Jessie Fleming commits to environmental action

Canada midfielder and captain will compensate for all her social carbon costs built up this season which will be donated to regenerative initiative.

At the beginning of 2024, Jessie Fleming changed London and Chelsea for Portland and the Thorns as the US-side completed one of the record transfers of the NWSL – the most expensive signing ever made by an American women’s team at the time.  

The Canada midfielder and captain has pledged to compensate the social carbon cost for her record transfer and any further air travel throughout the current season

The 26-year-old will be directly supporting Zero Foodprint, a community regenerative agriculture and farming initiative. 

The project supports environmentally aware farmers and ranchers to build healthy soil while putting carbon back into the ground.

Jessie is the first player to use Football For Future and Common Goal’s new Carbon Transfer Compass (CTC), a methodology which allows players, individuals and organisations to take responsibility for the environmental cost of their emissions by donating to climate resistance initiatives. 

“There are plenty of avenues to combat climate change,” said Jessie Fleming. 

“Even small steps can tangibly improve how our food is produced and thus reduce the impact of climate change.  

“It’s so important that we find new ways to support the environment. 

“Having the ability to use my transfer to improve food production is a step in the right direction. 

“It shows the positive impact the football industry can have to support the world it operates in,” the midfielder stated.  

How it works? 

The compensation model relies on a rigorous and scientific methodology to calculate the environmental impact of Fleming’s flight, using the US Government’s social cost of carbon - which stood at $51 per tonne by June 2023 - to calculate the size of her donation. 

The goal of the Carbon Transfer Compass is to provide more short-term solutions - beyond carbon offsetting - that will support grassroots climate initiatives.  

It is a blueprint for more long-term solutions that governing bodies can utilise for tournaments, major events and leagues around the globe. 

“The Carbon Transfer Compass takes us one step closer to football supporting the environment it operates in,” said Barney Weston, Co-Director of Football for Future. 

“Having players like Jessie on board proves the importance of providing a methodology which engages climate initiatives.  

“Players want to engage with the pressing issues of today and use their platform to impact the world,” he added. 

The methodology had previously been trialled during the biggest player-led climate action in history at the FIFA Women’s World Cup last summer. 

A total of 47 players, from Canada, Denmark, Italy, and Sweden donated the ‘carbon cost’ of their flights to and from Australia and New Zealand to a combination of climate resilience, carbon compensation, and adaptation initiatives run by WWF and DanChurchAid. 

“What we saw from our work during the Women’s World Cup was how important it was for players to have the tools to create meaningful change,” said Jérémy Houssin, Common Goal’s Environmental Sustainability Lead. 

“We had to push the narrative beyond carbon offsetting and broaden our scope to deliver impact.  

“We’re proud to work with athletes like Jessie so they have a platform to support sustainability-driven organisations, raise awareness and leverage the power of Football towards adaptation and resilience,” he added.