Green Business Certification Inc. (GBCI) recently awarded Austin FC’s home venue Q2 Stadium with Total Resource Use and Efficiency (TRUE) Platinum certification, the highest certification level offered by GBCI. Q2 Stadium initially earned TRUE Gold certification in 2024 and remains the first and only soccer-specific venue in the world to hold TRUE certification.
With Platinum certification, Q2 Stadium continues to demonstrate a commitment to sustainability leadership by shifting to prioritizing processes, operations and actions to reduce waste and resources throughout their system lifecycle. Q2 Stadium officially remains a zero-waste venue by consistently diverting over 90 percent of waste generated on matchdays from reaching landfills.
“True sustainability is a journey of continuous improvement, not a destination,” said Susie Vincent, Director of Client Solutions at the U.S. Green Building Council. “I am incredibly proud of the Q2 Stadium leadership for their proactive approach in seeking recertification early and successfully upgrading to TRUE Platinum status. This accomplishment reflects the rigorous operational standards and the culture of accountability they have built utilizing TRUE as a roadmap for zero waste performance.”
Q2 Stadium continues to receive support from Texas Disposal Systems (TDS), a group of locally owned and managed companies and the Official Waste and Recycling Partner of Austin FC. TDS leverages nearly 50 years of experience in waste diversion and sustainability to aid the stadium’s zero-waste goals.
Sharing in that mission of sustainability and being leaders in environmental stewardship is Okapi Environmental Services, LLC (OES), a management company with a consulting arm that provides full service, turnkey consulting with real-world experience that drives sustainability growth for organizations that need a partner to help move more strategically and at a faster pace.
“Q2 Stadium continues to be at the forefront of sustainable operations for major league sports venues,” said Austin FC President Andy Loughnane. “We’re grateful to our partners at TDS and OES for their work in helping make Q2 Stadium a zero-waste venue.”
To enhance sustainability efforts at Q2 Stadium, Austin FC, along with OES, conducted a thorough analysis of the stadium’s waste handling processes, reporting systems, and results. Through those findings, Austin FC and OES developed a comprehensive plan for driving sustainability results and measuring sustainability data to help the stadium track and quantify its success.
All Q2 Stadium’s waste diversion efforts are part of Austin FC’s Evergreen Sustainability Platform, presented by YETI.
