Background paper on the concept phase (as at 31.03.2003)

Green Goal - Environmental goals for the 2006 FIFA World Cup

The hosting of the 2006 FIFA World Cup offers Germany a great opportunity to present itself as hospitable, keen on sports and also conscious of its responsibility towards the natural environment. The Organizing Committee (OC) of the 2006 FIFA World Cup, with its president Franz Beckenbauer and the German Football Association (DFB) have recognized this opportunity and challenge.

In its application paper for the hosting of the 2006 Football World Cup in Germany, the DFB clearly indicated in a chapter entitled "Environmental concept for the stadiums", that the planning and realization of the 2006 World Cup will also be orientated towards the objectives of sustainable development. With the decision of its Executive Board in 2001 to elaborate a comprehensive environmental concept, the DFB underscored its awareness of its social responsibility for the environment. In order to demonstrate that the FIFA World Cup and environmental protection "go hand in hand", the OC commissioned a team of scientists from Öko-Institut around Christian Hochfeld and Dr. Hartmut Stahl to elaborate and subsequently ensure the realization of comprehensive and demanding environmental objectives for the 2006 Football World Cup. The work is supported by Jürgen Trittin, Federal Minister for the Environment, and funded by the German Federal Environment Foundation (DBU).