Mr Muscle, a brand of SC Johnson and an official sustainability partner of Liverpool Football Club, has today revealed a fan ‘Walk of Fame’, to celebrate the collective muscle of fans who have helped contribute towards plastic recycling over the past three football seasons at Anfield.
The Walk of Fame has been created on Rockfield Road, a street that marks the iconic matchday walk to the stadium and pays homage to 12,848 fan names – representing the 12,848 plastic bottles that have been recycled every match day on average. This season more than 90% of plastic bottles sold at matches has been recovered as a result of fan recycling at Anfield.
To create the celebratory name-lined street sustainably, Mr Muscle has used reverse graffiti, where recycled plastic stencils have been laid and the surface has been partially cleaned to reveal the names – creating a tribute to thousands of dedicated match goers who have worked together to ensure sustainability is as important on a match day as singing ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ or grabbing a half time pie.
As Liverpool’s and SC Johnson’s observation of Earth Month comes to a close, new research from Mr Muscle has found that 80% of football fans feel sustainability is important to them in their everyday life – with over half (55%) contributing towards sustainability initiatives in some way, 20% of those through their local football club.
The findings, that surveyed over 2,000 football fans nationwide, reveal that 69% are conscious of the waste generated on a match day, with over a third (36%) going out their way to clean up around their seat and put rubbish in the correct recycling bin – 28% even take their rubbish home with them and 16% pick up waste that they see around the stadium grounds.
The impact of waste generated on a match day is felt by fans, with 63% said to worry about the next generation’s ability to have the same match experience, due to environmental factors. Many (54%) say they would be more inclined to support their club’s sustainability initiative if they were recognised or celebrated by their club.
Over the last three seasons of SC Johnson’s partnership with Liverpool Football club, an impressive 6.5 tons of single use plastic have been recycled inside Anfield, equating to 12,848 plastic bottles recycled every match day. As a result of this incredible effort, Mr Muscle has released a new limited-time-only LFC Window & Glass cleaning spray, made from 50% upcycled plastic from the stadium (100% of the bottle excluding the trigger mechanism and sleeve).
Three of Liverpool’s superstars, Diogo Jota, Curtis Jones and Thiago Alcântara were at Rockfield Road, alongside LFC club ambassador Ian Rush to unveil the Walk of Fame, and even surprised a lucky family whose names were laid next to names of their Liverpool FC heroes.
LFC Club Ambassador, Ian Rush, who inspired many iconic moments at Anfield, said:
“It’s important to celebrate and thank the community of supporters who come to Anfield in their thousands and represent our community. It’s great to see how together as a team, from fans to the players to the club, we can collectively support important causes that affect us all.
New research from the brand found that 63% of fans are excited by the walk to the stadium on match day, and I know the iconic walk to Anfield holds so many memories for me. So, creating The Walk of Fame is a great way to give back to the fans and have something to look forward to, as they look for their name on the floor this coming match day”.
One of those dedicated fans was 14-year-old Liverpool supporter Joseph Fielding, noted his enthusiasm to be involved in the campaign:
“I’m excited to be a part of a great initiative that gives back to the club I’ve supported all my life. I have great memories of attending matches with my Mum and Grandpa, who are here with me today, so to see my name etched into the pavement I’ve walked more times than I can remember on a match day feels surreal. My family have always told me how important it is to pick up after myself at the stadium, and it’s great to see that so many of Liverpool’s fans feel the same way about keeping the club nice and clean for supporters.”
A spokesperson from Mr Muscle said:
“We are incredibly proud of this partnership with Liverpool Football Club and all that the fans have managed to achieve over such a short period of time. Our research showed that over a third of football fans are conscious of the waste generated during matchdays, and this could not be truer of the fans who have made it possible to collect over 6.5 tons of plastic in the stadium the past two seasons.
As a result, we are delighted to be able to release a limited-time-only Mr Muscle Window & Glass cleaning spray, made from 50% recycled plastic from Anfield – the first bottle made from stadium plastic in the UK.”
Fans can go and find their name on the Walk of Fame from 29th April until the next Liverpool match day, before Rockfield Road is cleaned and returned to its original state. You can find the full reveal video here and the new limited-time-only LFC Window & Glass cleaning spray will be coming soon.
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