Ball Corporation and Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE) today established a first-of-its-kind global partnership across three venues in Denver, Los Angeles and London.
The partnership was founded on a shared vision to advance sustainability in sports and entertainment by strengthening in-venue aluminum recycling, providing fans with a more environmentally friendly fan experience and showcasing aluminum beverage packaging as the most sustainable choice.
The partnership includes naming rights for Ball and KSE’s hometown arena in Denver, Colorado, home to the NBA's Denver Nuggets, NHL's Colorado Avalanche and NLL's Colorado Mammoth, and also home to family entertainment and concerts.
Ball and KSE will also partner with the Premier League’s Arsenal F.C., which plays in London’s Emirates Stadium, and the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and the team's home stadium, SoFi Stadium.
In each location, in addition to in-venue aluminum beverage packaging solutions, Ball and KSE will enhance local community programs and increase awareness of the importance of aluminum recycling.
“This is an important moment in sports and entertainment, and we are proud to partner with Kroenke Sports & Entertainment to advance sustainability in venues by implementing real-world solutions to the packaging waste crisis,” said John A. Hayes, chairman, president and CEO of Ball Corporation. “We are committed to making recycling an easy, everyday choice for consumers by providing them with infinitely recyclable aluminum cans, bottles and cups that can be used and back on a store shelf in just 60 days, and enhancing recycling infrastructure in venues. We look forward to continuing to work with KSE to bring about positive change for years to come.”
“It is with great pride that we introduce Ball Arena as the new home of the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche and Colorado Mammoth,” KSE Founder and Chairman E. Stanley Kroenke said. “Our goal in selecting a long-term international venue partner was to find a Colorado-based company with global renown to grow side-by-side with our talented young teams. Ball Corporation is an ideal fit for that vision, an innovative leader that shares our commitment to our local community, to environmental sustainability and creating quality jobs in Colorado. We look forward to unveiling Ball Arena and welcoming our fans back home when it is time once again to celebrate live sports and entertainment events responsibly. We ask everyone to continue to stay safe and look after each other so that we can soon enjoy countless amazing memories at Ball Arena.”
"This announcement is an extension of a relationship that began between Ball Corporation and KSE a year ago with the introduction of the infinitely recyclable Ball Aluminum Cup. That opened the door to this incredible opportunity, that builds on the importance of aluminum packaging and recycling,” said Michael Ceilley, KSE senior VP, Partnership Marketing & Media Sales. “Working together, we believe this partnership will be transformative and help redefine the way arenas and stadiums operate globally."
At Ball Arena in Denver, Ball will be KSE’s Official and Exclusive Sustainability Partner, working with KSE to transition to aluminum beverage packaging – cans, bottles and cups – for 100% of the venue’s concessions, with the goal of implementing a closed-loop system by 2022.
The partnership will include a comprehensive recycling and sustainability plan designed to strengthen the venue’s collection, processing and reclamation, as well as investments in community education focused on aluminum recycling.
In London, Ball will partner with Arsenal as its official sustainable aluminum beverage packaging partner.
The partnership will explore ways in which Ball can support the club in reducing its impact on the environment and assist with educational initiatives for its global fanbase about the importance of recycling and other green practices.
In Los Angeles, Ball will become the official Infinitely Recyclable Aluminum Packaging Partner of SoFi Stadium and the Los Angeles Rams.
SoFi Stadium – the new, 70,000-seat home to the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers – will feature the company’s infinitely recyclable aluminum cups for draft beer and cocktails.
The Rams will use the cups at team training facilities, camps and on game days.
Additionally, the partnership will allow Ball to create local sustainability awareness events, targeted community recycling improvements and educational programming.
