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BBVA also changed daily practices such as waste management. The challenge was not only to separate the waste, but also to ensure that all suppliers of everything from food to cleaning products operated in a sustainable manner. Club de Futbol Monterrey started to integrate environmental aspects into its sales contracts, from packaging recycled materials to reusable or compostable products.
Molina said: “We also ask them for documents showing where the waste is going.”
The stadium has eliminated nearly 90 percent of its PET plastic from the game, through the use of soft drink dispensers and reusable cups. As for the water, they increased the number of meters from 6 to 20, and improved irrigation with automatic analysis to define the time and amount of irrigation.
That efficiency is helpful, but more water is still needed. This year’s World Cup regulations require that the matches be played on natural grass, as it is said to provide better conditions for the players. And watering is done with salt water and not purified water.
Since the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, FIFA has adopted guidelines for environmental sustainability, such as water efficiency, but some of its requirements do not always align with the organization’s stated goals.
“In the past, irrigation was done with reclaimed water; today, saline water must be used for lawn care,” Rocha explains. Salt water is expensive and scarce in a city known for water scarcity.
Rice fields also require water for purposes such as temperature control, using 900 liters (238 gallons) per day. But natural grass needs 50 times that amount, requiring up to 50,000 liters (13,209 gallons) of watering per day. For comparison, the average daily water consumption in Mexico is 150 liters (40 gallons), which means that a tarp uses the daily water of 333 people.
Ensuring the performance of the BBVA Stadium was not just about following the signs, but about changing the working habits in a city with environmental problems. Keeping the environment healthy in Monterrey, with high pollution and high temperatures, was a big task.
The internal environment is one of the determining factors. Although the stadium is open most of the time, it should provide good health in closed areas such as offices, dressing rooms, and VIP areas.
“One of the biggest challenges was the nature of the environment, and comfort: that people were comfortable, in terms of their health, temperature, and even emotions,” Rocha says. To achieve this, air conditioning systems were installed with special filters, pollution sensors, and turbines that control the flow of air in the stands. The stadium invested more than 1 million pesos (about $57,400) in the exhaust system.
BBVA also went through a culture change as part of the licensing process. Coordinating over a thousand agents, informing employees, and changing daily habits is a task that continues long after certification.
