Why Juventus FC Embeds ESG Into its People Strategy

The intersection of sustainability and human resources strategy is growing in importance as European regulatory frameworks demand greater transparency.

Juventus Football Club's compliance with the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS) demonstrates how organisations can integrate Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) principles into people management and organisational culture, potentially offering valuable lessons for HR leaders across industries.

The Turin-based football club published its twelfth sustainability report directly within its financial statements, marking a significant shift in how organisations approach the relationship between workforce strategy and sustainability compliance.

This represents the first instance of a Serie A club embedding sustainability data within financial reporting at this level of detail.

People-led governance structures for sustainability

The club's approach centres on a people-first framework that extends from board level to grassroots initiatives. At the core sits a four-tier governance model designed to embed ESG principles throughout the organisation's culture and operations.

An ESG Board Committee provides strategic oversight, while an ESG Steering Committee ensures alignment across leadership.

The organisation has maintained a dedicated ESG team since 2013 and has integrated ESG objectives directly into its remuneration system, creating tangible accountability mechanisms for sustainability performance.

According to Greta Bordino, Juventus' Chief People, Culture & Sustainability Officer, this organisational commitment reflects a fundamental shift in operational philosophy. "The goal is to share our commitment in terms of social responsibility, because we are convinced that we are what we do," Greta explains during the unveiling of the club's 'Black, White & More' strategy.

The governance structure includes a network of 12 volunteer ambassadors forming the Positive Impact Hub, which drives bottom-up sustainability initiatives. This distributed model demonstrates how organisations might scale cultural transformation beyond top-down mandates.

Certification and inclusion frameworks

The club secured gender equality certification from Bureau Veritas Italia, becoming the first Italian football club to achieve this recognition. The certification validates the organisation's workplace inclusion approach under its People First Policy, which addresses meritocracy, fairness and individual empowerment.

In 2025, VITA Magazine awarded Juventus the Social Scudetto, recognising it as the Serie A club with the strongest social responsibility performance.

Università Cattolica di Milano evaluated clubs across strategic approach, continuity of action, multi-stakeholder engagement, communication and reporting tools, with Juventus achieving perfect scores across all categories.

The organisation's Juventus One para-football project involved 125 athletes during the 2024/2025 season, with the JuventusOne@School initiative extending this work into educational settings to challenge stereotypes around disability.

Materiality assessment and strategic partnerships

The organisation conducted a double materiality assessment during the 2024/2025 season, examining both its environmental and social impacts alongside ESG risks that could affect financial performance.

This methodology aligns with CSRD requirements for large EU companies, extending reporting obligations beyond traditional financial metrics.

For HR leaders, this dual perspective means integrating workforce impacts into broader risk assessment frameworks.

Since 2018, Juventus has partnered with Save the Children to address educational inequality, supporting the zero-to-18 Educational Hub at the Punto Luce facility near the Allianz Stadium in Turin.

During the 2024/2025 season, the Save the Children logo appeared on both men's and women's first team shirts, demonstrating how partnerships might reinforce organisational values.

The club has expanded its environmental measurement to include Scope 3 emissions. Working with Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna di Pisa, Juventus conducted an organisational Lifecycle Assessment measuring emissions generated by fan travel to matches.

This data informed the Road to Allianz Stadium pilot project, which provided free public transport tickets to fans under 30 during two home matches, avoiding emissions equivalent to those absorbed by more than 800 trees annually.