Goals for Zero Plastic

adidas and Common Goal join forces to help reduce plastic and create access to sports at a refugee camp in Greece 

At the Schisto refugee camp in Greece, plastic pollution is becoming a large environmental challenge – Common Goal community organisation Organization Earth addressed this as part of adidas and Common Goal’s move for the planet global activation. 

Schisto camp lies just outside Athens, in the mountains of Piraeus, and is a space where many people have found a new home. However, the camp is overcrowded and has environmental problems that prevent inhabitants from developing a way of life with opportunities for growth and recreation. 

Organization Earth addressed this with ‘Goals for Zero Plastic’ which offers 250 camp residents access to sustainable sports facilities as well as raised environmental awareness in order to reduce plastic pollution at the camp. 

“Some games matter more than others and playing for a sustainable and just future is the most important one,” said Kyriaki Retzeka, head of programmes at Organization Earth. 

The project revolved around three core actions.

Turning recycled materials into sports infrastructure:

The organisation developed the ‘Goals for Zero Plastic’ programme that offered 250 camp residents, both children and adult refugees and asylum seekers, access to sustainable sports facilities. The project upgraded the existing football pitch from concrete to artificial turf, to offer the possibility to play sports more safely. The use of approximately 158kg of recycled plastic collected from plastic bottle caps enabled the creation of upcycled goalposts, benches, corner flags and recycling bins. Additionally, a small garden and a flower bed inside Schisto Site was created to serve as a place for the workshops and engaged more actively the Site residents in the MFTP activities.

Sustainable management process:

A plastic reduction and reuse policy was introduced on how to reduce plastic pollution in the camp to make a long-lasting impact that goes beyond the current residents. ‘The Goals for Zero Plastic Initiative’ aimed to inspire sports activity participants, employees, volunteers and other NGOs to recycle plastic and participate in environmental action.

The organisation continues to maintain recycle bins in the camp for plastic collection, while residents now have access to the pitch. Also, participants in sport sessions are encouraged to use multi-use bottles or recycle single-use plastic bottles immediately after training. These efforts reflect the ongoing nature of their sustainable management process.

Education on environmental sustainability and sports:  

The organisation delivered 72 environmental and awareness-raising activities in or near the newly created sustainable infrastructure engaging more than 200 residents, primarily minors.  Organization Earth's environmental educators focused on recycling, reusing procedures, composting, and workshops on climate change, adaptation, and the UN's SDGs as well as gardening related activities.