Sustainability

In 2021, we released first our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report.

We are dedicated to meeting the cricketing needs of the present, whilst ensuring the Club is in a healthy and resilient position for future generations.

MCC has been at the forefront of innovation in cricket since 1787 and we recognise our unique global role to take the game to new audiences, well beyond the boundary ropes of Lord’s.

We are committed to stewarding and opening up access to MCC and our resources, particularly for all those involved in playing and watching the game, including our staff and Members. These goals are not just for the good of cricket and cricketers – they benefit the wider world too, in our local community, nationally and internationally

Read our ESG Report here

Lord’s is an inaugural member of BASIS, the British Association for Sustainable Sport. 

Lord’s also became the first UK sports venue to employ a full-time Sustainability Manager in 2009 and have since introduced a number of initiatives to make sure they are a leader in sustainability within sport.

The Game Changer report, published by the Climate Coalition states that “of all the major pitch sports, cricket will be hardest hit by climate change.” Lord’s has taken this threat seriously and has worked to minimise our greenhouse gas emissions.

Lord’s switched to 100% renewable electricity in October 2016, then switched to 100% wind power a year later. The power is generated by the London Array, the second biggest off-shore wind farm in the world, located at the mouth of the Thames Estuary 

Switching to wind power has reduced our annual carbon footprint from utilities by 80% and reduces our contribution to greenhouse gases and climate change.
 

Lord’s has reduced the amount of single-use plastic given to spectators by:

- Switching to a washable, reusable cup
- Removing plastic straws, instead providing a paper straw if requested.
- Selling water in aluminium cans rather than single use plastic bottles.
- Selling soft drinks from bulk dispensers (“post-mix”) into reusable cups
- Removing plastic bags from our shops, switching to strong kraft-paper bags.

There is more to do, but these actions have reduced the amount of plastic given to spectators by about 1.5 million between 2017 and 2018.

In 2018 Lord’s introduced a reusable cup deposit return system.

While most venues make some money on reusable cups by encouraging people to take away the cup and so not redeem their deposit - Lord's cups are ‘minimally branded’ with a simple positive message designed to encourage returns.

Our cups can then be washed and reused over 100 times while the robustness of the  cup gives a better ‘drinking experience’.

As a result, not only have we significantly reduced the number of single use cups that we use, there is less litter in the stands, providing a better customer experience and making it easier to clear at the end of the day.

Lord’s recycles as much waste as possible.

Separated waste streams include glass, food, cardboard packaging, wood, metals, electronic waste and batteries, paints and solvents. While on match days we ask our customers to separate general waste and recyclable waste into our colour-coded bins

Unused food donated to local people in need and food waste used to generate energy.

First and foremost, Lord's tries to manage food ordering to minimise the amount of food waste produced. When there is unused edible food, that meets all health and hygiene requirements, we offer food to the local community through a partnership with food redistribution charity City Harvest.

Waste food than can not be used for human consumption is kept separate. The food is mechanically dewatered on-site (to reduce weight and volume) and is sent for anaerobic digestion, a process that produces ‘bio-gas’ which can then be used to generate electricity. The waste left at the end of this process is used as a soil improver for agriculture.