DP World Tour’s climate mitigation approach continues as part of Green Drive initiative
The BMW PGA Championship is taking responsibility for unavoidable carbon emissions using accredited climate projects as part of an ongoing strategic collaboration between the DP World Tour and the Gold Standard.
A raft of practical sustainability and climate actions also helped to reduce the environmental footprint of the fourth Rolex Series event of the 2022 DP World Tour season, which took place at Wentworth Club in Surrey, England, on September 8-11, 2022.
The DP World Tour’s Green Drive is a Tour-wide sustainability initiative that spans operations, venues, events, media, partnerships and communications. Facilitated by the GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf, the Tour first collaborated with the Gold Standard to select climate protection projects as part of the Green Drive at July’s Genesis Scottish Open.
That work continued at the BMW PGA Championship via two climate protection projects that create sustainable development benefits for their communities.
Planting Biodiverse Forests in Panama is a project that introduces sustainable timber production while reforesting degraded pastureland with a mix of native tree species and teak.
Terraclear provides clean water access for families in Laos by addressing the problem of limited access to safe, clean drinking water through the sale of the Lao Ceramic Water Purifier (CWP), which removes microorganisms from water.
The projects in Panama and Laos make certified contributions to carbon reduction, as well as global climate justice by delivering impact to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Core emissions for the BMW PGA Championship will be offset, including all energy, waste, haulage, player, event-organiser and guest travel.
The practical measures to reduce the BMW PGA Championship’s resource use, emissions and waste are planned, tracked and promoted in collaboration with GEO Foundation. They include:
· Energy: Switch from diesel to sustainability sourced biofuel (HVO) across temporary power solutions onsite leading to 90% reduction in carbon emissions in this area
· Zero Waste: Implementing a comprehensive waste recycling and disposal system aiming to send zero waste to landfill
· Refill: Free water refill stations in key areas across site
· Biodiversity: Supporting the venue in the protection of designated wildlife areas
· Transport: Encouraging public transport through the provision of free shuttle buses
· Paperless: Digital tickets, programmes and cashless events reducing paper, ink and haulage
· Stay local: Focus on prioritising and celebrating local community recruitment, suppliers, and seasonal foods
· Wood and carpet: Working with The Useful Wood Company, based locally in Woking, to help recycle tournament wood in a sustainable way
· Reusability: Signage and materials are designed for reuse within future events wherever possible. We are also working with the local community to redistribute materials of value including building materials and food.
Maria Grandinetti-Milton, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility for the European Tour group said: “We at the DP World Tour, along with our sponsors and partners, care about the legacy that we leave through our tournaments, and the practical measures we took to reduce resource use, emissions and waste were an important part of the BMW PGA Championship.
“Our collaboration with the Gold Standard to offset unavoidable carbon emissions via credible projects is a key aspect of our Tour-wide Green Drive strategy, and we look forward to continuing to work together. As ever, we thank our partners at the GEO Foundation for their valued input into the Green Drive initiative.”
Margaret Kim, CEO Gold Standard said: “I am delighted to see the sustainability measures taken by the BMW PGA Championship. Golf is a game with an intimate connection to the natural world. By using Gold Standard certified projects to finance carbon reductions in line with those emissions they can’t yet eliminate, the DP World Tour are helping to fight the climate crisis and ensuring that their support helps communities on the front line of climate change.”
