Pina Earth x UnternehmerTUM, Red Bull, SAP & Footprint Intelligence
As a climate tech start-up, we are fans of innovation - especially when it makes climate protection possible.
Together with SAP, Red Bull, UnternehmerTUM, Footprint Intelligence and a great team from the Digital Product School (DPS), we have therefore implemented a solution that makes mobility in professional sport more sustainable - and at the same time promotes regional climate protection.
The SAP Garden in Munich is the new home of EHC Red Bull Munich and FC Bayern Basketball. Thousands of fans come every match day - many of them by car. The aim: to motivate them to switch to climate-friendly means of transportation.
As part of a three-month innovation sprint at the Digital Product School by UnternehmerTUM, a digital solution was developed that addresses precisely this issue: a reward system that rewards fans with points for their environmentally friendly journey. It was developed by an interdisciplinary team from Product Management, Software Engineering, AI and Interaction Design.
After intensive user interviews, iterative tests and the construction of a functioning MVP, the system was further developed by Footprint Intelligence - and integrated directly into the official club apps.
And this is where we come in: Pina Earth ensures that the points collected are not just a digital achievement - but lead to measurable climate protection. For every point redeemed, 5 m² of forest is converted in the Kesselsee project area in Brandenburg - over a period of 30 years. To date, 1,500 square meters of forest conversion in the project area have already been financed by the fans.
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In the Kesselsee project, a total of 93 hectares of pine monoculture in Brandenburg are being converted into a near-natural, climate-stable mixed forest.
Measures such as promoting natural regeneration, planting climate-resilient tree species and targeted mixture regulation make the forest more resistant to storms, periods of drought and pest infestation. Every square meter that is converted not only strengthens the ecosystem, but also stores CO₂ in the long term and protects local biodiversity.
What makes this collaboration so special? It shows what is possible when start-ups, large companies, talents and sports fans work together.
"With this partnership, we are showing that being a fan doesn't just mean supporting your team, but also protecting regional forests." - Dr. Gesa Biermann, Co-Founder and CEO of Pina Earth.
Thanks for the strong cooperation to SAP, Red Bull, UnternehmerTUM, Footprint Intelligence and everyone involved in the DPS.
You can find insights and experience reports on the cooperation in this video:
You can find out more about the Kesselsee project and our work in certified forest conversion on our forest dashboard.
Dr. Christine Rzepka has been Marketing & Communications Lead at Pina Earth since 2023. In her articles, she shares recommendations and practical insights on credible sustainability communication and provides insights into Pina Earth's technology-based approach to regional climate protection. Before joining Pina Earth, she worked in other start-ups in the FinTech and EdTech space, in technology consulting and in academia as part of her PhD in Information Systems.
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