To become a sustainable sports team

11th Hour Racing Team, who recently became the first American team to win The Ocean Race, has released an Impact Report detailing the integration of sustainable practices within the four-year campaign.

Back in 2019, the US-flagged team launched a new campaign backed by title partner 11th Hour Racing and led by CEO Mark Towill (USA) and Charlie Enright (USA). Their ambition was to win The Ocean Race 2022-23 and do so with sustainability at the core of all operations with a transparent reporting method, inspired to drive positive change within the sport and more broadly the marine sector.

On June 29, 2023, the team’s ambition became reality as the first US team to win The Ocean Race in its 50-year existence.

The team has now released a 96-page interactive report, detailing specific methods, key learnings, and innovations, as well as the set-backs and challenges the team faced in their quest to become a sustainable sports team.

“Sailors and others who use the ocean for recreation, sport, or their industries, are the most natural advocates for ocean health and those most responsible to lead the work to make positive changes,” said Towill.

“In the face of an urgent climate crisis, sport stands as a non-essential sector with a large carbon footprint. Yet, we have the ability to engage and influence millions In order to create meaningful change, we all must embrace the challenge and demonstrate a pathway to a more sustainable future.

“At 11th Hour Racing Team, our intention is that by accelerating these initiatives we will inspire others to take the necessary steps towards long lasting change for our sport and ocean health.”

The report covers the full scope of the team’s findings, from undertaking a full life cycle assessment establishing a new benchmark, engaging suppliers and partners through an internal sustainable sourcing process, to supporting change in policy and class rules, the team tackled some of the big challenges that relate to operating a modern sports team in the context of a global event.

With the Paris Agreement’s requirement of a 45% reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, and to achieve net zero by 2050, the goal of the Impact Report is to provoke innovation and collaboration within the marine sector and highlight the importance of transparency for the future of the sport.

To read the Impact Report, click here.
For a PDF version, click here.