Consumer Behavior Change Marketing & Communications

Anheuser-Busch Brings ‘National Recycling League’ Action to Super Bowl LVII

Every beverage container recycled through gamified reverse vending machines will give fans an instant prize and qualify them to win NFL season tickets.

Published 1 year ago | About a 4 minute read

Image: Anheuser-Busch

This year, Anheuser-Busch is bringing its sustainability efforts to the Big Game — through another game. For the first time in Super Bowl history, the beer giant will bring a Cycle reverse vending machine to State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona — giving fans the chance to join its ‘National Recycling League’ (NRL) and win prizes.

A-B created the NRL in 2022 to help reduce waste on game days across multiple professional sports leagues; Anheuser-Busch is the first company to bring the Cycle reverse vending machines to both NFL and MLB stadiums. Every beverage container recycled using the Cycle reverse vending machine will give fans an instant prize, as well as an opportunity to be entered to win a pair of tickets to the 2023 NFL regular season. 10 grand prize winners will be announced by the end of March.

“We approach everything we do at Anheuser-Busch with an innovative mindset so that we can create an outsized impact for our customers, our communities and our environment,” said CEO Brendan Whitworth. “Since the creation of the National Recycling League last year, we’ve worked together with our professional league and team partners and sports fans to divert thousands of pounds of recyclables out of landfills — truly working towards a shared dream of a future with less game-day waste and more cheers.”

The NRL was created to bring visibility to the importance of recycling whenever and wherever fans cheer on their favorite team – whether it’s in-stadium, at home, or at their local neighborhood bar. The league is currently made up of teams from the MLB and NFL, with more professional sports leagues coming on board later this year. 10 NFL teams — this year’s Super Bowl contenders, the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles; along with the Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, New York Jets, Carolina Panthers, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens and Seattle Seahawks — worked with Anheuser-Busch on recycling and waste-reducing programs during 2022-2023 season.

Each team committed to implementing a range of new, innovative National Recycling League activations at stadiums to help divert recyclable items such as beer bottles and cans from landfills. Activations included offering infinitely recyclable aluminum cups to fans instead of single-use plastic, in-seat recycling decals, and in-stadium signage sharing a simple call-to-action to fans: ‘Recycle Like a Champion.’

“We were excited to partner with the National Recycling League to pilot a recycling awareness program for our fans that was unique to Lumen Field,” said Christy Briggs, Logistics and Sustainability Manager for the Seattle Seahawks. “We have prioritized waste prevention and reduction as a long-standing initiative; and this Seahawks season, over 121 tons of recycled materials were diverted from Lumen Field by in-stadium collections. That’s a number we’re proud of and know will help create a better and more sustainable future for our community.”

And, like the ubiquitous beer hawker at sports stadiums, Recycling Hawkers were also deployed in stadiums and at tailgates to collect used cups, cans and bottles from fans to ensure they are recycled properly. Recycling Hawker volunteers from Keep America Beautiful® encourage fans to hand over their recyclables so that those items can be sorted from the trash and recycled.

“Keep America Beautiful is proud to be a longstanding partner of Anheuser-Busch; and we are thrilled to be a part of the action and activity to improve communities by reducing waste in sports stadiums across the country,” said Keep America Beautiful President and CEO Jennifer Lawson. “Our volunteers are there to make it easier for fans to recycle properly and we're excited to be a part of this impactful movement for many seasons to come.”

Looking ahead to 2023, Anheuser-Busch plans to work alongside established NRL teams to make a bigger impact, as well as enlist other professional teams and leagues to participate in the National Recycling League in the years to come.

The NRL builds on Anheuser-Busch's ongoing commitment to sustainable packaging and recycling — including through its 2025 Sustainability Goals and as a member of the Green Sports Alliance. By 2025, Anheuser-Busch has committed that 100 percent of its packaging will be made from majority recycled content or will be returnable, which will make recycling A-B products on game day easier than ever.

"The Green Sports Alliance is inspired by Anheuser-Busch’s 2025 Sustainability goals and its National Recycling League program to engage and motivate millions of fans to help improve recycling rates in stadiums across the nation through the power of sports,” said Roger McClendon, Executive Director of the Green Sports Alliance. “We are proud to recognize the National Recycling League as a Sports Greening Movement Partner and excited to see examples of recycling leadership initiatives and technology at the 2023 Super Bowl."