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 coincides with 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 organisation 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 of 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 of 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 minimise 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.
“We hope others will follow this lead, become a committed part of the sustainable golf community and utilise the platform and solutions provided with and for the sport of golf.”
European Golf Design designed the first new development in the world to be recognised with the GEO Certified Development status and has projects throughout Europe, Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean and Asia.
Learn more about the ‘Driving for Net Zero’ virtual event on 11th November which will highlight the roles golf can play in climate action and explore the pathways to net zero emissions.
