Every fan leaves a game with something whether it’s a special memory, a photo, or souvenir. Now, thanks to the American Airlines Center, Dallas Mavericks, Dallas Stars, and PATH Partnership, fans can leave with something that keeps giving back long after the final buzzer, a refillable bottle that represents team pride, sustainability, and healthy hydration.
A growing trend for sports organizations is increasing fan engagement with programs that create a measurable impact for society and the environment. Over 70% of fans expect teams and venues to adopt environmentally responsible practices, according to Cap Gemini Research Institute.
A Partnership to hype up game-day hydration
Dallas Star and Maverick fans will each find their respective favorite team's bottle available at AAC concessions. The bottles represent team loyalty and allow Detail the introduction of refillable, aluminum PATH bottles at all AAC concessions.
These cobranded PATH bottles are a cultural shift inside sports venues. According to Nielsen Sports’ “Sustainability and the Sports Fan” report, over 60% of fans say they feel prouder supporting teams that lead on sustainability initiatives. For Dallas fans, that pride now comes in aluminum form.
Aluminum, unlike plastic, can be recycled indefinitely without losing quality, and reusing a single PATH bottle for just a month can reduce the carbon footprint of hydration considerably with every refill compared to single-use alternatives.
The fan experience that connects the hydration and sustainability scoreboards
Hydration is also becoming part of the broader wellness culture that sports organizations are embracing. The CDC notes that about 75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated, a statistic that ties health directly to performance and focus. By replacing single-use bottles with refillable PATH bottles, arenas like American Airlines Center are promoting better hydration habits while cutting waste, a win for both people and the planet.
From a sustainability standpoint, the impact is measurable. If even half the fans at a sold-out Mavericks or Stars home game refill their bottles twice, it could save more than 100,000 plastic bottles. That adds up to potentially millions of bottles diverted from landfills each season, a victory built on fan participation.
The partnership’s brilliance lies in that simple daily ritual. Fans carry their PATH bottles long after the game ends, whether at work, school, or the gym. Each refill is an ode to team pride and shared responsibility, turning sustainability from a campaign into a culture.
The sports sustainability trend
Across major leagues, venues are shifting from single use to circular systems that cut waste, energy, and water while improving the fan experience. Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena eliminated planned fossil fuel uses and runs fully electric, earning the International Living Future Institute’s Zero Carbon Certification. The arena also reports TRUE Platinum level zero waste performance by diverting more than 90% of waste through material simplification, elimination of single use plastics, and intensive fan education.
In Atlanta, Mercedes Benz Stadium set an early benchmark as the first professional venue to achieve TRUE Platinum for zero waste and LEED Platinum. The stadium reports diversion above 90 percent, a water use reduction of roughly 47 percent through efficient fixtures and stormwater capture, and on site solar arrays that generate about 1.6 million kilowatt hours annually.
Clubs are also rethinking concessions. Tottenham Hotspur’s reusable cup program removes millions of single use cups each season and the stadium reports zero waste to landfill while supplying dozens of public refill stations for bottles. Wimbledon has piloted deposit return and charity drop points for reusables to shrink event waste. These steps are normalizing reuse and refilling for fans.
The sport of refilling
When you connect these trends, the playbook is clear, refill stations and PATH refillable cobranded bottles with Dallas Mavericks and Stars is a winning partnership. Circular concessions turn souvenirs into impactful daily use items. And the data show that fans, especially younger ones, reward the teams and venues that lead.
Resources
https://prod.ucwe.capgemini.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/CRI_Tech-in-sports_Report_Final_Web-version2.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK555956/
https://climatepledgearena.com/climate-pledge-is-first-arena-to-achieve-international-living-future-institutes-zero-carbon-certification/