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The key takeaways from our latest Sustainability Report

Collaboration, cross-learning, and trade-offs: what we learned from our second Sustainability Report

Our past has been full of on-track achievements and accolades we’re deeply proud of, but we also want our future to feature just as many off-track accomplishments that help to create a healthier and happier world.

2022 marked the release of our first Sustainability Report, produced on the back of an in-depth study into our practices and operations, and research into how we can implement long-lasting change. Its release was a landmark moment, not just for McLaren but for motorsport in general. However, it was merely the start of a long journey.

In the 12 months since, that has been moving at pace, with experimentation, implementation, and most importantly, a lot of learning. In May, we released our second report detailing our work in 2022 and updating our aims. Here’s what we learned…

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We shouldn’t be making our rivals faster on track, but we should be making them better off it

We need collaboration to drive meaningful change

No team should have to choose between investing in performance or sustainability. Whilst we are quite rightly battling one another on track, off it, we should be uniting and sharing ideas to create a better, more sustainable world.

You don’t have to hand out performance gains or share your technical secrets to collaborate with one another on sustainability, we should be communicating with our rivals and contributing to each other’s social and environmental transformations.

“To unlock this incredible potential, we need to find better ways to share expertise and insights across our industry,” said CEO Zak Brown. “Only true collaboration will help us drive meaningful change. We rise and fall together. We each have to play our part, raise our standards, and take accelerated action to reduce our negative impacts. And we need to support each other along the way.

“Our sport needs a clear regulatory framework with financial, technical and sporting regulations that better enable us all to innovate and invest in sustainability. And if we want to achieve a step change with the new set of 2026 regulations, then those decisions need to be made now.

“What could that look like in practice? Technical regulations could actively encourage the adoption of more sustainable materials and processes to enable us to achieve our goal of developing a fully circular F1 car. We could introduce clear sustainability criteria to cover core requirements for the race calendars across our series, the paddock and motorhomes. Promoters and competition organisers could be required to meet certain sustainability standards.”

We shouldn’t be making our rivals faster on track, but we should be making them better off it. And vice, versa.

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Six per cent of our team are now trained as mental health first aiders

There are sustainable benefits to multi-series racing

Our desire to compete and win in as many different categories as possible was baked into us by Bruce McLaren when he first formed the team. We love racing, and the more series we compete in, the less time we have to spend out of the car. But there are so many more benefits to multi-series racing than track time alone.

It means we can expand and grow the McLaren family and build a more diverse following from an array of different backgrounds. This, in turn, increases our reach and the impact we can have on the world.

"As the only racing team to participate in F1, IndyCar, Formula E and Extreme E as well as esports, we have a unique opportunity to foster innovation and cross-learning across our sport to accelerate the changes needed to positively address our economic, environmental and social impacts,” said Kim Wilson, Director of Sustainability.

“Participating in two electric racing series for the first time in 2022, for example, has opened up opportunities to learn from the approach of incorporating sustainability into the design of a series from the very beginning."

It is vital to use these platforms to push for change and innovation that will progress the entire motor racing industry. There is so much to be gained from collaboration with teams, tracks, partners and supplies from different racing series with different perspectives and ideas rather than from one championship alone. Cross-series learning can play a pivotal role in us achieving our goals.

In addition to this, our position in multiple championships allows us to reach and hire from a more diverse workforce, and a more diverse workforce gives us access to a broader pool of ideas and innovations. It also increases our audience and gives us a bigger platform with which to inspire the next generation.

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Multi-series racing increases our reach and the impact we can have on the world

Celebrating our success along the way

Whilst we still have a long, long way to go, it is important to celebrate our wins along the way. However big or small, every success is a step in the right direction, and every positive change we make could inspire someone else to do the same.

Our wins over the past 12 months include a 22% reduction in GHG emissions since 2019, 19% less waste compared to 2021 and 33% of new starters in 2022 coming from underrepresented backgrounds. We’re also proud that 6% of our team are now trained as mental health first aiders.

“I am delighted that we can demonstrate strong progress in delivering operational improvements across our four sustainability pillars,” said Kim Wilson. “These results show how every single member of our team has a part to play in driving the changes needed, by bringing sustainability considerations to the front of mind when making decisions in their day-to-day roles and behaviours.”

In 2020, we collaborated with Bcomp to develop F1's first natural fibre composite racing seat

Whilst we still have a long, long way to go, it is important to celebrate our wins along the way

Our sustainability pillars are strongly interlinked

Our report has been separated into four key pillars, and whilst each has its own targets and reasoning, and requires its own unique approach, they are all interlinked. If you improve one area, more often than not, there will be positive repercussions in another.

"Last year, we set our ambition to research and develop the concept of a fully circular F1 car,” explains Kim. “This significant long-term project is also fundamental to achieving our targets to halve our emissions by 2030 and reach net zero by 2040. We need multiple stakeholders from our regulators, competitors, suppliers and partners to come on this journey with us to help explore the issues and solutions that will make this an on-track reality."      

For example, in order to meet our emission reduction targets in 2030 and 2040 as part of our net zero pillar, we will have to reduce the footprint of our materials and processes within the circular economy pillar. Thirty-six per cent of our GHG emissions are associated with the materials we use and the waste we dispose of, making circularity crucial to achieving any net-zero targets.

And as we have already touched upon above, by diversifying our team, we’ll gain access to a greater variety of ideas on how to develop, promote and share sustainability practices across the team.

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Every single member of the team can play their part in driving long-term change

There are trade-offs, and there isn't always a right sustainable option

The caveat to the above point is that sometimes, you must make tough choices. Whilst there are many examples of sustainable improvements that have positively impacted multiple pillars, there are also some improvements that can have a positive impact in one area and a negative impact in another.

For example, our decision to go to the Belgian Grand Prix via the Eurostar and Eurotunnel instead of by plane is estimated to have reduced the footprint of this travel by 61% and saved around £19,000. However, in some cases, this choice increased the team’s travel time and negatively affected their work-life balance, giving them less downtime and, as a result, impacting their wellbeing. That doesn’t mean it was the wrong choice, but the trial highlighted that there are often many considerations.

Ultimately, every single member of the team can play their part in driving long-term change. Together, the smallest of changes can make the most significant difference. We’re far from perfect, but we are learning and improving every single day. And you can do the same.

You can read our second Sustainability Report in full here.

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