Budweiser, official sponsors of last year’s World Cup in Russia, has furthered its commitment to sustainability by creating a unique football pitch made from recycled Budweiser Red Light Cups that were collected during last summer’s FIFA World Cup.
If you were fortunate enough to make it to Russia last summer, chances are you may have a plastic Budweiser cup as a souvenir. Probably sitting on your desk at work with some pens in it by now. But Budweiser had other ideas for the thousands of cups that were left over in Russia.
With over 3.2 million Budweiser Red Light Cups used during the tournament, there was bound to be some waste, and with global attention on the amount of plastic waste we create that more often than not ends up in our oceans, it could not be overlooked. Following the culmination of the World Cup, Budweiser collected and recycled the Red Light Cups that were disposed of, using 50,000 of them to create the ‘Budweiser ReCup Arena’.
The cups have been used to create an innovative, wear-resistant coloured coating for the new pitch in Sochi, Russia, which measures in at 65 x 42 meters. Local football fans were invited to the first ever match on the striking red and white pitch, which featured FIFA World Cup Winner, Marco Materazzi. Fortunately, Zidane turned down the chance to play.
The new facility is part of Budweiser’s commitment to sustainability. The beer brand recently made the pledge that, by 2025, every single bottle of beer it brews will be powered with renewable electricity.
