It is an unparalleled historic achievement: Betclic Apogee has been confirmed as the first eSports team in the world to be certified as zero carbon (Carbon Neutral). This seal of environmental sustainability is signed by an independent entity based in the Netherlands, ZEROCertified.
Gonçalo Brandeiro, CEO of the team, does not hide his satisfaction with this recognition. "This milestone is the first step towards realizing a dream we have for the eSports industry - carbon neutrality. It is a great pride to start this global transformation with Betclic Apogee," explains the leader of the formation that was born in Portugal and that is an international reference for FIFA – with 21 athletes from three countries. This entire process led to a "new awareness of the team in relation to present and future choices in terms of energy and mobility," explains Brandeiro.
The certification process underwent a rigorous scientific scrutiny, under the direction of experts from Zero Waste Lab – a non-profit association committed to creating more environmentally friendly social behaviors. In order to assess the team's ecological footprint, an app was created with an emissions calculator, where each element recorded its activity. The result was a final estimate of 400 tons of CO2 in 2022. Through this process it was possible not only to neutralize the CO2 footprint but also to generate a positive impact, by supporting a regeneration project.
This certification is in line with six of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations 2030 Agenda: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Sustainable Communities and Cities, Responsible Production and Consumption, Climate Action, Life on Earth and Partnerships for the Goals.
With exponential growth in recent years, the gaming industry is now one of the largest on the planet, mobilizing around 3 billion users and generating revenues of over US$155 billion. In the US alone, the energy bill exceeds US$5 billion/year, which corresponds to 24 thousand tons of CO2 emissions/year - equivalent to the consumption of 85 million refrigerators or more than 5 million cars. These figures exceed the entire annual consumption of countries such as Siri Lanka, Estonia or Lebanon.
Source: Record Portugal
