Chicago has given us deep-dish pizza, a green river every Saint Paddy's Day, and the twist-and-shout scene from "Ferris Bueller" — and now, there's an iconic sustainability project to add to the list.
The United Center, which is home to the Chicago Bulls 🏀 and Blackhawks 🏒 and a major concert venue, is getting rid of all single-use plastic water bottles in the 20,000-plus seat stadium, thanks to a new partnership with the global water treatment company Culligan International.
Starting this September, recyclable aluminum bottles will replace all plastic water bottles at concession stands, in locker rooms, and in stadium boxes. Filtered water fountains will be added around the arena — including some sparkling water ones — and there will be nearly 100 new recycling bins so visitors can easily recycle their aluminum bottles if they don't want to take them home.
Eliminating all single-use plastic water bottles will "avoid hundreds of thousands of plastic bottles that fill our landfills and oceans," Scott Clawson, CEO of Culligan, told us in an exclusive interview. Not to mention, he says, "it's a healthier option" since the aluminum containers are BPA-free, and people won't have to worry about microplastics or so-called forever chemicals that have been linked to various cancers.
"There are research reports where they've taken the brands that you know in plastic and reported microplastics and other contaminants," Clawson said. "If a bottle is coming from across the world in plastic, it's like leaving it in your car in the summer for four hot days. Do you want to drink that water that is not contamination-free?
"So much plastic is still brought into the home, and there's no need for that," Clawson said.
Unlike plastic water bottles, aluminum bottles are also "infinitely recyclable" — meaning they can be reused instead of ending up in landfills. Plus, this material "empowers new behavior: If you use aluminum, you can refill," Clawson noted.
He's even seeing this shift in his own home: "My daughter won't drink out of plastic. She won't."
Why is the United Center x Culligan partnership so important?
Sports have a unique knack for bringing us together, and they're also an effective and high-profile way to show people how we can all make a difference to get to a cooler, cleaner future.
"We wanted to have an example of what can be done that's a benchmark for future arenas that also helps educate consumers," Clawson said. Culligan's headquarters are in Chicago, so the partnership was a good opportunity for the global business to make an impact close to home. "The United Center has 2 million guests a year — it's the largest indoor arena for the NBA. It's the second largest for the NHL," Clawson said. "We just said, this is a great place to start."
Culligan is already keeping the momentum going: It's using the same playbook to swap all single-use plastic water bottles at the finish line of this year's Chicago Marathon with aluminum alternatives.
And Chicago isn't the only place where sports are helping us live more sustainable, healthier lives. There are examples all around the country and even the world. For example:
➡️ Many NBA stadiums now allow fans to bring in reusable water bottles.
➡️ The seats in the aquatic center for the 2024 Paris Olympics were made out of recycled bottle caps — and the global event implemented many other unique innovations to lower its pollution.
➡️ Every year, the NFL's sustainability team puts on a massive, behind-the-scenes campaign to clean up Super Bowl host cities to make sure they leave each city better than they found it.
Bottom line …
Whether you're a Bulls fan, a Blackhawks diehard, or you just like to see Sabrina Carpenter in concert (this October 👀), Culligan's push to eliminate all single-use plastic water bottles at the United Center is making a big splash.
"I'm most excited about [the stadium] being one of the few places in the world where it won't have plastic in it that's hurting the environment and hurting our bodies," Clawson said. "It's going to set the tone for how we can help this planet."
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