2013 Initiatives

Ever since we took the helm of the Internationaux de Strasbourg in 2010, we have been actively developing our trailblazing approach to event management, setting a new standard as the world's first genuinely eco-friendly tennis tournament.

Every organizational aspect of the tournament is taken into consideration in order to reduce CO2 emissions to the bare minimum leading up to, during and even after the competition. Generating public awareness among our partners, suppliers, players and spectators while contributing to the development of social outreach are the main axes of our approach.

The Eco2 Initiative's official carbon footprint calculations for the 2013 IS tournament and its entire organization have enabled us to pinpoint the specific areas where we can further improve our efforts in 2014. Transportation remains the most important aspect in terms of carbon emissions. The organization successfully maintained its consistently high level of positive results in terms of awareness-building and communications initiatives as well as waste management and recycling; but we also proved successful in increasing the use of locally-grown, in-season, organic products through our carefully-chosen catering service.

The Internationaux de Strasbourg 27^th edition's final carbon footprint® is evaluated at 220 metric tons of CO2 equivalent.

MAIN ECO-FRIENDLY INITIATIVES IN 2013

NEW IN 2013

• Recycling of our court tarpaulins by Dosch (http://www.dosch.fr/) to create a line of designer bags.
• Creation of an eco-responsible quiz on the Internationaux de Strasbourg official Facebook page to raise our fans' awareness.
• Highlight of our partners' eco-responsible commitment at the VIP Village entrance.
   

CATERING INITIATIVES

• Refreshment area: use of in-season, locally-grown and organic products as much as possible; use of recycled containers.
• Eco-cup returnable goblet for the general public: removal of plastic cups
• VIP Catering: increased percentage of in-season, local, organic products used by our caterer (" Vins bio ") and service of our partner Arthur Metz's organic wine during gourmet luncheons.
   

TRAVEL-RELATED INITIATIVES

• The organizational staff travels by TGV instead of air planes or individual cars
• Increased number of official BMW hybrid cars for players and their entourage's transportation
• Special incentive for spectators who came to the event by tramway: tram ticket price deducted from the tournament ticket price
• Communication campaign about the P+T (Parking+Tram) incentive for the general public
• Set-up of convenient bicycle parking in front of the tournament site entrance
• Creation of a ride-share section on the tournament's website and a partnership with " carpooling " to boost the awareness and participation in ride-share options

ACCOMODATION INITIATIVES

• The tournament's official hotel, Hilton, demonstrates a strong commitment to sustainable development:
  • Hotel with an eco-friendly charter
  • Hotel with the eco-label  " Clef verte " (Green Key) rating
  • Hotel near the tournament's site to reduce player travel between the event and their hotel
  • Hotel near a tram station (200m) for further CO2 reductions

RECYCLING INITIATIVES

• Recycling of waste: glass, paper/cardboard, waste sorted into separate dumpsters with the support of our partner Schroll
• Recycling of bio-waste (new in 2013) for VIPs', players' and organizational staff's catering

AWARENESS BUILDING INITIATIVES

• Mentions about our eco-friendly initiatives on the official Energy & Environment Agency's daily programs (" la minute eco-gestes avec l'ADEME ")
• New signage that's more understandable and fun to showcase all the eco-friendly commitments we make and raise awareness among the general public, the players and the VIPs in attendance

SOCIAL OUTREACH INITIATIVES

• Wheelchair Tennis
  • Organization of a conference with the " Conseil Général du Bas-Rhin " about the integration of people with disabilities into the professional world, with the participation of Stéphance Houdet (the world's #1 handisport tennis player) and Emmanuelle Mörch (France's #2 handisport tennis player).
  • Attendance of the 4 best French handisport tennis players on the Wednesday of the tournament with an exhibition game and an introduction to handisport tennis for the general public.
• ICM (brain & spine medical research institute)
  • Presentation of an awareness-building film on the giant screens at the Central Court
  • ICM's visibility on Center Court and communication elements
• L'ARHAM (Regional association for helping people with physical disabilities)
  • VIP stand provided in the Commercial Village to raise awareness of the association
  • Highlighting of the association on Center Court Wednesday of the tournament with the presence of an Olympic weight-lifting champion
• Underprivileged children
  • Partnership with the Declic association: 30 children coming from underprivileged districts were invited the Friday of the tournament to spend the day on-site with the discovery of the tournament's backstage and an introduction to tennis.