Formula 1 Teams’ sustainability stride

Article posted by Coliseum, June 29^th, 2023

Image: Formula One

The Formula 1® has become the first motorsport championship to have all member Teams achieve the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) Three-Star Environmental Accreditation, the highest level of environmental sustainability recognition from the sport’s governing body.

‘Formula One’ stated that the FIA Formula One World Championship™ has also renewed its own Three-Star Environmental Accreditation as the sport continues its journey to become net zero by 2030.

London (UK)-based the Formula 1® is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one of the premier forms of racing around the world since its inaugural season in 1950.

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Paris (France)-based the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) is an association established on June 20^th, 1904 to represent the interests of motoring organizations and motor car users. It is the governing body for many auto racing events, including Formula 1®. The FIA also promotes road safety around the world.

The FIA Environmental Accreditation Programme was launched to help the FIA stakeholders worldwide to measure and improve their environmental performance. The primary goal of the program is to increase awareness of environmental management and provide guidance to facilitate adoption of environmental initiatives.

Net zero refers to a state in which the greenhouse gases going into the atmosphere are balanced by removal out of the atmosphere. Carbon neutrality is a state of net zero carbon dioxide emissions. This can be achieved by reducing emissions, most of which come from the burning of fossil fuels, and by removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

‘Formula One’ further stated that the FIA Environmental Accreditation Programme was launched in 2011 to help the motorsport industry to assess and enhance their environmental performance. It measures performance across a range of 17 criteria ranging from energy use and supply chain management to transport planning, noise management and carbon emissions. To maintain impartiality in the auditing process for the Accreditation, the audits are carried out by an independent qualified auditor.

The FIA Formula One World Championship™ was first awarded the accreditation in 2020 and since then many of the key stakeholders within the sport, including the Teams, Race Promoters and host circuits, have also embarked on their own journeys to achieve the FIA Three-Star Environmental Accreditation.

Alongside the 10 F1 Teams, Pirelli, a Global Partner of Formula 1 and key supplier of the World Championship, also holds the Three-Star Environmental Accreditation.

Several Race Promoters and host circuits have achieved the highest level of accreditation, including events in Italy, Spain, Belgium, Austria, and the UAE, with the United Kingdom, Japan and Singapore also all currently possessing the Accreditation at some level. This is in addition to others possessing ISO14001 or ISO20121 – key certifications that, respectively, help an organization set up an effective environmental management system, and offer guidance and best practise to help the organization manage its event and control its social, economic and environmental impact.

Said Stefano Domenicali, President and head honcho, Formula 1, “To have our whole Championship, as well as many of our partners and promoters, achieve this milestone is a significant moment and one which demonstrates the ongoing commitment from the whole F1 community to change to reach our sustainability goals. There is, of course, a lot of work still to do, but we are committed to hitting our targets, continuing to innovate in a sustainable way and setting a positive example to the motorsport community and beyond.”

Stated Ellen Jones, Head of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) at Formula 1, “As we make strides to deliver on our Sustainability Strategy, the environmental management systems play an important role. From embedding continuous improvement across our processes through to engagement plans with our stakeholders, the management systems help ensure that we are all delivering a more sustainable event and Championship.”

The environmental, social, and corporate governance, also known as environmental, social, governance (ESG), is an approach to investing that recommends taking environmental issues, social issues and governance issues into account when deciding which companies to invest in.

Added Felipe Calderón, President of the FIA Environment and Sustainability Commission, “At the pinnacle of motorsport, it is vital that the FIA Formula One World Championship sets the highest standards for environmental sustainability, and this renewal of FIA Three-Star Environmental Accreditation recognizes that the Championship continues to prioritize and achieve best practise in reaching its goals. Within the F1 ecosystem, all 10 teams now also hold this highest level of accreditation, together with a growing number of official suppliers, race promoters and circuits – this clearly shows that we are moving in the right direction, but we can and must all do more. This announcement is a great endorsement of the FIA Environmental Accreditation Programme that provides a framework for the motorsport community at every level to tackle the environmental issues that face us all, and I congratulate Formula 1 for its ongoing work and achievements on its path to become a net zero carbon organization by 2030.”

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