Earlier this year, Hugo Boss announced that it would be withdrawing its Formula 1 sponsorship, which started nearly 40 years ago, in favour of Formula E. The sport’s growth has gone beyond expectations, welcoming new manufacturers Nissan and BMW in 2018-19. So what’s been drawing hearts and minds to this fast growing spectator sport, which is only just in its fourth season?

In case you didn’t already know…

Formula E is the world’s first fully-electric international single-seater street racing series. Consisting of ten teams and 20 drivers, Formula E delivers world-class racing to 11 cities over five continents, throughout the seven-month Championship season. New York, Hong Kong and Paris are among the cities in which fans can experience this fast growing spectator sport.

Car racing and sustainability?

This sport event has sustainability at its very core. It is determined to fight climate change by offering electric vehicles as a solution to air pollution in city centres. To demonstrate its leadership in this domain, in July 2016, at the Formula E Visa London ePrix, the organisers implemented – and received first party certification of – ISO 20121, the global standard for event sustainability.

What does this mean?

First introduced as an international version of the British Standard BS 8901 to coincide with the London 2012 Olympic Games, ISO 20121 is an Event Sustainability Management System introduced to improve the sustainability of events. It requires that the organisation of an event follows a management systems approach involving thorough stakeholder consultation and identifying negative social, economic and environmental impacts.

This focus on the management process leads to many improvements in areas such as venue selection, transport, waste recycling, procurement, promoting healthy lifestyles, workforce conditions and not forgetting the legacies they leave behind. Other events that have achieved this certification in addition to London 2012 are the Rio 2016 Olympics, the French Open and the UEFA Euro 2016.

In London, Formula E chose to focus its efforts on reducing the overall CO2 emissions by 20% by the end of season six, improving communication to key audiences, engaging with the local community; and implementing legacy initiatives.

Where next in sustainability for Formula E?

Not content with having raised the bar with their first shot at implementing ISO 20121 in London last year, Formula E has its foot firmly down on the sustainability pedal as it gears up for more initiatives in coming seasons!

Formula E’s Sustainability manager Julia Palle said: “In season two we received first party certification at the 2016 Visa London ePrix for the International Standard of Event Sustainability, the ISO 20121. We are working on certifying the entire championship in season four. The implementation represents our next steps towards a more holistic approach to ensure a positive impact not only on the environment, but also social inclusivity and economic prosperity.”

Where can you catch a race?

Qualifying for the Marrakech ePrix – the next race in season 4 – takes place on the 13th January 2018. Check out the website to find out what time the race is televised in your country.