Super Bowl LX assures core focus on sustainability and green legacy amidst Seahawks vs Patriots spectacle

Super Bowl LX is expected to deliver huge ratings, exciting commercials featuring A-list talent, and a packed week of events in the Bay Area. Additionally, this year, the NFL is also pushing for a more sustainable environment amidst all the spectacle.

By kickoff at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, organizers aim to reduce the environmental footprint tied to travel, waste, and stadium operations.It is a major test, because the Super Bowl is not just a football game. It is a full-scale production with thousands of moving parts to ensure a smooth-sailing event. The league now says that sustainability is a “core focus,” and the plan is to make sure the biggest event on the calendar also leaves behind smarter habits that ensure sustainability.

How the NFL, Levi’s Stadium, and sponsors are cutting waste and emissions

The NFL says it wants every Super Bowl to be more sustainable than the last while creating a long-term impact in the host city. The league said, “The NFL strives to not only make each Super Bowl more sustainable than the last but to also leave a lasting 'green legacy' in the host's community.” Fans are being asked to recycle correctly by emptying containers first and taking plastic wraps and bags out of recycling bins.

The NFL is also encouraging fans to walk when possible or use public transit options like VTA, BART, Caltrain, and SFMTA.

For visitors who cannot access those systems, electric vehicle rideshares are being promoted as a cleaner backup. Levi’s Stadium itself is part of the initiative. Opened in 2014, the venue was built with sustainability in mind and includes solar-powered infrastructure, EV charging stations, and water-saving upgrades designed to cut emissions.Inside and around the stadium, recycling is being scaled up with 200 additional bins and on-site sustainability staff to guide fans.

PepsiCo is also expanding reusable cups, asking fans to return them to special collection bins so they can be cleaned and reused. This will ensure that the environment is clean and waste is not scattered around the arena. As Stanford sustainability leader Lincoln Bleveans put it, “Every little bit helps, whether we're talking about carbon or plastics or transportation. Priscila Báez, who is the associate director of events and outreach at Georgetown University's Earth Commons Institute, also advised people hosting Super Bowl parties to avoid plastic utensils and dinnerware.