People would pay more for tickets to sustainable sporting events, a new survey indicates
Sustainability is a growing demand amongst sports fans, a recent survey finds. More than half of Finns, Swedes and Germans say they would be willing to pay more for events that are fully sustainable. Stora Enso will be cheering on the competitors at Lahti 2017 as the proud presenting sponsor, and through the efforts to showcase sustainability, hope to mark a new mindset among sporting events.
Stora Enso asked Finns, Swedes and Germans about how responsibility and the use of renewable materials would affect their experience at sporting events. And, it would seem that event organisers have a great deal they need to achieve. Only 21% of Finns, 16% of Swedes, and 10% of Germans currently think that spectator events successfully address the environmental impact.
Over half of the respondents said they would be willing to pay more for a ticket to an event if they knew the event was to be 100% sustainable. In Germany, two thirds of the respondents said they would be willing to pay extra. However, there are variations when results are compared by different age groups in each country. In Finland, the willingness to pay more for sustainability clearly rises the younger the respondents are, whereas in Sweden, differences are very small. In Germany, young adults in the age group 23-35 were clearly the most environmentally conscious age group.
“We at Stora Enso believe that sporting events can be arranged in a 100% environmentally sustainable manner over and over again, and that this will be a key element of the sports experience in the very near future,” says Seppo Parvi, CFO and Finland Country Manager of Stora Enso. “Increasing recycling at events is a good start, but in the future, the real game changer will be turning to renewable materials to begin with. Lahti 2017 is a great example of how wood and other renewable materials can be implemented on a consistently broader scale.”
An impact on the environment is an impact on the experience
Approximately 66% of Finns say that responsibility and the use of renewable materials would enhance their event experience in positive or very positive terms. Among Swedes and Germans, over 70% of the respondents also agreed. Overall, Germans seem to be the most consistent in favouring sustainability and the use of renewable materials, and the strictest to judge events that adversely impact the environment, with 73% saying that it would affect their experience in a negative manner.
When it comes to setting standards, Finns seem to be a little stricter, as 71% say that spectator events should strive for 100% sustainability, whereas this only seems to be the case for 68% of Swedes and 58% of Germans.
The online survey was conducted with over one thousand 18—80-year-old respondents in each country. The samples were nationally representative by age, gender and regions. The survey was conducted in November and December 2016.
Stora Enso is the presenting sponsor of the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships in Lahti in 2017. Stora Enso and Lahti2017 together, aim to lead the way in promoting and supporting sustainable events.
For further information, please contact:
Liisa Nyyssönen, SVP, Media relations in Finland, tel. +358 40 544 3491
Stora Enso is a leading provider of renewable solutions in packaging, biomaterials, wooden constructions and paper on global markets. Our aim is to replace fossil based materials by innovating and developing new products and services based on wood and other renewable materials. We employ some 26 000 people in more than 35 countries, and our sales in 2015 were EUR 10.0 billion. Stora Enso shares are listed on Nasdaq Helsinki (STEAV, STERV) and Nasdaq Stockholm (STE A, STE R). In addition, the shares are traded in the USA as ADRs (SEOAY). storaenso.com
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