It was announced this morning that the ABB FIA Formula E Championship has had its ISO 20121, a third-party certification for sustainable events, renewed.

The ISO 20121 certificate is the international standard for event sustainability and focuses on three main targets: reducing the individual environmental footprint of events, creating a successful financial model for growth and becoming more socially responsible.

Formula E had to undergo three separate surveillance audits by the accreditation body, the SGS, last season to join events such as Paris’ Roland Garros French Open, the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and the 2016 UEFA European Championship in France in achieving the certificate and is so far the only racing series to do so.

Since January last year Formula E have been handing out free reusable and recyclable water pouches to all attendees at race events, and with water refill stations located around the fan and paddock areas, the Championship says they have saved more than 200,000 330ml single-use plastic bottles from being disposed of.

The series also debuted their ‘recycling rangers’ last season. These rangers would interact with fans and staff to educate them on the most sustainable ways of recycling and disposing of waste.

New partnerships have also been formed with Formula E teaming up with Umicore to recycle the lithium-ion batteries from the generation one cars, and CSM Live to create sustainable track signage. The CSM Live signage was first used in Rome last season where the recyclable non-PVC material is said to have saved over 10 kilometers of waste from being sent to landfills at each event.

SGS auditor, Ana Inacio had this to say about the series: “Formula E has been embedding sustainability season-on-season – exploring new initiatives, engaging with local communities and suppliers, and applying robust impact assessments.

“It is taking the lead in sustainable motorsports and setting a new benchmark for the industry.”

While Formula E’s Senior Sustainability Consultant, Julia Palle, said they are continually looking for new sustainable initiatives and that the certificate renewal is a reminder of what has been achieved so far.

“The concept of Formula E was created with the primary purpose to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles and promote sustainable practice, raising awareness of the benefits to driving electric and how clean mobility can counteract climate change.

“We deliver events with sustainability at the forefront of our mind and the renewed ISO 20121 certification shows our commitment to this cause and acts as a reminder of what we have achieved and also our ambition to continue to innovate in this area.

“Working together with SGS auditors, environmental experts and our partners, we endeavour to enhance our efforts in trialling new technologies and rolling out sustainably led initiatives in order to further reduce our footprint.

“We are continually seeking to implement the most innovative solutions available on the market to improve every aspect of our events and hope that this inspires other sports and organisations to embrace a similar approach in future.”

Formula E will continue their push for sustainability at this Saturday’s Santiago E-Prix.