Formula E cuts emissions 41% since 2019 but sustainability still ‘a challenge’ amid global expansion

• Formula E manages 23% reduction in freight emissions YoY
• Series using more sea and road freight thanks to HQ move to Valencia
• First global sports organisation to align with PAS 2060 carbon neutrality specification

Formula E has released its latest sustainability report which reveals the series has cut its carbon emissions by 41 per cent since 2019.

However, Formula E’s vice president of sustainability, Julia Pallé, has admitted that pursuing sustainability is “a challenge” due to the series’ rate of expansion.

“We are probably the fastest growing motorsport so we are in expansion mode,” she told BlackBook Motorsport.

“But at the same time, due to our Net Zero commitments in line with sustainability targets, we need to continually decrease our CO2 emissions by five per cent year-on-year.

“So obviously you have those two curves that at some point need to cross and that’s a challenge. But as usual in Formula E, a challenge is always an opportunity.”

Despite the Formula E calendar being three races longer than in 2019, the all-electric series actually races in fewer countries, reducing the strain on emissions from logistics and travel.

Indeed, the series has seen a 41 per cent reduction in freight carbon emissions compared to 2019 and a 23 per cent decrease year-on-year (YoY) from calendar optimisation and biofuels.

Pallé continued: “When it comes to logistics, not only are we trying to have a more clustered approach for the calendar, so racing region after region and grouping the races, but also trying to use more and more sea freight and road freight.”

This was helped by Formula E moving its global logistics headquarters to the Circuit Ricardo Tormo in Valencia, something carried out before the start of this season to enable the series to leverage the city’s location to lean more heavily on sea freight.

• Competitive racing, street circuits, and a US$250k bet: Why Formula E is making more noise about F1 than ever before
• How Formula E is balancing its sustainable mission with global expansion as it begins its Gen3 era

As revealed in the sustainability report, this has contributed to Formula E topping the Global Sustainability Benchmark in Sports (GSBS) annual report for the second year running from nearly 500 global sports organisations.

The series also became the first global sports organisation to align with PAS 2060, the international specification for the demonstration of carbon neutrality.

Of course, Formula E has shifted its approach from marketing itself exclusively as a sustainable series, instead focusing on its competitive racing action and even going as far as to draw direct comparisons with Formula One. But, things have not changed behind the scenes.

“We’re still talking very much about sustainability, but we use different channels,” explained Pallé. “We’re a sport and we’re using the power of sport to inspire people to live a more sustainable lifestyle, but we continue to talk about sustainability.

“On social media, we know that our fans are receptive to it, we have a presence at COP, we’ve created our conferencing platform ‘Change. Accelerated. Live’.

“So I don’t think it’s a shift [away from marketing our sustainability as much], we’re just trying to do it in a way that’s maximising the sustainability content and reaching the audience in the most effective way.”

Outside of the series’ progress in environmental sustainability, though, Formula E has made considerable social strides, too.

As revealed in March, the series saw a 140 per cent increase for the International Automobile Federation (FIA) Girls on Track programme in 2023.

Formula E has also helped impact more than 2.5 million children and young people through Unicef’s Safe and Healthy Environment Fund.

13,400 children and adults were positively engaged by the series across 86 universities, schools, charities, and community groups, while more than €110,000 (US$117,000) has been invested in community projects in host cities.