About Us
Offsetting
Motorsport UK is a proud signatory of the United Nations Framework for Climate Change (UNFCCC). That means we are committed to achieving a 50% reduction in emissions by 2030 – across scopes 1, 2 and 3 – alongside reaching net zero emissions by 2040.
Scope 1 emissions include direct emissions from owned or controlled sources such as on-site energy, emissions from fleet vehicles or emissions from industrial and manufacturing processes.
Scope 2 emissions are indirect emissions such as energy purchased from a utility company.
Scope 3 emissions include all indirect emissions that occur in a value chain – including the emissions generated by assets not owned by Motorsport UK, items purchased by a company, and services that factor in both upstream and downstream.
We understand that we have a responsibility to engage our community and ensure that it is not only our internal operations that meet this goal, but that the wider motorsport community is fully supported to meet their sustainability targets that benefit wider society.
This can be done by adopting the following pathway which acts as a framework for reaching net zero – in order of importance:
- Avoid – we encourage members to take necessary action that eliminates unnecessary greenhouse gas emissions from occurring in the first place
- Reduce – where a member cannot avoid emissions, they should take action to lower the climate impact of their current activities – through using resources in a more efficient way, upcycling products and switching to lower-carbon equipment, fuels, or materials. Many of these resources are developing technologies and at present may be limited in terms of availability and cost-effectiveness, but wider adoption will lead to natural market forces that help bridge this gap.
- Compensate – these are offsetting actions designed to compensate for some or all of the unavoidable remaining emissions. This can be done typically by investing in emission reduction projects. Offsetting should be considered the last resort when other avenues for reduction have been exhausted or are not available.
Additionally, clubs should proactively report on their climate footprint and the actions they have taken to avoid, reduce and lastly compensate for emissions. This helps share knowledge, develop learning and boost transparency.
Below are some of the key questions that you should consider asking a potential offsetting provider.
Questions to ask a potential offsetting provider:
- How permanent is the offset? For example, if investing in trees, how do you ensure they are being properly maintained for the lifetime of the investment?
- What is the risk mitigation plan in place if permeance is challenged, such as in the case of forest fires?
- How can you be sure that your offsets are additional, meaning that they wouldn’t have happened anyway?
- Is there any forward crediting – such as waiting for trees to grow?
- How is the success of the programme measured?
- Is the project verified by an independent third party using suitable accreditation standards that have no conflict of interest with the provider?
- Are the projects guided by strong ethical principles and social outcomes as well as environmental ones?
Make sure to ask your prospective offsetting provider to offer supplementary evidence in relation to these questions.
Suitable guidance and accompanying accreditation are at an early stage globally. However, in the United Kingdom organisations such as the Woodland Carbon Code and Peatland Code are available to provide support and guidance.