Sailing Towards a Regenerative Future
11th Hour Racing is proud to be the Title Sponsor of 11th Hour Racing Team. Check out the latest news below.
11th Hour Racing Team releases a new sustainability report and commits to a net positive – regenerative campaign
Calling for marine industry-wide action to align with the Paris agreement, we’ve released our 2020 Sustainability Report, committing to a net positive – regenerative campaign, supported by our title sponsor, 11th Hour Racing.
The 80-page document shares key insights into the team’s efforts, successes, and challenges on our journey to minimize greenhouse gas emissions while driving high performance and positive change within the international sailing community.
Since launching in 2019, we have been paving the way to set industry-standard benchmarks for an offshore sailing team. Initiatives have included measuring our water and carbon footprint through detailed analysis of operational areas including on-water operations, the build of our new IMOCA 60, team member travel, and material usage.
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“Our on-the-water mission is clear: to develop a high-performance sports team utilizing the best technologies and innovations, bringing together the top minds in yacht design and performance with the most experienced sailors and shore crew for the very best race-winning capabilities. Off-the-water, our desire is to drive positive change within our industry. This will be our focus for the next two years of the campaign.”
Mark Towill, CEO of 11th Hour Racing Team.
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Constantly seeking innovative solutions to make the sailing industry more sustainable and future-proof, we are currently preparing our offshore campaign in the build-up to The Ocean Race 2022-23.
The Annual Sustainability Report shares detailed information on the following highlights of 2020:
- Engineering: A full life cycle assessment (LCA) has been completed to understand the environmental impacts of the construction of an IMOCA 60, aiming to lay the groundwork for the future of sustainable boat design and build.
- Research: In addition to several commissioned studies on biomimicry solutions for marine transport, the Team contributed to global citizen science programs measuring CO2 levels, sea surface temperature, and salinity while sailing.
- Operational efficiency: Local communities were impacted positively with 81% of all team purchases invested locally, favoring short supply chains resulting in lower carbon and water footprints.
- Advocacy: Inspiring others to follow, we are sharing best practices and a number of free tools through the dedicated ‘Sustainability Toolbox’ helping other sports teams, organizations, and events to implement their own sustainability programs.
- Collaboration: We signed the UNFCCC Sport for Climate Action Framework, an initiative calling on sports organizations, teams, and events, to acknowledge the impact the sports sector has on climate change, and our collective responsibility to strive towards climate neutrality for a safer and healthier planet.
Our ultimate goal is to demonstrate that high-level sporting performance can work hand-in-hand with a fundamental shift towards new and more sustainable business models.
“Through the build of the new IMOCA 60 and being embedded in the heart of the offshore sailing world, the Team can influence and drive change from inside the marine industry, championing long-lasting change, practical solutions, and mitigations with suppliers. The Team’s vision and tangible efforts align with our organization’s mission of harnessing the power of sport to inspire solutions for the ocean.”
Todd McGuire, Managing Director, 11th Hour Racing
“There is an urgent need for the entire marine industry to align to the Paris Agreement’s requirement of a 45% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, and to achieve net-zero by 2050. At 11th Hour Racing Team we are reassessing our own areas of operation to better understand how to meet these global targets, and will work with supporters, industry colleagues, and the wider marine community to support the transition to net zero.”
Damian Foxall, Sustainability Program Manager
“As an industry, we have to reduce our overall footprint: this will not happen overnight. We call on everyone who has an interest in the sailing world and the marine industry – from sailors to sailing fans, boat builders to suppliers – to work together for the health of our ocean.”
Mark Towill, CEO of 11th Hour Racing Team
Download the full 11th Hour Racing Team 2020 Sustainability Report here.
Download the 11th Hour Racing Team 2020 Executive Summary here.
Header image credit: Amory Ross | 11th Hour Racing