FC Köln and its partner REWE took to the field against Arminia Bielefeld on match day 31 of the 2021/22 Bundesliga season (23 April) in a special jersey with a focus on Sustainability. Instead of the REWE logo, the FC professionals wore the words "Lebe nachhaltig" ("Live sustainably") from the FC campaign of the same name on their chest.
As part of the Sustainability Matchday on Saturday, FC and its partners wanted to send out a signal in favour of socially, economically and ecologically sustainable development. The club took up the current events in Ukraine and clearly positioned itself against the war of aggression and in favour of peace in Ukraine.
"As a co-operative company with a 95-year tradition, 'Live sustainably' means above all taking responsibility for future generations for us at REWE Group. Values such as solidarity, community and sustainability are firmly anchored in our corporate culture. Our core business, Retail and Tourism, is directly connected to the lives of millions of people every day - in Germany and Europe. That's why it's important for us to take a clear stance in favour of a sustainable society," said Lionel Souque, CEO of the REWE Group.
"Our joint campaign 'Live sustainably' brings together one of the most urgent issues of our time: making our lives more sustainable so that future generations can not only live on this planet, but live a life worth living. Together with the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and our main partner REWE, we want to send a clear signal for achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda," explained FC President Werner Wolf. "We are very pleased that REWE is supporting us in sending this important signal to our fans and members, the entire civil society, business and science."
The new FC campaign is also supported by FC Doppelpass partner, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Svenja Schulze said: "Football moves and inspires people all over the world, regardless of their origin, skin colour, gender or age. It arouses emotions, connects and unites. As an ambassador, football can convey what Sustainability means. It's good that FC Köln is dedicating an entire matchday to this topic as part of our "FC Doppelpass" partnership. This shows that, whether on or off the pitch, professional football and a commitment to Sustainability and development go together."
FC Köln is already committed to achieving the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda in a variety of ways. It is the first Bundesliga club to be certified with the "ZNU Standard for Sustainable Management" from the Centre for Sustainable Corporate Management (ZNU) at the University of Witten/Herdecke, has been climate-neutral since 2021 and aims to reduce its carbon footprint
special role in society to make everyone's lives more sustainable. FC is bundling its activities relating to Sustainability in the new FC campaign "Live sustainably". The three green stripes stand for the three dimensions of Sustainability: ecology, economy and social issues.
Both German and English comments appear here.
I wonder how such a campaign can be reconciled with the fact that 1. FC Köln wants to significantly expand its training and performance centre in the landscape conservation area of the listed green belt. And this against all opposition from numerous environmental protection organisations (e.g. BUND, NABU, ...). This does not fit together, robs the current campaign of credibility and gives the impression of hypocrisy. But the imprint on the shirt is in the imperative - i.e. a call to others and probably does not include the behaviour of the 1st FC. Unfortunately, I can't understand my employer REWE (which is committed to Sustainability) supporting this through its sponsorship.