The ABB FIA Formula E Championship became the first sport to have a certified net zero carbon footprint since inception last September, having invested in internationally certified projects in all race markets to offset emissions from six seasons of electric racing.
Mahindra Racing has today announced that it has earned that same certification, and is leading the way as the first Formula E team, and first FIA World Championship entrant, to be certified net zero carbon footprint since inception. The certification has been approved by the ALLCOT Group for carbon emissions - offsetting for the entirety of the team’s existence.
In addition to the outfit's net zero carbon benchmark, it has also pledged to the UNFCCC Sports for Climate Action Framework alongside the FIA and Formula E. This initiative aims at supporting and guiding sports actors in achieving global climate change goals.
By committing to the framework, Mahindra Racing has pledged to five key principles; to undertake systematic efforts to promote greater environmental responsibility, reduce overall climate impact, educate for climate action, promote sustainable and responsible consumption and advocate for climate action through communication.
Working with REDD+
Mahindra Racing's emission allowances have been marked for permanent removal from the pool of offsetting credits at the Environmental Registry on behalf of the team’s chosen REDD+ Project.
The REDD+ project protects 177,899 hectares of high conservation value rainforest in the state of Para, Brazil and will prevent net emissions of >20 million tCO2e over the project lifetime.
This project protects threatened tree species like the Pau Rosa (Brazilian rosewood), provides jobs in forest management and monitoring, supports education in agro-forestry techniques to enable the community to grow cash crops, protects at risk animals like the Giant Anteater, Golden Parakeet and Ka’apor Capuchin Monkey and provides secured land tenure to villages committed to conservation.
Return on Climate and Environment
The achievements follow Mahindra Racing's pioneering efforts in becoming the first Formula E team to receive FIA Three-Star Accreditation– the highest standard of practice imotorsport's governing body's sustainability framework.
The team has also committed to planting trees in the Araku Valley region of India which sees Mahindra Racing’s efforts working in tandem with Mahindra Group’s commitment which has a commitment to plant 1 million trees every year. Its partnership with One All Sports as team kit supplier is also a natural choice given a shared vision and dedication to the use of sustainable materials, applications and processes.
Formula E CEO Jamie Reigle said: “It is a great achievement for Mahindra Racing to become certified net zero carbon since inception. Mahindra Racing has become a leader in sustainability across the sporting landscape and promotes sustainable business practices across their supply chain.
"As the first Formula E team to attain FIA Three-Star Accreditation and the most recent team to sign the UNFCCC Sports for Climate Action Framework, they are the perfect partners in the fight against climate change.
"The first manufacturer to join the Formula E grid and now the first to commit to Gen3, we’re delighted to have a long and ongoing relationship with another organisation so aligned to our vision and values.”
Dilbagh Gill, Mahindra Racing CEO and Team Principal, said: “We believe that doing good goes beyond philanthropy and CSR, it is more than just random acts of kindness. Doing good is a purpose, an attitude, and a way of life; it is our guide for conducting business and ourselves.
"As a team that is committed to finding credible, advanced and next generation mobility solutions while being kind to the planet. At Mahindra Racing, we pledge to greater ROCE, which, for us, stands for Return On Climate and Environment. This is ingrained into our ethos and a big part of the reason we are racing in Formula E.
"We have been on this path of reducing our impact on the planet since our birth in 2014 and six years later we are carbon neutral since inception. We are also certified with Three-Star Accreditation in sustainability. To this end, our efforts are and will continue to be, in tandem with Mahindra Group’s commitment and quest to achieve group-wide carbon neutrality.
"We look forward to kickstarting season 7 with ROCE as our guiding principle, towards setting innovative, competitive yet sustainable mobility benchmarks for the world.”
Alexis Leroy, CEO ALLCOT Group said:“We are very proud and excited to be part of the Mahindra Racing sustainability team. Mahindra’s values and beliefs echoes our own. Sustainability or good management through Sustainable Development Goals are at the heart of Mahindra’s drive.
"It translates into these great achievements that we hope will inspire and lead to a virtuous competition among its pairs. Regardless, it sets great precedents that we aim to continue working and exceed whenever possible.”