Bahrain International Circuit awarded FIA Three-Star Environmental Accreditation

Bahrain International Circuit (BIC) has received Three-Star Environmental Accreditation from the FIA – its highest level of recognition for environmental performance.

The circuit – which celebrated two decades since its first Grand Prix earlier this year – will host Formula 1 pre-season testing in February next year, before F1 returns to the Middle East in April for Round 4 of the 2025 season.

Aimed at helping motorsport organisations measure and enhance their environmental performance, the FIA Environmental Accreditation Programme was launched in 2011 and is split across three tiers, with the top Three-Star level awarded to those that demonstrate best practice and commitment while seeking continual improvement through the implementation of an environmental management system.

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The FIA Formula One World Championship itself has Three-Star Environmental Accreditation, with Formula 1 becoming the first motorsport championship in the world to have all member teams achieve the highest level of environmental sustainability recognition from the sport’s governing body.

BIC’s award follows a detailed application and auditing process and evaluation across several areas, including commitment from senior leadership towards environmental management, clearly defined environmental objectives, auditing and measurement across areas including energy, water and waste management, transport and logistics, biodiversity and carbon emissions.

The circuit was able to showcase its comprehensive sustainability plan in action across the venue, as well as several ground breaking initiatives, including:

• BIC’s industry-leading solar production facility which produced over 5 million KWH of clean energy in its first year, enough to cover all the usage for F1 with significant capacity to spare – the equivalent of offsetting 3,108 tonnes of carbon.
• Innovative energy saving measures which have included a building management system that efficiently monitors and manages light and air conditioning provision, an upgrade to more efficient air conditioning chillers and the replacement of all street and building lighting to LED lights. This has resulted in over 30% saving in energy use over the year.
• A ‘Green Ticket’ initiative during its WEC event, where a proportion of ticket sales are used to fund the plating of mangrove plantations in Bahrain, which plants 5,000 trees per year.
• Waste management initiatives, including a ban on all single use plastic bottles with free water fountains available for fans, enhanced fan recycling facilities and a food donation programme.

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Ellen Jones, Head of ESG, Formula 1, said: “The use of renewable energy at events is crucial in F1’s commitment to reach Net Zero by 2030, so it is great to see the Bahrain International Circuit embracing the transition to become one of the leaders in this space.

“The continued success of our Promoters achieving the FIA Three-Star Accreditation is testament to the united efforts from stakeholders across the sport to create a more sustainable F1.”

Sheikh Salman bin Isa Al Khalifa, Chief Executive of Bahrain International Circuit, said: “We are deeply proud to have received the highest-level accreditation for sustainability by the FIA. It reflects our comprehensive plan that we have established and implemented over a number of years to ensure we are responsible to the environment.

“I thank the FIA for their recognition of our work, as well as the guidance and support we receive from F1 and countless other stakeholders to achieve our ambitions. We will continue to work hard across all areas of our business to develop best practice initiatives to ensure we protect the environment.”

Sara Mariani, FIA Sustainability & D&I Director, said: “The venues that host motorsport play a vital role as we move towards a more environmentally sustainable future, as the systems and processes they put in place affect everyone at our events.

“We would like to congratulate the Bahrain International Circuit on achieving the highest Three-Star level – they have demonstrated best practice and made considerable steps forward in recent years to increase their energy efficiency and use more sustainable energy sources.

“This is, of course, an ongoing process, but the FIA’s Environmental Accreditation Programme ensures that our stakeholders are all benchmarked and able to set continuous, tailor-made targets to keep improving.”

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