Meet the only sport in the world awarding competitors for sustainability

SailGP, in which 50-foot catamarans race at more than 60 mph in seas and bays around the world, is a grand prix sport comparable to Formula 1 but on water. One big difference: It is seeking to make a positive impact on issues of sustainability.  

In addition to vying to be the fastest, teams also compete to have the biggest impact on the league and in host cities. An entirely different scoreboard measures teams’ impact on things such as sustainability, commitment and strategy; their use of new technologies and innovation; their promotion of clean energy; and their ability to avoid waste and single-use plastic. 

The champion for this season on positive impact is the Emirates Great Britain team, the league shared first with NBC News.

The team partnered with a bespoke renewable energy provider to incorporate solar panels on its team base that not only powers its base, but a number of other nation’s team bases.

“I’d be lying if I said that it doesn’t get just as competitive as it is on the water,” said Ben Ainslie, CEO of Emirates Great Britain SailGP team. “But at the same time we also get points for collaboration. And of course that’s the right thing to do when you’re looking at tackling issues around climate change. … Collaboration is key.”

Grand Prix races that burn fossil fuels are currently trying hard to figure out how to curb their carbon emissions. According to Formula 1, with 10 teams, 20 cars and 23 races in different countries, F1 emits approximately over 256,000 tons of carbon dioxide every season, the same amount as a small nation. Meanwhile, travel for players and fans, in addition to stadium power use, contributes to high emissions by the NFL, MLS, NBA, NHL and MLB.

Which is why SailGP, a sport powered by the wind, tries to take it a step further. At each race around the world, teams undertake an impact project to leave the environment in the area better than they found it. Those projects range from engaging youth in climate education and literacy to beach and ocean cleanups.

These events bring together leaders, sustainability champions, partners, industry leaders and athletes to promote, and educate on, climate action and inclusivity through sailing. Since its initial launch in 2021, the impact league has hosted 14 events across 11 cities, nine countries and four continents.

“It’s something that we’ve found has been really inspiring, both for the teams, and also for the fans,” said Ainslie.

Fiona Morgan, the league’s director of purpose and impact, joined in 2020 to spearhead SailGP’s sustainability and impact agenda both within the league and through external partnerships. The goal is to transition the league to net zero carbon emission and use sport to inspire global change. 

“Sport has this power to talk to fans like no one else. And if we can educate them to be kind of imperfect climate activists, or even understand their carbon footprint, or even do one thing differently, we will help change the world,” she said. “Sometimes people look at sport (and) criticize where you race or who you sponsor. It’s like our superpower is engaging our consumers, and we have billions of them globally. So that’s what I think I really want sport to kind of lean into that talk to its fans.”

Although the catamarans are powered by nature, the league still relies on dozens of chase boats that burn fossil fuels. Morgan said the general lagging of decarbonization solutions within the maritime industry leave the league no other options.

“I think what’s really cool about our sport is that our playing field is the ocean,” said Mike Buckley, CEO and member of the United States SailGP team. “No other sports property in the world can say that.”

Ainslie encouraged other sports with large fan bases to start making more of an impact in the sector. 

“Some of the more established sports, imagine the number of people that they could reach,” he said. “A really great thing about sport is it’s so inspirational, particularly for younger generations. So I think it’s on all of us as sports people to be good role models and set the examples to, and that’s where the impact league really is really standing out.”

The push from SailGP comes as much of the U.S. has already dealt with extreme weather fueled by human-caused climate change this summer. Due to high ocean water temperatures, the tropics saw its earliest ever major hurricane in Beryl and, according to Climate Central, the recent heat wave in the West was five times more likely due to climate change, with the city of Las Vegas currently in its seventh day of over 115 F temperatures.