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Sami has been supporting you since early 2025 on your carbon footprint. Was this your first one?
No, we had already carried out a carbon footprint in 2024 with another provider. But we were disappointed by the lack of support, particularly during the data collection phase. We were often left in the dark, with little information or context to share with colleagues.
We faced several blockers and got little feedback from the provider at the time, and the project ended with the feeling that our carbon footprint lacked precision.
Why did you choose Sami?
Firstly, because of the partnership between Sami and the French Professional Football League (LFP), in place since 2024. As part of that partnership, you ran a training session for CSR managers at professional clubs, which I found very interesting. We got to meet your consultants and work through practical case studies.
What we were really looking for was a provider that specialized in sport, and football clubs specifically. That's clearly the case with Sami, and we're very satisfied.
What stood out to you about working with our consultants?
Of course their expertise on carbon footprints, but above all, their understanding of our world, football clubs, how we operate, and so on. That was obvious right away, and it made a real difference in terms of precision and smoothness in our exchanges.
We also really appreciated that the consultants provided invaluable guidance while still leaving us responsible for executing the footprint, particularly the data collection. That's essential if you want to later dig into the details of your emission sources, your reduction strategy, your action plan...
Sami and the LFP co-developed a methodological protocol to calculate greenhouse gas emissions for football clubs. Was having that framework important to you?
Absolutely. It allowed us to approach the carbon footprint with a solid foundation already in place. As I mentioned, we were often in the dark with our previous provider.
Here, the methodological protocol gives you a very precise framework for every step of the footprint, especially data collection, with concrete examples each time — a document you can rely on at any point, even before reaching out to the consultants. It's very convenient, and it helps you move quickly and efficiently.
Beyond the consultants' expertise, what else did you appreciate about working with Sami?
We also really liked the communication kit provided by Sami, which lets you start informing colleagues internally right away about what the carbon footprint is, how they can contribute, and so on. It's concise, which helps things move fast and gets teams on board.
You also organized a kickoff video call open to everyone at the club, where your consultants walked through how the carbon footprint works and what's at stake for us.
Why did you decide to measure your greenhouse gas emissions?
We needed carbon data in order to build a realistic and effective environmental strategy. We didn't want to get started without a clear baseline. The carbon footprint is the essential tool for understanding where you stand on carbon. To talk meaningfully with our supporters about these issues, particularly mobility, we needed the numbers.
At the same time, the LFP added a requirement to the Club License for an annual carbon footprint. CSR criteria now count for 10% of a club's overall score for the Club License.
What has the carbon footprint with Sami brought you?
This first carbon footprint with Sami achieved a much higher level of precision compared to our first attempt, with a clearer overall view of our activity.
As with all professional clubs, transport is our largest source of emissions. And it's supporter travel that weighs the most, with an average of 26,000 spectators present at every home game in the Stadium. Some travel from far away. This footprint helped us get much clearer visibility into how our supporters travel to games.
What are you putting in place to reduce emissions?
We've identified five major focus areas: waste, water, energy, food, and transport.
On waste, for example, we're working with our partners and spectators to reduce volumes.
On energy, with energy prices soaring, we obviously want to reduce our consumption quickly and sustainably. The financial stakes are significant, so cutting emissions and cutting costs go hand in hand.
What's planned specifically for your energy consumption?
We're working with the Stadium's owners, Toulouse Métropole, and on the facilities we own, particularly the future training center for our professional players, to reduce consumption.
We've already carried out an energy audit, which was very useful for guiding energy efficiency actions and complying with the "décret tertiaire," which requires a progressive reduction in energy consumption for certain buildings.
We're also fortunate that our training center, which hosts 150 young players year-round, is connected to a district heating network. That allows us to use energy with a lower carbon footprint.
You don't own your stadium, how much room for action do you have on this issue?
Toulouse Métropole shares the same goals we do: reducing consumption and emissions.
Beyond that, there's also the issue of climate adaptation, both at the stadium and across all our activities. Will we still be able to host matches under extremely high temperatures? We're not there yet, but it's something that needs to be part of our thinking.
The carbon footprint really does give us a precise view of our GHG emissions and helps us prioritize our reduction actions. But the process involved also opens up many other topics, and contributes greatly to having an overall view of our club's climate-related challenges.
What are the next steps you've already identified?
Supporter travel will be one of our main projects going forward. We'll need to engage all supporter groups and work with the Occitanie region to put low-carbon mobility solutions in place for supporters traveling from further away. It's an important challenge.
On water, we're working on recovering water used on the pitches, as well as on the irrigation system. These are areas that require fairly significant investment, so they're long-term initiatives.
