Nachhaltigkeit Becher

Sustainability

The Cologne Marathon gets more sustainable – with your help!

As organisers we are aware of our responsability to implement a sustainable Generali Cologne Marathon – and also think of avoiding and reducing waste, selecting more sustainable products as those used before and scrutinise learnt procedures. We would like to examine all steps we do from a sustainable point of view.

We have started this process years ago and intened to continue it – and therefore need your help!

Support us by throwing the cups on the course and in the post-finish refreshment village into the corresponding nets. But also by saying goodbye to the “Cologne Constittion”: “We have always done it that way”. Because the first step to more sustainability is thinking of it.

Together with you we can do it and make the Cologne Marathon more sustainable bit by bit. And we do not only mean you as participants and us as organisers, but also our sponsors that lay great emphasis on this topic.

Sustainability is of major importance!
2023 Run the Green Line Climate neutrality certificate Road closures Free public transport ticket Despatch of race kits Wood instead of metal – medals Recyclable paper cups Reusable cups Starter bag Saving food Regional food products Electric vehicles Regional refinement Certified products Green electricity award Waste concept at the finish Social sustainability – R(h)einInklusiv Digital instead of paper

Run the Green Line

Turn blue into green! On race day you will find a special line on the streets of Cologne:

What was previously the Blue Line will become the Green Line from this year!

With the colour change, we want to draw attention to the sustainable orientation of our event and raise awareness of this topic among everyone who sees it.

This includes avoiding waste, recycling, reusing products, etc.

We present special ecological and social measures here:

Climate neutrality certificate

Our premium partner RheinEnergie makes the event climate-neutral every year.

‘Climate-neutral’ means avoiding or significantly reducing unnecessary emissions and offsetting unavoidable emissions through CO2-reducing measures.

RheinEnergie has purchased CO2 certificates or equivalents from the Yuntdag wind farm in Izmir, Turkey, from which our consumption of 150 tonnes of CO2 per year is deducted.

➡ Goal: Reduction or offsetting of CO2 emissions

Road closures

By extensively closing the running course and the numerous feeder roads – approx. 44 kilometres of roads throughout the city – to vehicles of all kinds, we are making Cologne a ‘car-free city’ on race day and reducing inner-city traffic!

Alternatively, we are offering all participants a free public transport ticket (see below).

Or if you are dependent on your car, you can use the Waze app. We have stored all our road closures and closure times there. The system will navigate you around the closed roads.

➡ Side effects: Reduction of vehicle emissions and promotion of alternative means of transport (public transport)

Free public transportation ticket

We will provide all participants and their accompanying persons (1 adult + 2 children) with a free public transport ticket for travelling within the VRS network on the day before and on race day.

➡ Goal: Reduction of private transport and its vehicle emissions

Despatch of race kits

Thanks to this additional bookable service, participants do not necessarily have to travel to the event twice, to collect their starting documents and on race day.

They receive their starting documents quickly and easily in advance by post.

➡ Goal: Reduction of vehicle emissions due to multiple journeys for starting documents and the event

Wood instead of metal – medals

  • The medals are made from alder wood using sustainable forestry in Hungary 🇭🇺 (instead of South African zinc metal).
  • This change in production will save 21 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

    ➡ Goal: Reduction of emissions

Recyclable paper cups

At all other refreshment stations, recyclable paper cups, which are collected by type in catch nets and recycled regionally as waste paper by the AWB, are handed out.

➡ Goal: Recycling in the region

Reusable cups

RheinEnergie is providing 100,000 (= 1/4 of all cups required) reusable cups from a local Cologne supplier for a refreshment station along the course and in the REWE Group refreshment village.

The cups are collected after use, returned, cleaned centrally and prepared for further events.

➡ Goal: Reusability at other events

Starter bags

The starter bags are of high quality, have a visually appealing design and encourage to reuse at other events or in leisure time.

The bags have two mesh pockets on the outside and a compartment with a zip for stowing smaller items.

The transparent slit on the front allows the garment bag tag to be inserted so that the owner is clearly visible.

➡ Aim: reusability in other (everyday) situations

Saving food

Any surplus food from the REWE Group refreshment village is donated to the Cologne food bank for people in need.

➡ Goal: to avoid throwing away food that is still edible

Regional food products

We offer these regional products in the REWE Group refreshment village and at the refreshment stations:

  • 5,000 PRO PLANET apples from the region (Krings from Rheinbach)
  • 1,000 pears from the region (Krings from Rheinbach)
  • 70 kilograms of carrots from the region
  • 300 mini cucumbers from the region
  • 17,000 UTZ-certified muesli bars from REWE’s own brand ja!
  • 3,000 litres of REWE organic apple juice
  • 3,000 litres of Reisdorf Kölsch (local beer brand)
  • 4,000 litres of Reissdorf Alkoholfrei (local beer brand)
  • Drinking water from the RheinEnergie supply network at all refreshment stations and in the refreshment village

➡ Goals: Reduction of vehicle emissions for transport, promotion of organic farming and environmental sustainability

Electric vehicles

The lead vehicles in front of and after the first athletes are fully electric.

Here the Ford Mustang Mach-E from R&S.

➡ Goal: reduction of vehicle emissions

Regional refinement

The sustainable medals made of alder wood are finished or lasered regionally by our service provider in Wuppertal: cut to size and engraved.

The personalised engravings with names, finish times etc. are carried out directly on site at Neumarkt after the event.

➡ Goal: Saving emissions

Certified products

We offer these certified products in the REWE Group refreshment village and at the refreshment stations:

  • 5,000 PRO PLANET apples from the region (Krings from Rheinbach)
  • 30,000 Rainforest Alliance-certified Chiquita bananas
  • 17,000 UTZ-certified muesli bars from REWE’s own brand ja!

Green electricity award

Our premium partner, RheinEnergie, donates certified green electricity to the female and male city champion of the marathon for 1 year each.

This green electricity based on renewable energies is produced in the region within a radius of 50 kilometres.

➡ Goal: Reduction of electricity generation from fossil fuels

Waste concept at the finish

In the REWE Group refreshment village in the post-finish area, we have been working for years with a comprehensive waste concept in cooperation with the AWB.

The focus is on, among other things

  • clear waste separation
  • the best possible waste avoidance
  • use of reusable cups
  • only large packaging

➡ Goal: avoidance, separation of waste by type

Social sustainability – R(h)einInklusiv

People with and without disabilities, with dark, light or other skin colours – religious or not: at the Cologne Marathon R(h)einInklusiv, everyone is different and everyone has the same goal in mind.
More inclusive relay teams at the Generali Cologne Marathon than ever before.

At R(h)einInklusiv, people with and without disabilities start together at the Cologne Marathon. They want to make it clear: Disability, performance and fun in sport are in no way mutually exclusive. R(h)einInklusiv is a colourful community with a unique sense of unity: ‘Together we are strong!’ The inclusive relay marathon was launched by the DGUV and the Cologne Sports University. This year, up to 35 inclusive relay teams will take part – more than ever before!

➡ Goal: to promote inclusive social projects

 

Digital instead of paper

  • Registration for the event is possible online only.
  • The starter and results lists are available online only.
  • Data control and confirmation of participation will only be sent by email. Presenting the digital confirmation of participation is sufficient to collect the starting documents.
  • The programme booklet will only be available as a PDF download.
  • We will make the certificates available for viewing and downloading.
  • We only have 1/5 of the original advertising flyers produced

➡ Goal: Avoidance/reduction of paper use

Contact person

Jan

Press, sustainability, elite

+49 221 – 33 77 73-16