Sustainability

Ryder Cup Green Drive

Our commitment to climate action, waste reduction and the protection of nature

The Ryder Cup Green Drive initiative builds sustainability and climate action into golf’s greatest team event. It’s been in play since Valderrama in 1997.

This year efforts include the following activities and outcomes:

Staging
Staging a temporary event as large as The Ryder Cup requires the consumption of significant amounts of energy, water and materials. Reducing resource use, carbon emissions and waste can be challenging.

However, as part of our sustainability action plan, a number of key resource efficiency initiatives have been introduced that will combine to reduce the impact of event staging on the environment:

Transport

• An estimated 90% of spectators will travel on the widely accessible ‘train and ride’, or ‘bus and ride’ facilities, reducing car journeys by an estimated 2 million kms compared to alternative ‘park and ride’ facilities
• BMW are providing 117 fully electric courtesy car vehicles

Energy

• Our temporary energy supply with Aggreko includes two major solar installations - around 800 m2, providing over 17,000 kwh of electricity to the site during the build phase - enough to power the entire contractors compound
• Battery storage units and real time energy tracking systems are included in on-site power to maximise distribution and fuel efficiency
• Real-time carbon footprint tracking of IT Infrastructure with HPE

Materials

• Our Taste of Italy food and beverage procurement policy is ensuring that the majority of catering suppliers will come from within the Rome region.
• Local charity Equoevento is ensuring surplus food is re-distributed to community groups locally
• We anticipate a reduction in the number of plastic water bottles used by 300,000 as a result of our ‘bring your own bottle’ campaign and the provision of free on-site water refill stations

Our waste management contractor has committed to minimum target of 90% avoidance of waste to landfill.

Climate Mitigation and Legacies

In tandem with actions to reduce resource use, we are committed to voluntarily counter-balancing (offsetting) un-avoided emissions from the event. We do this in a credible way, using Gold Standard Verified Emissions Reductions that deliver important global climate justice outcomes in communities and locations that are experiencing the worst effects of climate change. In parallel, our climate mitigation and legacy plan includes local ecosystem restoration. There are three main parts.

Ryder Cup Core Emissions

• Ryder Cup Europe will counter-balance all un-avoided Scope 1, 2 and stated Scope 3 emissions (emissions that are ‘Core’ to the staging of the tournament), using accredited Gold Standard Climate + projects

A ‘Sustainable Golf’ onset is included in this, which contributes to the advocacy, innovation, solutions and impacts work carried out by the GEO Sustainable Golf Foundation, helping accelerate sustainability and climate action in and through golf around the world.

Fan Engagement

• Fans are also being encouraged to contribute – by ‘offsetting’ their travel emissions with all funds invested in the following Gold Standard accredited climate projects:
  
  • Provision of solar cookers for refugees in Chad
  • Provision of clean cookstoves in Nepal

Marco Simone Golf Course
During the course renovation significant efforts were made to ensure the nature of the site was not only protected, but also enhanced. A particular focus was placed on the creation of several hectares of new rough grassland, inter-connected across the site and managed for birds, insects and small mammals.

The Next Decade
There are a number of ways that this year’s Ryder Cup will have a wider positive impact across golf.

• Prototyping the local to global legacy and climate mitigation model, as outlined above
• Teeing off more concerted and purposeful fan engagement for many years ahead
• Sharing lessons and innovations with other partners in golf
• Strengthening partner engagement for greater collective action and results at future editions of the event
  

Our Goals

Striving to be a meaningful force for good in sustainable development.

Ensuring Resource Efficiency

• Efficiency across energy, water and materials
• Avoiding waste and pollution
• Contributing to the circular economy

Delivering Social Value

• Prioritising local suppliers and contractors
• Integrating access, equity and inclusion
• Designing lasting legacies

Helping Promote Nature

• Protecting and celebrating biodiversity
• Highlighting the importance of ecosystems

Taking Climate Action

• Reducing emissions
• Quantifying emissions
• Credibly mitigating unavoidable emissions

Providing Inspiration to Others

• Engaging spectators and fans
• Sharing with others across golf and sport

Delivering on Vital Global Goals and Targets

Using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as our guide, we are aiming to contribute meaningfully across a number of priorities – with perhaps most significant and direct impact on:

GOAL 3 – Good health and wellbeing – through the promotion of a lifelong, accessible and healthy outdoor recreation and sport

GOAL 11 – Sustainable cities and communities – by delivering a smart, efficient event which acts as a catalyst and signpost for cleaner, lower carbon and more circular urban areas

GOAL 12 – Responsible consumption and production – by conserving resources, ensuring efficiencies across energy, waste and materials and contributing to the circular economy

GOAL 13 – Demonstrating a recognised approach to carbon reduction, quantification and best in class mitigation that delivers on important aspects of global climate justice

GOAL 15 – By showing how enhanced local greenspaces can combine people, nature and ecosystem services

GOAL 17 – Showing how diverse public and private sector partners can come together to address common issues of local, national and international concern

Effective, Comprehensive Implementation

Ryder Cup Green Drive will focus on ensuring practical actions lead to tangible results across:-

• Venues
• Procurement
• Staging
• Communications
• Legacies
• Credible mitigation of unavoidable impacts

Our Partners

Many of our partners and supporters are helping us make this the most sustainable Ryder Cup yet. We’ll be profiling more of them and their activations as we progress.

We are taking our leads in sustainable development, social responsibility and climate action from globally recognised frameworks, platforms and targets. We are guided in this effort by our partner in sustainable golf, GEO Foundation, the internationally accredited and endorsed non-profit dedicated to accelerating sustainability in and through golf.