Hawks’ Playoff Game on May 30 at State Farm Arena recognised as first TRUE certified sporting event

Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) announced this week that Game 4 of the Atlanta Hawks’ first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks earned TRUE (Total Resource Use and Efficiency) certification. This delegation marks the first time a sporting event in the world has received TRUE for events. The game, which was sold out with 16,458 fans in attendance, took place on May 30.

In order to become TRUE certified, an event must meet requirements from GBCI, the world’s leading sustainability and health certification and credentialing body. These requirements include having a zero waste policy in place, having achieved an average of 90 percent or greater overall diversion from landfill, incineration (waste-to-energy) and the environment for solid, non-hazardous wastes.

The event must reduce, reuse, recycle, compost and/or recover for productive use in nature or the economy, and meet all federal, state/provincial, and local solid waste and recycling laws and regulations. In addition, the project complies with all air, water and land discharge permits required for collection, handling or processing of materials and meets or exceeds through data documenting of waste diversion efforts and measurements.

Sofi Armenakian, Director of Sustainability and Operations for the Hawks and State Farm Arena, said:

As we continue our journey in making State Farm Arena a zero-waste venue, we are grateful for our staff and fans who all worked together to earn this certification from GBCI. We recognise how important it is for sports to create change and know this is just another way how a sports venue can contribute positively and act sustainably in their community.

In this endeavour, the Hawks were assisted by various organisations, such as the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials (CHaRM), which aids in creating various recycling solutions for the city of Atlanta. CompostNow – which provides commercial composting solutions – enabled the venue to compost all compostable service ware, cutlery and packaging.

In addition, the venue activated 15 volunteers, teachers from Jonesboro Middle School, who joined for the event as zero waste volunteers. In their roles, they aided guests at the venue in the process of properly sorting to reduce contamination. Additionally, Levy Restaurants, the official food and beverage partner of the Hawks and State Farm Arena, helped in the supply chain process. Pritchard Sports & Entertainment, the team’s official housekeeping partner, also assisted operationally with the collection and sorting of all materials.

Mahesh Ramanujam, President & CEO, USGBC and GBCI, said:

We all want the world to be a cleaner and healthier place for future generations, and we can’t accomplish this without bringing a critical focus to waste reduction and elimination efforts. TRUE seeks to instill a more circular economy and enable businesses and organisations to address these issues head on by defining, pursuing and achieving zero waste goals for their facilities. Reducing the negative impacts of waste on people and the environment will require organisations of all kinds to step up and demonstrate leadership by prioritising policies, operations and actions that dramatically reduce waste and limit resource extraction and use upstream. The Hawks and State Farm Arena’s dedication to pursuing TRUE for Events certification is truly moving us closer to becoming a zero-waste community that’s healthier for us all.

In February 2021, Hawks and State Farm Arena successfully diverted 97 percent of fan-generated waste during the 2021 NBA All-Star Game with the help of Rubicon, a software platform that provides waste, recycling and smart city solutions to businesses and governments worldwide.

In June 2019, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced State Farm Arena, has received the LEED Gold certification. At the time, USGBC and GBCI President and CEO, Mahesh Ramanujam, presented Hawks and State Farm Arena CEO, Steve Koonin, with the designation plaque during the Greenbuild Atlanta Cultivation event at the venue.

To learn more about State Farm Arena’s Sustainability efforts, visit StateFarmArena.com/Sustainability.  

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