Global football giant Real Madrid has teamed up with plant-based food firm Meatless Farm to help drive education and action on more sustainable eating around the world.

The club and the company will set out a joint pledge and plan to work together on raising awareness of the importance of reducing meat consumption to reduce the environmental impact of food.

Real Madrid’s nutritionists will be working with Meatless Farm to show how plant-based food can work within a performance-based diet and the club’s players will be sharing their experience of reducing meat and increasing plant-based foods for both environmental and personal performance gains.

“Meatless Farm brings together both sustainability and nutrition, two elements that are central to Real Madrid’s club and business strategy.”

Morten Toft Bech, founder of Meatless Farm, said: “The plant-based sector has grown massively in the last couple of years, but we need to move faster if we are to address the urgency of the climate crisis and the role food plays in that. We know there is still a huge gap in consumer understanding of the positive impact reducing meat consumption can have on the environment, so we have to reach far beyond vegetarians and vegans and significantly increase the ‘meat-lessers’ – encouraging everyone to reduce their meat consumption and increase their plant-based eating.

“Real Madrid is the perfect partner for us in this mission – football is the biggest sport in the world and they are one of the biggest clubs. The relationship between a football club and its fans is unlike any other – it’s a close and lifelong commitment and Real fans around the globe are amongst the most dedicated, so the influence and reach that the club has is unparalleled.”

Emilio Butragueño, institutional relations director at Real Madrid C.F. added: “Meatless Farm brings together both sustainability and nutrition, two elements that are central to Real Madrid’s club and business strategy. As a global brand we have an important role to play in engaging communities to make real changes that help create a more sustainable world and improve personal health and performance.”