• Milestone celebrated on annual U.N. World Environment Day
• Progress aided by projects in nine countries spanning five continents
• Carbon reduction efforts include 100 percent biofuel for racing and sustainability workshops for competitors
SRO Motorsports Group marks today’s United Nations World Environment Day having achieved 100 percent carbon neutrality in 2024.
Staged annually on 5 June since its inception in 1973, U.N. World Environment Day brings together millions of people from across the globe in a collective effort to protect and restore the Earth. This year it is hosted by Saudi Arabia, with a focus on land restoration, desertification, and drought resilience.
SRO began working on its own environmental strategy in 2021, compensating for unavoidable emissions while investing considerable effort in carbon reduction. By 2022 the company had achieved 66 percent carbon neutrality, rising to 85 percent last year before reaching its present status in 2024.
Its recent initiatives have centred on nine countries spanning five continents, including both technology and nature-based projects. Among the former, SRO has supported a large-scale commercial wind farm in Thailand, a country it knows well through Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS.
Further technology efforts include a renewable solar project that generates clean electricity for the Indian grid, as well as a renewable wind power initiative in Nicaragua. There has also been ongoing support for methane recovery in the Netherlands and renewable wind energy in South Africa, both nations in which SRO has raced during the past 18 months.
These are complemented by four nature-based initiatives. A project in Guatemala aims to restore more than 55,000 hectares of forest in an area of significant biodiversity. In Canada, the Otter Creek IFM represents a unique forest conservation initiative, dedicated to enhancing water quality, preserving wildlife habitats, and bolstering environmental integrity.
An afforestation scheme in China's Guizhou Province seeks to plant native species on barren lands, thereby facilitating the removal of greenhouse gases. Finally, in Australia, conservation and biological diversity protection have safeguarded some 1000m2 of critical habitat for biodiversity in the Crowes Lookout and Budgerum areas. This is an important region for SRO, which organises GT3 and GT4 series in Australia.
The aforementioned projects are overseen, verified and accredited by prominent carbon offset registries, such as Gold Standard, Verra (VCS), Climate Action Reserve and American Carbon Registry. Their regular audits guarantee the transparency, credibility and environmental integrity of each project, ensuring high quality carbon credits and sustainable development.
"When we began this journey in 2021, we set ourselves ambitious targets,” said Stéphane Ratel, the founder and CEO of SRO Motorsports Group. “Perhaps it seemed a little daunting at the time, but it has helped us to devlop a real commitment to our environmental responsibilities. The work does not end here, of course: not only must we maintain our carbon neutral status, but we will also continue to support positive environmental initiatives both internally and among our partners.”
In addition to backing environmental projects, SRO continues to incorporate a variety of positive actions into its daily operations. These include 100 percent carbon neutral competitor fleets, a focus on eco-friendly event vehicles and branding, and utilising local suppliers. As 2024 continues it will go further still. Indeed, a 100 percent biofuel is already being used in Fanatec GT Europe and Asia, while SRO has also implemented sustainable trophies, food donation at events, and now offers sustainability workshops to its competitors.
