eSkootr Championship

eSkootr Championship Announces Carbon Neutrality From Inception On Earth Day 2022

April 22, 2022

The eSkootr Championship™ (eSC) is proud to have reached carbon neutrality from inception, delivering on its aim of showcasing climate action, raising environmental awareness, and promoting best practice through sport.

eSC has worked to calculate and avoid emissions from the very beginning. Working with leading partners and renowned carbon footprinting and sustainability experts, eSC has calculated its inaugural season carbon footprint to include all Scope 1, 2 and the majority of Scope 3 emissions. 

Unavoidable emissions from 2021 including development and testing were offset through investing in two projects from the UN Carbon Offset Platform. The UNFCCC-recognised projects were chosen by the eSC leadership team based on their link with core elements of eSC’s sustainability approach: Renewable Energy and Community. In addition, these projects align with the UN Sustainable Development Goals also represented in the championship’s sustainability strategy, which will be announced in due course.

Energy 

In line with eSC’s commitment to only using clean energy at races, one of the projects selected will help to generate energy from renewable sources to be fed into the grid in India. The geographical location was chosen because of its link with micromobility, with data suggesting that two-wheel transportation constituted more than 80% of vehicle sales in India in the 2020/21 fiscal year.

Community

Linking to eSC’s aim to nurture equity and economic development in local communities, the other project of choice will help rural communities in Malawi to introduce a safer and more sustainable alternative to traditional 3-stone fires into thousands of households. The Malawi-based project is run by a UK charity named RIPPLE Africa, although most employees come from local communities. 

Dr. Cristiana Pace, Chair of eSkootr Championship™ Sustainability Commission, said:

“Motorsport has a crucial role to play in tackling the climate crisis – both on and off the track. With reaching carbon neutrality from inception eSC is demonstrating its commitment to measuring and reducing its environmental impact.

“The overall impact on the environment of electric scooters throughout their lifetime has been questioned, as well as the impact of sport events, and our aim is to share best practice to accelerate changes within the micromobility and sport industries and proactively contribute to the debate around sustainable practices and innovations. 

“In line with the Earth Day 2022 theme, ‘Invest In Our Planet’, eSC has not only invested in UNFCCC-recognised projects that contribute to global social sustainability and renewable energy, but is furthering the development of a number of innovative initiatives, which will be implemented throughout the series’ first season, starting from London in May of this year.”

Lucas di Grassi, eSkootr Championship™ Co-founder and Sustainability Ambassador, commented:

“Our vision for eSC has always been that it should act as a catalyst for inspiring and driving positive change through sport, with sustainability at its core. As a co-founder, as Sustainability Ambassador for the series, and as a passionate advocate for greater sustainability in motorsport and global mobility more generally, I am particularly proud that we can announce today that eSC has achieved carbon neutrality since inception.

“Showcasing climate action and promoting and enhancing best practice in sport will be central to every aspect of our championship and we look forward to demonstrating our commitment at the inaugural race in London next month.”

Hrag Sarkissian, eSkootr Championship™ Co-founder and CEO, added:

“eSC is a sport with purpose at its core. Being carbon neutral from inception has been a key focus for us and we are proud of the work we have done and will be doing to tackle the climate crisis. 

“Motorsport in particular has the power to test, explore and promote more sustainable transport options, and we are working closely with a number of industry leading partners to ensure our Championship is leading the way in environmental racing and technological knowledge transfer into consumer transportation for healthier, greener cities.”

eSkootr Championship