OBJECTIVES
1.1 Energy & Emissions 1.2 Waste Management 1.3 Water & Effluents 1.4 Materials & Chemicals
Objective:
To minimise greenhouse gas emissions from all sources including buildings, equipment and other operational sources.
Objective:
To minimise the generation of waste and to eliminate single use products. All unavoidable waste to be reused, recycled or recovered with no waste sent for landfill.
Objective:
To use water efficiently and effectively, to dispose of wastewater appropriately avoiding watercourse pollution and to maintain buildings and the grounds to prevent issues, such as leakages.
Objective:
To use sustainable, healthy products and raw materials with low embodied energy which are sourced locally and made from reusable, recyclable and/or recycled resources.
1.5 Transport & Travel 1.6 Food & Beverage 1.7 Biodiversity & Habitats
Objective:
To minimise the impact of transport and travel by reducing journeys and using low and zerocarbon transport and travel options.
Objective:
To reduce the impact of food & beverage production by choosing local and seasonal produce, offering plant-based alternatives, minimising waste and redistributing unused food & beverage where possible.
Objective:
To encourage and protect biodiversity and wildlife habitats through appropriate land use, management and integration into the built environment.
CARBON EMISSION SOURCES
1.1 ENERGY & EMISSIONS
To minimise greenhouse gas emissions from all sources including buildings, equipment and other operational sources.
With environmental sustainability and health of our ecosystems in mind, we have collaborated with Grundon and Carbon Responsible to help us better collect and analyse crucial sustainability data. They provide us with detailed information on matters such as energy usage and waste disposal, allowing us to create better strategies for improving our business operations to become more sustainable.
Carbon Emissions
In 2023, 7,692 tonnes of CO2 were produced by our business activities, which is a +24.88% increase compared to our 2022 emissions. This is primarily driven by an increase in Scope 3 emissions due to improved reporting with more accurate measurements.
As a proportion of the total emissions, the biggest source of emissions was racegoer travel (2901.71
tCO2e, 37.72% of Ascot’s total emissions), followed by electricity consumption (1535.56 tCO2e, 19.96% of Ascot’s total emissions), stationary fuel consumption (977.88 tCO2e, 12.71% of Ascot’s total emissions), staff travel to racedays (378.48 tCO2e, 4.92% of Ascot’s total emissions) and electricity well-to-tank emissions (340.37 tCO2e, 4.42% of Ascot’s total emissions). All other emission sources contributed 3% or less of the total emissions each.
7,692
TONNES OF CO2
1.1 ENERGY & EMISSIONS
EMISSION SOURCES
1 DIRECT
SCOPE 2
• Electricity, steam, heat, and cooling emissions
SCOPE 3 INDIRECT
• Products used
• Production of purchased materials
• Outsourced activities and suppliers
• Waste disposal
• Employee business and customer travel
• Contractor vehicles
• Water
Categorising the sources of carbon emissions into three scopes provides us with further insight into the effectiveness of specific measures taken to mitigate our negative impact, while highlighting crucial focus areas for future initiatives.
SCOPE 1
DIRECT EMISSIONS (+0.13% YOY)
Scope 1 emissions remained almost constant (+0.13%) despite Scope 1 energy consumption increasing by 25.62%. This is because the increase in mobile and stationary fuels emissions (+11%) was compensated by a substantial decrease in refrigerant gas emissions (-38%), that require no energy consumption. The increase in emissions from mobile and stationary fuels (+11%) is lower than the increase in mobile & stationary fuels energy consumption (+26%) due to an increased use of lower-emitting fuels and gases such as biodiesel HVO, CNG and Natural gas, and a decreased use of higher-emitting fuels such as diesel and petrol.
SCOPE 2
INDIRECT EMISSIONS FROM PURCHASED ENERGY (+2.68% YOY)
Scope 2 emissions have slightly increased (+2.68%) despite the decrease in energy consumption (-4.11%) due to the higher emissions factor per kWh of electricity from the UK electricity grid (+7.19%).
For the first time since 2014, the emissions factor published by DEFRA/BEIS for the UK grid electricity
has gone up, reflecting an increase in natural gas usage and decrease in renewables usage in 2023 compared to 2022.
SCOPE 3
INDIRECT VALUE CHAIN EMISSIONS
(+45.10% YOY)
As mentioned before, scope 3 emissions have increased due to improved reporting of racegoer travel emissions which has played a major part in the year-on-year change in Ascot’s total emissions. Excluding racegoer travel, Ascot’s reported Scope 3 emissions have increased by 216.31 tCO2e (+12.73%) compared to 2022. This is primarily caused by an increase in reported staff travel emissions (+161.58 tCO2e, +76.12%) and material use emissions (+101.71 tCO2e, +91.89%). As for racegoer travel emissions, staff travel emissions have increased because more people have declared they have travelled by car (54% in 2023 vs 35% in 2022) rather than by lower-emitting modes of transport such as trains or coaches. Material use emissions have increased due to an increase in the reported food & drink and paint usage.
1.1 ENERGY & EMISSIONS
Renewable Energy
Since October 2019, Ascot has been using 100% renewable energy throughout the racecourse. This means no fossil fuels are burnt to provide Ascot’s electricity.
In 2023 we also began researching companies and solutions to aid in establishing sustainable energy production through solar panels on site to reduce our carbon emissions.
Diesel, Fuel and Gas
We have used 70,826 litres of green HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) derived diesel to power generators, which is made from waste streams such as animal and fish fats and various waste vegetable / cooking / corn oils.
In 2023 our Facilities Team plant moved away from DERV to instead using biodiesel.
Lighting
Continuing 2022’s LED rollout across the site, we have now exchanged nearly 100% of lights to LED, further reducing our energy consumption through lighting.
We have implemented a Building Management System, which is currently undergoing a £1M upgrade to allow for improved control and monitoring, resulting in a 70% reduction in lighting energy consumption. Replacement of LED lighting further helped to reduce the numbers.
Re-Charging
In 2023, our Grounds Team purchased electric tools and equipment, lawnmower and vehicles and used them where possible, after trialling them for efficiency in 2022, thus significantly cutting down our carbon emissions. We have also developed a business plan for Electric Vehicle chargers, which will be implemented in 2024.
1.1 ENERGY & EMISSIONS
ROYAL ASCOT
Royal Ascot is one of the largest and most famous race meetings in the world, held each year over five days in June. It is therefore a significant contributor to our carbon footprint and a key area of focus for us. In 2022, 53% of our annual emissions were produced over the five-day fixture and so we made it our focus for 2023 to significantly reduce emissions and waste produced during Royal Ascot to decrease our carbon footprint and create a springboard for sustainable solutions in the years to come at Royal Ascot and all other events at Ascot.
Net-Zero Village Enclosure
Our main focus in 2023 was to deliver the first ever netzero enclosure on a racecourse in The Village Enclosure. Sustainable solutions were sought across the enclosure which welcomed 20,310 racegoers across the three days it was open. Initiatives included the use of solar power attained through Smart Flower, contributing to directly offsetting electricity use in the Village Enclosure, helping to establish it as a Net Zero enclosure for the first time.
Carbon emissions across the enclosure decreased by 50% compared to previous operation while other successes included:
• Recycling rose by 55.6% from 135,355kgs in 2022 to 210,725kgs in 2023.
• General waste down 27.5% from 243,060 kgs to 176,250 kgs and sent to Energy from Waste.
• Electric vehicles used for bin collections, vehicles 100% powered at Grundon’s own Energy from Waste plant, meaning the electricity to power the vehicles was generated from customer waste.
• 126,560 kgs of CO2 saved, equivalent to planting 641 trees.
• Over 50% of all food sold in the Village Enclosure was plant based.
Carbon Offsetting
In 2023 we participated in a carbon offsetting programme with our partner Cur8, helping to minimise the negative effects of carbon emissions we were not able to eliminate from the Village Enclosure during Royal Ascot. Our portfolio comprises a diverse range of carbon removal projects including innovative approaches such as Biochar, Enhanced Rock Weathering and Direct Air Capture. This carbon removals initiative will complement the emissions reduction efforts Ascot has implemented. In 2024, the partnership will expand to cover further enclosures with the aim to have a sitewide coverage of Cur8 offsetting programme for the entire Royal Ascot by 2026.
1.2 WASTE MANAGEMENT
To minimise the generation of waste and to eliminate single use products. All unavoidable waste to be reused, recycled or recovered with no waste sent for landfill.
Grundon
Continuing collaborations with sustainable waste management companies, including Grundon - a local company only 12 miles from the racecourse - made a real impact in our quest for zero waste in 2023 and we are proud to have achieved the following:
• Increased waste recycling to hit 50% (up from 47% in 2022).
• All waste cardboard is baled up and sent to a re-processing plant within the UK to be made into re-usable materials.
• 505.1 tonnes of CO2 saved (down by 0.1 tonnes from 2022).
• 4,088 trees saved (up from 3,727 in 2022).
• 337.5mhw of power generated through refuse being processed via Grundon energy facility.
• Maintained zero waste to landfill.
50% OF ALL WASTE RECYCLED
505.1 TONNES OF CO2 SAVED
4,088 TREES SAVED
MAINTAINED ZERO WASTE TO LANDFILL
337.5MWH OF POWER GENERATED THROUGH REFUSE BEING PROCESSED VIA GRUNDON ENERGY FACILITY ALL WASTE CARDBOARD IS BALED UP AND SENT TO A RE-PROCESSING PLANT WITHIN THE UK TO BE MADE INTO RE-USABLE MATERIALS
1.3 WATER & EFFLUENTS
To use water efficiently and effectively, to dispose of wastewater appropriately avoiding watercourse pollution and to maintain buildings and the grounds to prevent issues, such as leakages.
Toilet Flushing
Measuring the impact of reducing the grandstand auto flushing frequency of toilets outside of racedays, with an estimated £50k saving.
Hot Water Storage
Reducing the size of the domestic stored hot water in the Queen Anne Building plant room from 900l to 250l thereby reducing unnecessary heating charges and becoming more efficient.
Using an on-site reservoir to collect rain and run off water and reuse it for track and grounds watering and pressure washer cleaning.
Rainwater
1.4 MATERIALS & CHEMICALS
To use sustainable, healthy products and raw materials with low embodied energy which are sourced locally and made from reusable, recyclable and/or recycled resources.
A non-exhaustive list of actions that enabled above Royal Ascot achievements:
• Only organic cleaning materials and recycled paper materials were used.
• Furniture and temporary builds were constructed from vintage, hired and refurbished materials.
• Full composting of Vegware packaging and food waste in the same full circle stream.
• All Harrogate Spring Water bottles used on site are fully recyclable.
720,000 CUPS WASHED AND REUSED
88,467
PET BOTTLES RECYCLED WITH HARROGATE SPRING WATER
10,000 PIMMS JUGS WASHED
13,200
LAVAZZA COFFEE CUPS RECYCLED
48,000
COMPOSTABLE COFFEE PODS SENT FOR COMPOSTING
1.5 TRANSPORT & TRAVEL
To minimise the impact of transport and travel by reducing journeys and using low and zero-carbon transport and travel options.
ROYAL ASCOT
Staff were hired as locally as possible with their journeys being strictly limited to train or electric buses.
Electric Vehicles
We have also developed a business plan for Electric Vehicle chargers, which will be implemented in 2024.
Visitor Travel
The total number of people that attended Ascot’s events slightly increased but more importantly more people reported travelling by car (53% in 2023 vs 35% in 2022) and fewer by train (34% in 2023 vs 40% in 2022) and bus (10% in 2023 vs 20% in 2022), resulting in an increase in the average travel emissions per racegoer.
1.6 FOOD & BEVERAGE
To reduce the impact of food & beverage production by choosing local and seasonal produce, offering plant-based alternatives, minimising waste and redistributing unused food & beverage where possible.
Local and Sustainable Supply Chain
To reduce carbon emissions from indirect value chain emissions, we are focusing on searching for local supply chain options from local and ethical suppliers. An example of such consideration is our partnership with Full Circle Farms.
In addition, Ascot sources several products from the nearby Windsor Crown Estate and Highgrove.
Our customers enjoy local food packed full of flavour and we reduce our food miles – it is a win-win for our community and our planet.
Circle Farms
Owned by Farmer Tom, Full Circle Farms is a unique farming initiative based in Sussex offering hospitality venues the opportunity to own and grow on their own plot of farmed land. In 2022, Ascot took two plots for Royal Ascot.
A full farming team now works with our Ascot chefs to assess the various catering requirements across restaurants and private boxes and help us grow amazing produce without using a single drop of pesticide or herbicide.
Full
1.6 FOOD & DRINK
Food Redistribution
3,300kg of excess food donated to City Harvest to feed 8,050 meals to vulnerable and in need people across London and the South East, preventing 8.2 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.
Minimising Waste
• Continued usage of Orca food digestion system to compost food waste – in use 24/7.
• Removal of Single use plastics – almost half a million cups washed and reused through Re-Cup initiative.
• Installed 25 Hydration Stations to promote refilling of bottles and cups, to reduce single use waste production and improve access to water to support racegoers in staying hydrated throughout the day.
Local and Sustainable Suppliers
Ascot has carefully selected suppliers and sponsors whose sustainable practices align with our values. Companies we collaborate with include Sodexo Live!, Slingsby, Harrogate Spring Water, Chapel Down and Ascot Tents. Thanks to these suppliers, we decreased our operational and travel emissions due to their sustainable practices and closer proximity of the suppliers to the racecourse. We aim to continue working with these suppliers to further promote collaborations that are good for both the business and the environment.
ROYAL ASCOT
• Procuring and serving locally sourced and British food and beverage.
• 50% of all food on menus were plant-based.
• All cutlery, crockery and cups were compostable or reusable.
Lavazza
Continued partnership with Lavazza on a recycled cup and coffee pod initiative.
Harrogate Spring Water
Extended partnership with Harrogate Water for closed loop plastic bottle scheme.
1.7 BIODIVERSITY & HABITATS
To encourage and protect biodiversity and wildlife habitats through appropriate land use, management and integration into the built environment.
Plan Bee
In 2022, we installed four beehives on the Ascot Heath in conjunction with Plan Bee. Due to unpredictable weather, the honey production was inconsistent. However, our bees produced 19 jars of honey in 2023, and even if it is less than what we had hoped for, we are still considering this a great achievement of improving the local ecosystem.
Nest Boxes
Working with Wildlife in Ascot and House Martin Conservation, four nest cups were installed and used by breeding House Martins in 2022. We expanded this in 2023 by installing eight
additional nest cups on the Pavilion. In the future, we aim to install at least 10 more nest boxes around the stable complex for starlings, sparrows and robins.
Plants
Over 1,500 hedge whips planted around the estate/grounds of the racecourse.
Wildflowers
We continued to maintain and grow the wildflower meadow at the Ascot stables to encourage more pollinating insects to the estate. Additionally, we have also established new
wildflower meadows around the Ascot Heath as well as around its perimeter to further increase the biodiversity of the area and support our bees.
Habitat & Wildlife Survey
We have begun our preparations for carrying out a habitat and wildlife survey with a local conservation group, and we hope to conduct the survey in 2024 or 2025 to have a better understanding of the environment surrounding the racecourse. This survey will help us direct our biodiversity projects to the specific species living in our area.
