News article
Mercedes sets motorsport team first with climate commitment
The Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One outfit has become the first motorsport team to sign The Climate Pledge, which commits it to reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2040.
As part of the commitment, Mercedes has vowed to be transparent about its implementation of decarbonisation strategies and will take action to neutralise any outstanding emissions with quantifiable and beneficial offsets.
Mercedes joins a group of more than 450 organisations who have signed The Climate Pledge so far.
“Signing The Climate Pledge is another demonstration of our intent to perform to the highest standard on sustainability,” said Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team principal and chief executive Toto Wolff.
“We want to win through sustainable high performance, and to win within the societal and planetary boundaries which exist. The ability to collaborate with many of these leading organisations, striving for the same goal, offers considerable benefits for all signatories.”
Prior to signing the pledge, the team has made changes to its operations on and off the track.
“Signing The Climate Pledge is another demonstration of our intent to perform to the highest standard on sustainability."
At its factory in Brackley, every member of staff has been provided with a reusable bottle and cup which is claimed to reduce waste by 52,000 cups a year.
Biofuels have also been trialled in the Mercedes Actros Gigaspace trucks that transport equipment to races around the world. The use of this HVO100 fuel saw 339 tonnes of CO2 saved across the 2023 European season.
The team is also assessing its supply chain’s emissions and is subsequently developing a Science Based Target initiative (SBTi) to meet sustainability targets.
“Joining The Climate Pledge consolidates our commitment to sustainability and our existing strategy to achieve race team-controlled net zero by 2030 and net zero across all scopes by 2040,” said the team’s head of sustainability, Alice Ashpitel.
“We have already taken important steps towards net zero through our biofuel initiatives and our investment in sustainable aviation fuel. With sustainability embedded throughout our team, we are on track to meet our targets and helping our suppliers to go further and faster in achieving theirs.”
Image: Artes Max/CC BY-SA 2.0
