In July 2021, VfB Stuttgart signed off on a new overall strategy, including a mission statement with five values, two of which are explicitly focused on sustainability:
Setting an example on and off the pitch: “We stand for fair play and taking responsibility in football, in society and relation to our environment. We encapsulate clear values and are happy to be measured by them, even when we make mistakes."
United by the ring on the jersey: “At VfB, we have our roots in Cannstatt and are open to the rest of the world. We provide an emotional home and form a community that cannot be shaken. We are united by the ring on the jersey, proudly in white and red and in all the colours of the rainbow.”
Sustainability was added to the bylaws of the VfB Stuttgart 1893 AG board and is embedded in the business strategy in the ‘Identity and culture’ section. The sustainability strategy comprises the following vision and mission as well as the three focus areas.
Vision: VfB will fulfil its social responsibility as an ambassador for the region in its entirety.
Mission: We take responsibility.
On the pitch, for the environment, our community and our club, our activities are based on credibility and relevance. We consider our decisions and base them on facts. As such, we have developed a VfB mindset rather than merely swimming with the tide, enabling us to be an ambassador for our region, and one with full conviction.
FOCUS AREAS:
PEOPLE
At VfB Stuttgart, the focus is on people.
We are committed to helping everyone have the same opportunities when it comes to leading healthy, independent lives and enjoying a high quality of life. As such, we want to contribute to an open society, where people live together and aim for a sustainable future with decent working conditions. In particular, we support education and life-long learning.
PROTECTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE CLIMATE
VfB Stuttgart is committed to protecting the environment and the climate.
We follow a comprehensive approach which protects and maintains the space we live in. This begins with the air in the stadium, and we want to implement a restriction on smoking at our home venue. Our consumer behaviour needs to come into sharper focus for the long term. Increased energy efficiency and reduced waste generation is important for us, and not just in the stadium. We are working on a national and an international level, favouring sustainable raw material procurement and fair delivery chains for our production, and are committed to water conservation.
MOBILITY AND TRANSPORT
At VfB Stuttgart, we are committed to sustainable and healthy mobility for people.
Beyond the confines of the playing surface, we see access to green spaces as a real priority. We very much believe that mobility and transport need to be modernised, and made safer and greener to meet current demands. Good and efficiently networked transport systems are what we stand for via our VVS ticket on home matchdays, for example. We aim to be transparent in the way we work and provide regular reporting on our sustainability activities.