F1 Gives Update On 2030 Net-Zero Goal In New Report

Formula One releases an environmental, social, and governance report.

Nov 18, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake driver Valtteri Bottas of Finland / Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports

Formula 1 has revealed its progress towards achieving a carbon net-zero status by 2030 in a newly released report.

Key Takeaways:

• Formula 1 has actively reduced its carbon footprint, achieving a 13% decrease in emissions since 2018.
• Nearly half of the emissions in 2022 were attributed to logistics, intensified by the reintroduction of certain global circuits.
• The sport has initiated race 'regionalisation' to decrease travel-related emissions, exemplified by schedule changes for the Japanese and Azerbaijan Grands Prix.

Formula 1's journey towards sustainability is clearly charted in its recent environmental, social, and governance report, which highlights both achievements and ongoing strategies aimed at reaching its ambitious net-zero target by the decade's end. Since announcing this goal in 2019, F1 has taken several measures, including the reduction of on-site personnel at race events, the integration of synthetic fuels, and an increased reliance on renewable energy sources.

The report outlines that from a baseline measurement in 2018, where the sport emitted 256,000 tonnes of CO2, there has been a significant reduction to approximately 223,031 tonnes by the 2022 season. This represents a 13% drop in emissions, showcasing F1's commitment to their environmental goals. However, it is noted that the data for the 2023 season is still being verified and calculated.

Logistical operations, critical to the sport's functioning, were the largest contributors to these emissions, accounting for nearly half of the total. The reintroduction of the Japanese and Australian Grands Prix last year slightly increased the logistical emissions footprint. In response, Formula 1 has implemented a 'regionalisation' strategy for scheduling races, which is aimed at reducing the distances teams and equipment need to travel, thus cutting down emissions further.

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali emphasized the importance of sustainability in his statement:

"Sustainability is one of the most important factors to us, not only as a sport, but as a business.

"It is no longer enough for us to simply deliver great action and wheel-to-wheel racing on the track, we need to ensure that we are doing so in a sustainable way so our sport can thrive long into the future.

"F1 has been innovating and influencing wider society for over 70 years, and we’ve seen how the great minds and technology of the sport have had a positive impact in many different spaces, and now we have turned that expertise and insight to sustainability.

"We are a global sport with over 700 million fans around the world, which gives us a great platform to create change and influence those watching and engaging with F1 to act and leave their own positive legacy.

"Over the past four years, we have made significant progress, and we remain very focused on our goals and I’m excited to see the impact we can have."