New All-Black sponsor Greenpeace ‘disgusting’

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Sports – a decision that is likely to be discussed within the team and the public. The New Zealand Rugby Federation (NZR) has signed a sponsorship deal with British chemical and petroleum giant INEOS, which was announced on Wednesday 28 July and was immediately denounced by the environmental association Greenpeace.

Ineos is well known in Europe for its sports activities. She is the owner of the Ineos Grenadiers cycling team, two football clubs (OGC Nice and FC Lausanne-Sport) and a shareholder of the Mercedes team, which has dominated Formula 1 since 2014.

The chemicals, petrochemicals and polymers company has signed a six-year contract allowing it to put its logo on the men’s and women’s team shorts for the All Blacks. This partnership provides for NZ$8 million (€4.7 million), each year for New Zealand, starting in 2022, according to the local press.

The news was denounced on Wednesday by the Greenpeace environmental association, one of its local officials, Juressa Lee, saying the sponsorship contract with the oil giant was “disgusting”.

Ineos is considered a “climate polluter”

“Many of our rugby players are Maori or Pacific people, people on the front lines of rising sea levels and torrential rain. They should not be asked to tag a climate polluter like Ineos.” We want to see our citizens live, she said. their dreams by wearing the black shirt (from All-Blacks). Now they will wear the Ineos brand.”

For his part, the president of the federation, Mark Robinson, expressed his happiness with the agreement reached with the British giant. “Together with Ineos Sport, we are determined to further the development of rugby over the next six years,” he said. “Ineos will present an innovative approach and dedication to partnering with our teams (…), qualities that we see in all aspects of its activity, particularly in the field of sustainable development, with its commitment to ensuring a carbon-neutral future, in accordance with the Paris Agreement.”

This agreement signed in 2015 aims to limit temperature rise to a level well below 2 degrees compared to pre-industrial levels, preferably below 1.5 degrees.

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