Amazon has purchased the naming rights of the new arena for the NHL’s Seattle franchise, but the company’s branding will not appear anywhere inside or outside the building. Instead, Amazon will call the zero-carbon building ‘Climate Pledge Arena’ and commit to carbon-neutral operations.
“I think this is going to be a transformative moment in our industry,” Tim Leiweke, CEO of the Oak View Group, said to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan. “[T]o the credit of Jeff Bezos and Amazon, they said, ‘We’ll act like a naming rights partner, but let’s do this the right way. I don’t need any more branding. What I need is to go save the planet.’ It was brilliant.”
The building is aiming to be the first zero-carbon arena in the world powered exclusively by renewable energy. The idea comes in Washington state where governor Jay Inslee is one of the most vocal advocates for climate change in the United States.
Here are illustrations of the new building via the Seattle franchise’s social media.
Oak View Group, NHL Seattle, and Amazon are all partnering together to create the breakthrough arena.
Some of the highlights of the building include:
- The first arena to ban single-use plastics and commit to functional zero waste. Fans will see only compost and recycling bins, no trash cans.
- The first arena to fully offset the carbon emissions of all events and related transportation by fans, sports teams and entertainers, achieving carbon-neutral operations and use.
- The lowest embodied carbon arena in the world; saving the landmark roof and the new arena’s subterranean footprint significantly reduces façade materials needed and the associated greenhouse gas emissions.
- The greenest ice in the world using rainwater, refrigerants with zero greenhouse gas emissions and electric Zambonis.
- The largest coordinated effort of fan engagement with climate issues of any NHL team.
“Our goal is to make sure every visit to this arena will be enjoyable and memorable, and sustainability is a large part of that,” Leiweke said. “It is not just about one arena, it’s the platform. We challenge music, facilities, concert tours and sports. It is our time to step up to face the challenge of our generation. We must take steps to build arenas and stadiums that front-and-center align with our zero-carbon mission statement.”
According to the release, Oak View Group, NHL Seattle, and Amazon will make annual contributions to Amazon’s The Climate Pledge initiative to motivate companies to reach zero-carbon emissions across all businesses by 2040 or 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement.
The franchise’s nickname, which is believed to be the Kraken, will not be announced until the fall.
Headline photo courtesy of @NHLSeattle_
