Seahawks partner with Delta Air Lines to offset the team’s travel emissions

The Seattle Seahawks have partnered with Delta Airlines to offset all carbon emissions from the air miles the American football team travelled during the 2017 season.

To address the issue of sustainable mobility in sports, the Seattle Seahawks have used Delta’s carbon offset programme to offset the approximately 25,688 miles the team travelled on Delta charter flights.

Delta Airlines is the official airline partner for the team and is the first U.S. carrier to offer travellers the ability to offset travel emissions.

In 2017, it launched the offset programme encouraging customers to estimate their carbon emissions associated with the air trips and invest in carbon offset projects of their choice.

Through the programme, Delta invests in environmentally-friendly projects around the world. In 2017 alone, Delta purchased more than $2.5 million worth of carbon credits.

The Seahawks purchased 1,080 carbon credits from the Cedar Grove Composting – an environmental solutions company specialising in harnessing organic waste and turning it into innovative products.

This is not the first time the team has collaborated with Cedar Grove Composting, as the company is responsible for eliminating landfill waste during every game at the CenturyLink Field- home of Seahawks.

It is estimated that approximately 16.4 tonnes of food waste are diverted during every game, significantly minimising methane emissions.

Tony Gonchar, Delta’s Vice President, commented on the team’s new sustainability milestone: “Being a good steward of the environment in the communities we serve is a core value of Delta’s and is especially important to our customers”.

“We are proud to deliver on this commitment through our carbon offsets program and to bring our commitment to sustainability together with our great partners at the Seahawks”, he added.

The new initiative furthers the team’s mission to promote sustainability across every aspect and become a leading representative of sustainability in sport.

In 2016, CenturyLink Field managed a waste diversion rate of 97 percent, and more than 95 percent in each of the last 4 years.

The stadium generates 25 percent of its energy needs by on-site solar, whereas LED and automating lighting enables 24 percent less energy consumption.