Mastercard and The R&A joined forces at both The Open and AIG Women’s Open in 2021 to drive awareness of key sustainability issues facing our planet –plastic pollution and deforestation.
By finding synergies between both organisations sustainability platforms, The Open Water Project and The Priceless Planet Coalition, each could help to drive awareness of the other and contribute towards the shared goal of a healthier planet.
Golf has a unique relationship with the natural environment as an outdoor sport, and a responsibility to ensure that future generations are able to enjoy the game played by millions around the world.
In combining these platforms, Mastercard and The R&A created a campaign that allowed both onsite fans and non-attendees to use the events to help the environment.
The Water Stations allowed fans access to free, purified water, eliminating plastic water bottle entirely. A donation from each water bottle sold onsite enabled funding for tree planting via the Priceless Planet Coalition. Onsite fans were also able to donate directly to PPC via ‘Tap & Donate’ units built into water stations.
Offsite fans were also able to contribute to PPC via the ‘Donate Widget’ on The Open.com. Mastercard matched all donations from all channels.
The campaign saved 106,000 water bottles and enabled the planting of over 21,000 trees with 84% of attendees using the Water Stations.
