Friday, 05 April 2024, – APP Group’s sustainable paperboard packaging brand, Foopak, today announced its partnership with the RunCzech Marathon 2024 series, and its sponsorship of half a million plastic-free cups at all refreshment stations for the 10 runs under the RunCzech Marathon’s umbrella of events, including the Prague International Marathon, and the Mattoni, Birell, and Adidas Runs. The collaboration is driven by a shared commitment towards sustainability, focusing on the reduction of single-use plastic cups, and replacing them with eco-friendly solutions at the refreshment stations for runners.
RunCzech Running League is a series of 10 running events to be held from April to October 2024 across the Czech Republic. Foopak will commence its partnership by providing half a million cups for all races, beginning with 120,000 plastic-free cups at the first event, the Prague Half Marathon, on 6 April. These cups will replace traditional plastic cups and plastic-lined paper cups to ensure the runs’ environmental impact is significantly reduced through more sustainable options.
The first event of the series, the 24th installment of the Prague Half Marathon, is a charity run that seeks to also promote environmental sustainability while supporting numerous charitable organizations such as ‘Světluška (Firefly)’ as the main one, ‘Zdravotní klaun’, and ‘Domov Svatého Josefa’ to name a few. These charities focus on supporting the visually impaired, children and geriatric patients, and patients with multiple sclerosis respectively. The marathon is expected to attract over 15,500 runners from around the world. Foopak Bio Natura cups will be provided at refreshment stations along the race route.
Other events of the series include the Prague International Marathon on 5 May, Mattoni Olomouc Half Marathon on15 June, Adidas Race on 7 September, and other races for which Foopak will be sponsoring biodegradable cups.
Commenting on APP’s partnership of the run with its Foopak Bio Natura drinking cups, Jesin Thomas, Sales and Product Manager, Foopak Europe said, “RunCzech’s commitment towards sustainability resonates seamlessly with Foopak’s innovative range of paper-based food and beverage packaging. Our products, crafted from sustainable materials are not only compostable, plastic-free and biodegradable but also versatile. This run serves as a rallying cry for collective action towards a healthier environment. It is the first time we are collaborating with RunCzech, and APP is honored to be a part of these events, offering our support through eco-friendly drinking cups.”
“RunCzech stands strong in its position as an organizer of sustainable and environmentally friendly sports events. This is the topic that we want to focus on in alignment with the World Athletics Sustainability Strategy for all our WA label events. RunCzech organises popular runs in Italy, Turkey, and Germany, and is also a founding member of SuperHalfs marathons around Europe. We are grateful to APP for their support through providing the recyclable drinking cups that help bring to life the run’s sustainability objectives,” said RunCzech’s project manager Lukas Dockal.
For more information about Foopak and its sustainable solutions, visit https://www.foopak.com/
