Formula One goes green

June 30th 2010

The sport of Formula One racing is planning measures to reduce its carbon footprint, it has emerged.

Perhaps not an industry readily associated with environmental issues, the Formula One Teams Association (Fota) has revealed it aims to cut its carbon emissions by 15 per cent over three years.

Sponsors of the sport are increasingly keen to embrace a greener product, which led to a carbon reduction audit carried out by the consultancy Trucost.

Trucost chief operating officer Richard Mattison explained that his organisation analysed all factors involved in running the sport to ascertain were reductions could be made.

It found that the running of cars' engines only accounts for around one per cent of emissions, while transport used to ferries teams around and electricity use were both major contributors to the sports' CO2 output.

Martin Whitmarsh, Fota chairman and team principal of Vodafone McLaren Mercedes, said: "With the support of all its member teams, Fota has... undertaken to maintain continuous and independent analysis and assessment in order to ensure that these carbon emissions reduction targets are met or bettered, and to investigate where further carbon emissions reduction opportunities may exist."