Land Rover Bar

11th Hour Racing created its inaugural sponsorship with Land Rover BAR in virtue of the team’s goal to run a sustainable 35th America’s Cup campaign and build a long-term business model that placed environmental responsibility at its foundation with the goal of being the most sustainable professional sports team in Great Britain.

Impact

A selection of success stories through this partnership included:

  • Achieving ISO 20121 certification, the first sports team in Great Britain to do so.
  • Building the team’s base in Portsmouth, UK, to BREEAM Excellent standards.
  • Innovations in recycling carbon fiber and winning 3 prestigious sporting awards for their sustainability efforts.

SUSTAINABILITY 

  • In 2016 the team achieved zero waste to landfill for its non-hazardous material, with 66% reuse, anaerobic digestion and recycling, and only 30% of materials heading for waste to energy
  • Rain capture systems saved approximately 44,000 liters of water.
  • Worked with Northern Parade school in Portsmouth to realize a second Low Carbon solar panel installation of 64.8 MW.
  • With a grant from 11th Hour Racing, the Bermuda Sloop Foundation now incorporates programming focused specifically on the impacts of marine debris in Bermuda, and how the single-use plastics end up in the ocean and impact marine ecosystems.
  • Artificial reef and oyster cages were installed with support from Base Supplier MDL to encourage an increased population of oysters in the Solent region, exceeded expectations with high survival rates and encouraged 69 species to inhabit the site, compared to eight prior to the development of the building.

ENGAGEMENT 

  • In 2016 Land Rover BAR was involved in over 180 events, of which 163 were hosted at the team base. In total the different events reached over 12,840 people with a diverse range of interests and age groups; 10 events were technical marine seminars run by the team as well as sponsor led events involving 410 participants.
  • From May 2016 through December 2016, 4,877 people visited the team’s new Tech Deck and Education Centre at its Portsmouth base.
  • 1851 Trust launched the BT STEM Crew digital online education program in October, 213 schools registered by the end of 2016.
  • The America’s Cup Team Sustainability Charter was signed for the 35th America’s Cup, with Land Rover BAR instrumental in preparing the Charter.
  • In Chicago, the team engaged with 30 students and the Shedd Aquarium to deliver an educational day on invasive species along with a beach clean, that collected 17kg of marine debris.
  • In Toulon, the team engaged with 15 junior sailors to integrate young people in ocean conservation and raising awareness of their role as an ambassador of the coastline. With the support of 11th Hour Racing, the junior sailors learned how to make reusable bags by repurposing T-shirts and pledged to say NO to single-use plastics.
  • During the RYA Dinghy Show, the team exhibited the impacts of ocean plastics and gathered 120 pledges to ‘Say No to single-use plastics.’

Background

Land Rover Ben Ainslie Racing (BAR) was launched on June 10th, 2014 in the presence of the Duchess of Cambridge. The team was conceived by four times Olympic gold medalist and 34th America’s Cup winner, Sir Ben Ainslie, with the long-term aim of bringing the America’s Cup back to Great Britain where the race began in 1851.

Land Rover BAR believed their influence should extend far beyond the racecourse, and had put sustainability at the heart of operations since launching the team with Exclusive Sustainability Partner 11th Hour Racing in 2014.