Sustainability as an integral part of the licensing process

Since the 2023-24 season, the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 have been the first major professional football leagues to enshrine a mandatory sustainability guideline in their licensing regulations. This step followed the fundamental commitment of the DFL General Assembly in May 2022 to sustainability in all its dimensions (ecological, economic, social). At that time, the clubs had included sustainability in the preamble to the DFL e.V. statutes and decided that the associated licensing criteria should be gradually developed further.

The aim is to achieve continuous development in the area of sustainability, also on the basis of the guideline and individual club commitments: from the establishment and expansion of basic structures to the expansion of effective, measurable measures.

The auditing of sustainability criteria as part of the licensing process is carried out in cooperation with an external service provider.

Minimum criteria from three subject areas

The guideline is divided into three thematic dimensions: (1) club management and organisation, (2) climate, environment and resources, and (3) stakeholders and social responsibility. In order to participate in match operations, each club must provide evidence of its personnel responsibilities and a sustainability strategy. The list of criteria also includes annual consumption measurements and a mobility and traffic analysis. In addition, all clubs must implement a code of conduct for all employees, clearly distance themselves from all forms of discrimination and commit to equality, diversity and inclusion.

• “Sustainability Commission”

  With the “Sustainability Commission”, the DFL has established a body that deals intensively with the sustainability commitment of German professional football. In the commission, which has an advisory role vis-à-vis the DFL Executive Committee, representatives of clubs from the Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 as well as from the DFL Group deal with topics from the areas of ecological, economic and social sustainability. In addition, holds regular meetings of a “Sustainability Plenary Assembly” with experts from all 36 clubs and the DFL.

• Environmentally conscious media production of all Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 matches

  In cooperation with media partner Sky, the DFL has been supporting environmentally conscious media production of Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 matches, the relegation play-offs and the Supercup since the start of the 2021-22 season. The greenhouse gas emissions generated during media production are initially offset in coordination with the global company ClimatePartner – while the DFL subsidiary Sportcast, which produces the base signal for all matches for the national and international media partners, analyses potential savings and works on a multi-stage plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions on this basis.

• DFL Sustainability Forum

  Since 2022, the DFL has organised the annual “DFL Sustainability Forum“. With the forum, the DFL creates a platform for exchange on the topic of sustainability for Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 clubs as well as participants from politics, business, society, science, sport and the media, among others.

• Exchange, networking and further training

  In order to further develop the commitment and increase its impact, there is a regular exchange between stakeholders – in professional football and beyond. The DFL and clubs are in constant communication via various event formats such as the regular “Sustainability Plenary Meeting”.

  In 2024, the DFL and DFB jointly hosted a Sustainability Day at the DFB Campus. A total of 160 participants discussed key sustainability topics in workshops, such as sustainability management, anti-discrimination and diversity, child and youth protection, prevention and health as well as energy and resource management.

  As a supporter of the online course “Sustainability Management in Sport and Sports Organisations” at the Leuphana University of Lüneburg and co-organiser of a further education programme on the development of diversity and inclusion in football, the DFL enables a number of people involved in the associations and clubs to expand their expertise in the area of sustainability.

• Cross-club initiatives and measures

  With the aim of making the production of fan merchandise more sustainable, nine clubs have joined forces to form the “From the Field to the Fanshop” initiative. The project helps Indian smallholders to establish and expand sustainable cultivation practices and fair textile production (more on this in BUNDESLIGA MAGAZINE 02|24 (in German)). The initiative was launched in 2022 by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the textile company BRANDS Fashion together with the clubs.

  At the beginning of 2025, the DFL launched a ride-sharing portal for all Bundesliga and Bundesliga 2 matches. At bundesliga-mitfahrportal.de, fans can select their favorite club and search for or offer rides to home and away matches. With the portal, the DFL is taking a measure that supports more sustainable fan mobility at all stadium locations.