Aston Martin Red Bull Racing announces ‘NO BULL’ sustainability drive
Key sustainability objectives identified following a three year carbon footprint study
Achieve net carbon neutral status for the 2020 season
Aggressive target to reduce 2021 Red Bull Racing emissions by 5000 tonnes CO2e
Partnership with Gold Standard to responsibly offset unavoidable carbon emissions
NO BULL
Our ‘NO BULL’ project aims not only to set and achieve aggressive targets for our Team but also to inform the outside world of the challenges along the way.
The path that needs to be taken is self-evident: cutting emissions, reducing waste and increasing efficiency but we would be lying if we said we were the experts and the route was easy to navigate…
Every TV report about the world struggling to meet climate targets seems to come accompanied by footage of planes taking off and cars sitting stationary in traffic. An optic that at first glance doesn’t look particularly good for the Formula One industry whose core business involves flying around the globe to race the fastest cars in the world in the name of entertainment.
However, sustainability goals and Formula One are not contradictory…
We are an industry firmly rooted in the sciences, focused on analysing data and finding efficiencies in all areas. Utilising some of the brightest engineering minds, the sport pioneers the use of lightweight materials and uses the world’s most efficient engines. The hard work of the OEM’s means that F1’s hybrid power units provide just 2% of F1’s carbon emissions.
BUT the CO2 emissions from our cars on track are just the tip of the iceberg and we needed to identify the key areas contributing to our carbon footprint.
BRINGING IN THE EXPERTS
To date, we have remained relatively quiet on the subject of sustainability, but for good reason. Making any business greener requires action rather than lip service, and we have a plan…
In 2018 we commissioned a carbon footprint study by external experts to identify the areas of our business where carbon emissions can most effectively be reduced in order to create a clearly defined strategy.
The study showed that in 2019 Aston Martin Red Bull Racing produced approximately 17,000 tonnes CO2e broken down as follows:
- 48% Facilities
- 37% Travel
- 8% Transport
- 7% Racing
Despite changes to the 2020 / 2021 F1 calendars having a direct impact on our overall emissions we have set ourselves aggressive targets to achieve net carbon neutral status for the 2020 season, reduce Team carbon emissions by 5000 tonnes in 2021 and responsibly offset our currently unavoidable carbon emissions through a partnership with Gold Standard.
With around 50% of our carbon footprint necessitated by the business of F1, we are fully supportive of F1’s long-term ‘Countdown To Zero’ campaign but we also needed to find a way to tackle these emissions head on.
With responsible carbon offsetting an immediately actionable goal, we have entered into partnership with Gold Standard. It is no secret that the carbon offsetting market can be grey and there are carbon credits that fail to deliver the promised climate impact. It is our view that if it’s worth doing, do it well, which is why we’ve done our research and partnered with the best in the business.
Established in 2003, Gold Standard enable businesses not only to cut carbon emissions beyond their corporate boundaries, but their projects tackle some of the biggest barriers to global sustainable development, including poverty reduction, access to clean energy and water, and conservation of natural ecosystems.
We are working with Gold Standard to responsibly offset carbon emissions such as flights, freight and manufacturing operations that are currently unavoidable. Yes, we’re working to further reduce these emissions. Yes, we’ll be continuing our monitoring and identifying every opportunity to improve. But we’re not hiding behind this.
Having taken action for our currently unavoidable emissions, our attention turns to the 48% of our carbon footprint which lies firmly in our hands – our facilities in Milton Keynes and our ‘NO BULL’ committee have been hard at work.
OUR CHARGE TOWARDS REDUCING EMISSIONS
- From October 2020, all our on-site electricity comes from renewable sources, thanks to a wholesale switch to a Green Energy tariff
- Zero manufacturing waste to landfill policy
- Smart building technology implementation on our campus and older structures are being upgraded
- Waste heat from manufacturing operations is captured and used to heat the factory
- Green travel plan in Milton Keynes to incentivise walkers, cyclists and car-sharers
- We’ve significantly reduced single-use plastics both in our factory and trackside – although progress has been slowed by the Pandemic, with PPE and disposable food packaging becoming unavoidable in the short term, we are committed to fully eliminating them.
Aston Martin Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner commented, “We are in full support of F1’s ‘Countdown to Zero’ initiative and we all have a part to play in minimizing our environmental impact. As a Team we have taken time to analyse our Team before embarking on our straight talking ‘NO BULL’ initiative. We aim to be open and disclose our carbon footprint in order to provide a narrative of our journey, including the challenges we face as a business. Our partnership with Gold Standard forms part of an evolving strategy and mindset change which we will embark upon with the same commitment as we do our racing.”
Gold Standard CEO, Margaret Kim commented on the partnership “Reaching net-zero carbon emissions by midcentury means it’s urgent that every business start their decarbonization journey – especially those more challenging sectors like aviation or automotive. We welcome Aston Martin Red Bull Racing’s commitment to measure and disclose their climate impact, map out a plan to reduce it, and take responsibility for their remaining emissions along the way with high-impact carbon credits like those we certify at Gold Standard.”
This is just the beginning of our story as we endeavor to provide a ‘NO BULL’ insight into the challenges and successes we face along the way.
In due course we will be offering our partners, guests and fans the opportunity to offset their engagement with the Team, whether it’s travelling to a race or visiting us in the factory, they will be able to choose a Gold Standard certified project to make their journey carbon neutral.
We can, and will, do more. This is an open-ended commitment with challenges to both mindset and engineering prowess – both things at which an F1 team should excel.
