Direct air capture (DAC) company 1PointFive has signed an agreement with Premier League giants Liverpool FC for addressing the carbon footprint of fan merchandise.
As a first step the English club will calculate the emissions fan products generate, covering the entire process from manufacturing to transporting them to their sales point. To compensate for their impact Liverpool FC — the most-watched team globally in the Premier League and currently sitting at the top of the table — will then purchase an equivalent amount of carbon removal credits from 1PointFive, who capture CO2 through its DAC technology and permanently store it underground.
Ben Latty, chief commercial officer at LFC, said: “Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do at the club. Through The Red Way, we are dedicated to reducing our carbon footprint and driving positive change for our people, planet and communities. Joining forces with 1PointFive allows us to explore innovative carbon-removal technologies, sharing knowledge, expertise and helping to advance our journey to halve all of our operational emissions by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2040.”
This pre-purchase agreement places LFC in the company of tech giants like Microsoft and Amazon and global brands like Airbus and AT&T, who have also become clients of Texas-based 1PointFive.
The move is part of a broader effort by Liverpool FC to minize its impact on the environment through The Red Way sustainability initiative and shows how carbon removal can address emissions on a product level.
Liverpool agreement a sign for more international markets for 1PointFive?
The announcement is the first agreement with a sports team outside of the U.S. for 1PointFive, following two 2023 partnerships with the NFL’s Texans and MLB’s Astros, both based in Houston, TX.
It is also the first pre-purchase coming from Europe, potentially signaling there could be demand from the UK and the EU for reliable carbon removal. At this moment in time the majority of agreements in the sector are bilateral with removal not part of emissions trading systems (ETS) or carbon markets. But efforts to integrate it in the UN led Article 6 market, as well as the UK, EU and Japanese ETS’ are under way.
Michael Avery, president and general manager of 1PointFive commented on the announcement by saying: “Our organisations have a shared mission of sustainability and by working together we can provide a model for how to use Direct Air Capture to address product emissions and empower consumers to make more carbon-conscious choices. Direct Air Capture is a solution that can help LFC achieve its goals in a measurable, transparent and durable way.”
Read more: Texans Are First NFL Team To Buy Carbon Removal Credits
