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Extreme E Reveals Sustainability Success, 2022 Strategy

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Following the inaugural season of electric off-road motorsport series, Extreme E, the organisation has revealed its first sustainability report, discussing how it succeeded in becoming carbon neutral.

The report was published in support from EY, who acts as the official innovation partner of the competition and supports the series to develop and implement its sustainability strategy.

As part of the process of becoming carbon neutral by the end of its inaugural season, Extreme E highlighted the use of electric vehicles, not having fans on site and instead engaging through interactive broadcast and social media coverage, refurbishing a former Royal Mail ship to carry freight and logistics instead of air travel, using AFC Energy hydrogen fuel cells utilising solar and water for electricity, using second-life Zenobe batteries for paddock operations, and capping race team personnel to seven people total as having the greatest impact to reduce its carbon footprint.

Also a notable contributor to the neutral carbon footprint of the competition include the partnership with Count Us In, which saw 3,207 pledges from 1,232 Extreme E fans to reduce their individual environmental impact, totalling a carbon saving of 1,241,223kg CO2e, which is worth over 1,200 flights from London to New York.

In its efforts to offset its carbon footprint from its inaugural season, Extreme E invested in environmental certificates for a wind farm in Patagonia, Argentina, which supplied 300 GWh of clean renewable electricity to the grid in a year and prevented 190,000 tons of GHG emissions from entering the atmosphere.

Extreme E founder and CEO, Alejandro Agag, said the series utilised UN certified carbon project development company, ALLCOT, to help offset what could not be avoided.

“Extreme E’s Sustainability Report is one of the most important pieces of communication we have released to date,” Agag said.

“As a sport for purpose championship, which aims to pave the way to a lower carbon future through the promotion of electric vehicles, and accelerate gender equality in motorsport, it’s important we are open and transparent about our methods and our impact.

“This is just the start of our journey and we are learning all the time, but this report details our journey to having the lowest carbon footprint in international motorsport, and the insight into how we became carbon neutral by the end of our first season.

“Together with the commitment and expertise of our partners, we are delivering a platform which challenges the way sport is traditionally run; offers tangible solutions which reduce the impact of live events; and which educates our audience on the effects of climate change, inspiring them to make positive choices about their impact on the planet,” he said.

EY Climate Change and Sustainability Services global leader, Dr Matthew Bell, said: “Throughout Season 1, EY’s global Climate Change and Sustainability Services team has supported Extreme E to reduce its environment and social impacts, measure and manage its carbon footprint, and supported the development of Extreme E’s inaugural sustainability strategy.”

“As a result, we are not only honoured to have been entrusted by Extreme E to draft its Season 1 sustainability report, but we are proud of the sustainability outcomes and positive impact that EY’s partnership with Extreme E has been able to achieve in its first year,” Dr Bell said.

With a focus on the second season, the report revealed Extreme E will focus on the three key pillars of: Extreme Action, Extreme Impact, and Extreme Responsibility.

These pillars will guide the environmental, social and governance aspects of sustainability for the series in line with the objectives of Extreme E’s stakeholders.

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