In achieving this long-held ambition, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes has worked alongside CNI to select appropriate and relevant initiatives to offset the team’s carbon footprint.
“[This] announcement is the strongest possible proof that we’ve gone farther than any other Formula 1 team in becoming more environmentally sympathetic and efficient – an achievement that’s of great importance not only to our organisation but to all our partners too,” said Martin Whitmarsh, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes team principal.
Whitmarsh added: “This is a considerable achievement: the result of a lot of hard work by a number of extremely dedicated individuals, and a testament to our philosophy of continuous improvement.”
In addition to carbon offsetting with CNI, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes has implemented a series of efficiency-driven measures to reduce CO2 emissions “at source” within the McLaren Technology Centre – where annual savings of more than 1500 tonnes of CO2 emissions have been achieved.
“Vodafone McLaren Mercedes leads the way across F1, and certainly does so in terms of environmental initiatives: the first F1 team to achieve the Carbon Trust Standard, recognition by the Government’s Carbon Reduction Commitment Energy Efficiency Scheme and a whole host of initiatives at the McLaren Technology Centre,” said CNI co-chairman James Brown. “In working with us at CNI, the team has closed the gap between being carbon efficient and carbon neutral.
“Allowing companies to improve on their carbon efficiency measures and realise carbon neutrality is what we do, and have done across motorsport and the automotive industry,” he continued. “We hope other teams in F1 will now follow Vodafone McLaren Mercedes’ lead.”
The carbon offsetting projects selected by Vodafone McLaren Mercedes with CNI provide a perfect fit with the team’s core business ideology and ethics, the two companies said.
Two hydroelectric initiatives in India and Brazil have been selected, chosen for their prominence on the current Formula 1 landscape and also their employment of technical solutions that bring considerable value to local communities.
In addition to significant environmental benefits, the projects have already resulted in a number of socio-economic advantages to the local area.
Last December, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes became the first ever Formula 1 team to achieve the coveted Carbon Trust Standard. This ongoing certification was earned following a three-year audit of the team and its efforts to measure, manage and improve its carbon efficiency.
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