European Golf Design sets out commitment to a net zero future

04 Nov 2021

European Golf Design sets out commitment to a net zero future

European Golf Design (EGD), the golf course design company of the European Tour, aims to become a carbon-neutral design company in a move that underlines the company’s strengthened commitment to sustainability and climate action.

The announcement comes ahead of the UN Climate Summit COP26 in Glasgow and underlines EGD’s strategic goals and ambition for net zero emissions. 

The move towards net zero is also aligned with the European Tour’s Green Drive initiative, launched earlier this year on World Environment Day, when the Tour set out a vision to become a leader in social and environmental responsibility, delivering net positive impacts around the world.

With support from the GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf - the non-profit organization dedicated to accelerating sustainability in and through golf around the world – EGD will track and measure its carbon footprint across all areas of business operations, reduce emissions where possible and mitigate where necessary by credibly offsetting all unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions.

All carbon calculations are in line with the UN Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Standard, and offsetting will be carried out using GEO’s Sustainable Golf Climate Initiative – ensuring offsets are accredited by The Gold Standard and deliver additional contributions to the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

 

 

Jeremy Slessor, Managing Director, EGD, said: “For many years sustainability has been part of the way in which we conceptualise, design and construct courses. Now, our updated and strengthened strategy aims to deliver even more positive and measurable environmental and social impacts through course development and renovation, alongside new goals and actions across various other aspects of the business.”

Jonathan Smith, Executive Director, GEO Foundation for Sustainable Golf, said: “Congratulations to European Golf Design for proactively stepping forward with this new commitment and action. We all need to do what we can to minimize climate change, so a comprehensive approach to emissions reduction is essential, as is a credible approach to offsetting what are currently unavoidable emissions. We look forward to supporting EGD in accurately measuring, actively reducing and credibly mitigating their emissions so that they make a meaningful contribution to addressing what is rapidly emerging as the defining issue of current and future generations."

Learn more about the 'Driving for Net Zero' virtual event on 11 November which will highlight the roles golf can play in climate action and explore the pathways to net zero emissions. 

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