Veolia Shares Initial Results as PPA's Official Sustainability Provider
Veolia, the world leader in environmental solutions, is sharing preliminary results from the first half of its groundbreaking three-year partnership with the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA).
In February 2024, Veolia announced a partnership with the PPA to support the growth of the nation’s fastest growing sport. Since then, Veolia has worked with professional pickleball to establish a model for sustainable sports, bringing its global environmental expertise through its recycled pickleball program, refillable water stations, and the first 100% recycled trophy in pickleball.
With this month marking the midway point for the partnership between Veolia and the PPA Tour, the company shared an update on its role with the PPA, setting a new benchmark for sustainability in professional sports. Through the elimination of single use plastic, recycling pickleballs, educating fans through tours of its mobile water unit, Veolia has prioritized improving waste collection, increasing recycling percentages, providing sustainable water refill stations, and boosting the environmental performance of the PPA in each of its tournament markets.
Veolia Water Solutions:
Throughout this year’s PPA tournament schedule, Veolia’s water solution have already helped save over 33,000 water bottles in three tournaments alone with new water refill stations, a visible and measurable impact for both players and fans.
Veolia Trophy:
Veolia presents the championship trophy to the winners at each of their title events. In 2025, Veolia launched an effort to design, produce, and present a champions trophy that is constructed from 100% sustainable materials.
This is the first upcycled trophy in professional pickleball, made up of recycled acrylic, made from old windshields and signage, as well as utilizing biobased 3D prints.
Pickleball Recycling Program:
Veolia offers an innovative pickleball recycling program with specially marked recycling stations for used pickleballs throughout the venue – finding new life though Veolia’s donation program to local community organizations or become transformed into alternative fuel for cement production to help lower cement’s carbon footprint.
Where used pickleballs are being collected at the tournament, and local pickleball clubs, recycled and converted into engineered fuel for cement kilns, reducing waste while creating low-emission energy at Veolia’s Wisconsin facility.
Veolia Community Impact:
In preparation for tournaments, Veolia works with local communities, pickleball professionals, and PPA staff to give back in meaningful ways. This has been activated based on the needs of that community. Initiatives have included river cleanups and youth sustainability workshops.
Pickleball is becoming the country’s fastest growing sport not just in participation but also in viewership and attendance. Tournament ticket sales have grown 101% between 1st quarter 2024 and today, with television ratings growing 20x in the same period.
Veolia is the title sponsor for six city tournaments across the United States through 2025. In a few weeks, Cincinnati will host one of the most important tournaments in pickleball - the Veolia Cincinnati Showcase will take place September 8–14, bringing out the best pickleball players in the world.
With its new U.S. headquarters in Boston, Veolia provides water, waste and energy services for cities and industries, including water and wastewater treatment, commercial and hazardous waste collection and disposal, and energy consulting and resource recovery. It is the world's largest environmental company, with nearly 220,000 employees worldwide.
Veolia | https://www.veolia.com/en
