The title sponsors of next week’s Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open announced today that they will be continuing with an initiative to offset the greenhouse gas emissions from travel to the Renaissance Club by all players and caddies – as they did with the recent Ladies Scottish Open. The men’s Scottish Open, which is part of The European Tour’s Rolex Series, is being played behind closed doors from the 1-4 October at The Renaissance Golf Club, North Berwick.
Working together with ClimateCare, the expert at financing, managing and developing climate projects, Aberdeen Standard Investments is offsetting the greenhouse gas emissions by supporting the accredited Gola Rainforest protection project in Sierra Leone. This will include all the 126 players’ and their caddies’ travel into and out of Scotland.
Aberdeen Standard Investments has committed to supporting the project for the next three years and, as a business, reached their target of becoming carbon neutral earlier this year. The Gola Rainforest is one of the world’s most biodiverse regions. Through the project, the business is aiding in the protection of pristine rainforest, home to over 330 species of bird, the rare pygmy hippo and critically endangered western chimpanzees, with further support offered for training for local farmers in sustainable cocoa farming, and investment for schools, hospitals and education.
Sandy MacDonald, Head of Sustainability at Aberdeen Standard Investments said: “At Aberdeen Standard Investments we invest responsibly, which is why environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations are incorporated into our everyday activities. We are proud to be making a difference through our support of the Scottish Opens and by supporting an amazing project which helps address the issues of climate change and biodiversity loss. It is one small step as part of a much wider and long-term strategy.”
The field for the 2020 event includes defending champion Bernd Wiesberger from Austria who will be joined by a field which includes former Major Champions, more than 20 former Ryder Cup players, and a host of homegrown stars. Joining the Austrian, will be double Major winner Martin Kaymer, 2013 U.S. Open champion Justin Rose, 2016 Masters Champion Danny Willett, former Race to Dubai winner Tommy Fleetwood and fellow Ryder Cup heroes Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood amongst others.
ClimateCare’s Director of Partnerships, Robert Stevens explains: "We work with forward-thinking organisations to turn their climate responsibilities into positive outcomes. Our trademark Climate+Care approach is helping Aberdeen Standard Investments and the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open take a smart approach to addressing their environmental impacts by offsetting their carbon emissions through projects which also support sustainable development”.
This year’s tournament is going ahead following close consultation and collaboration with the Scottish Government, Aberdeen Standard Investments, VisitScotland, and the European Tour, fully adhering to internationally recognised COVID-19 protocol.
The decision to move forward with the 2020 Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open was taken only once organisers and stakeholders could ensure delivery of an event with all relevant safeguarding and protocols in place. The tournament has a robust operational plan, which has been established with medical and health and safety specialists to make sure that all appropriate measures are in place that meet the high standards required by the Scottish Government as well as adhering to all WHO guidelines.
The Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open will be the second Rolex Series event on the reshaped 2020 Race to Dubai, and the first since the resumption of the season. It takes place for the second consecutive year at The Renaissance Club - which was founded in 2008 and nestles on 300 picturesque acres along the Firth of Forth.
Fans will be able to watch the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open live on Sky Sports in the UK with weekend highlights on the BBC, the Golf Channel in the US, amongst other broadcasters. Enhanced will be available on all relevant digital channels www.asiscottishopen.com, @ScottishOpen #ASISO.
