Mercedes has always been the team to lead the way for the future in Formula One. Recently the team has shared a report highlighting how they are making Formula One greener and better. The team has not only significantly cut its carbon emissions but has also taken a step toward a more gender-neutral workspace. But how is this happening? Let us take a look-
Marcedes Reduce Carbon Emission By More Than 50%
Back in April 2022, Mercedes announced that they were planning to take a more sustainable and eco-friendly route by aiming to cut its carbon emissions. Now, the team has announced that they have not only achieved their goal but have also exceeded their hopes. The Silver Arrows has accomplished half amount of Co2 emissions in comparison to the team’s 2018 standards. The reduction in carbon emissions resulted from numerous programs to improve their environmental impact in recent years, including Accelerate 25. It was announced in 2020 to increase the team’s proportion of female employees to 25% within five years.
The German team’s emissions from Scope 1 and Scope 2 that were brought on directly or indirectly by the team must be completely eliminated by 2026 if they achieve a net zero carbon footprint by 2030. And for that, Mercedes recently invested in sustainable aviation fuel to lower Scope 3 emissions due to their operations. But not by the team either directly or indirectly. They also aim to remove 25% of carbon by 2030 and reduce Scope 3 emissions by 75% by that time.
A Step Towards Diversity!
In the pursuit of a more progressive future for the team, Mercedes is also trying to promote diversity and gender equality. The news reports regarding reduced carbon emissions also emphasized Mercedes’ Accelerate 24 initiative. It deals with issues of diversity, equality, and inclusion. Through the Accelerate 25 initiative, the team’s top objective continues to be developing a more diverse workforce. It formalizes the goal that, between 2021 and 2025, at least 25% of all new hires will come from underrepresented groups.
Lately, employees from underrepresented racial and cultural groups have more than doubled. Also, the percentage of women on the Mercedes team has climbed from 12 to 15 percent. With 38 percent of recruits affected by the goal last year and 32 percent this year, a considerable drop has nevertheless been made in the goal of employing 25 percent of people from minority groups.
The organization welcomes new partners in this effort and has continued diversifying its collaborations to inspire more young people from underrepresented groups to pursue science-related careers. Initiatives that go beyond the ones that F1 just revealed. The report also said, “Together with Sir Lewis Hamilton, we were pleased to announce the formation of Ignite in 2021, a charitable partnership which aims to increase diversity and inclusion within UK motorsport.”