit organization that creates and finances companies fighting climate change on a global scale. The club's ambitions are to make its fans aware of the climate emergency and to encourage them to invest in this mission-driven company.

The clubs of CA Brive and Section Paloise are committed to Fair Play For Planet, an association created by the famous player Julien Pierre who campaigns for a more eco-responsible rugby. In addition, the Palois club has implemented recurring and drastic measures, such as the design of a jersey made from recycled plastic, the creation of a CSR commission, the recovery of rainwater for watering the pitch, the promotion of local gastronomy for the general public and partners and the optimization of the computer and digital equipment (via reuse and recycling). These five areas of action have enabled the club to be the very first club to be awarded the Fair Play For Planet label.

The famous RC Toulon, like many clubs mentioned in this article, has established partnerships with Nenuu and Phenix Sport. These collaborations aim at reducing and transforming the waste emitted by the clubs.

Nenuu, for example, has developed compostable, ecological cups made of sugar cane fiber, allowing the club's supporters to drink and eat with one hand.

Other cups, other purposes, the one of redistributing, shirts, hoops and cups designed from old shirts, to the associations partners of the club. This project established with Phenix Sport, is put into practice with the circular program R-SHAPE.

However, the margin of progression for rugby clubs to be even greener remains high. It is a discipline and a long-term commitment that our French clubs must imperatively follow to set an example in this sensitive subject.

Photo montage by Guillaume de Germain on Unsplash