NatureWorks, a supplier of renewably sourced materials, announced May 6 its partnership with Green Sports Alliance, a nonprofit organization that leverages the market influence of sports to promote healthy, sustainable communities.
The strengthening of the partnership between the two companies is meant to support the Alliance’s mission to advance environmental responsibility with professional and collegiate sports teams, venues, leagues and events, according to a press release. The partnership with Alliance, which represents almost 300 sports teams and venues from 20 different sports leagues and 14 countries, is expected to offer Alliance members access to NatureWorks’ waste diversion program development by way of renewable, eco-friendly products.
According to the press release, the partnership also includes educational webinars, discussion panels, supporting case studies and workshops on topics such as bioplastics, composting and diversion success strategies at sports venues and events.
Though NatureWorks and the Alliance have been associated since 2011, the recently announced partnership will use that history as a platform to accelerate the implementation of organics diversions in sports.
The announcement comes at a time of excessive waste production in the United States, which, according to EPA data, amounted to 35 million tons of food waste in 2012.
NatureWorks CEO Marc Verbruggen said in the press release that the Alliance is premised on the fact that while only 13 percent of Americans follow science, 71 percent follow sports. An attempt to combine science with sports may help bring climate change action into the mainstream to help promote “healthy and sustainable communities.”
