F1: Mercedes adds new sponsor Kingspan
The Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team is proud to announce high-performance insulation and building envelope solutions group Kingspan has joined the team in a global sustainability partnership.
Breaking new ground for Formula One, Kingspan will chair a Sustainability Working Group for the team. The working group’s remit will be to draw together expertise from diverse fields to contribute to the team’s objective of pioneering new approaches and technologies for emissions reduction in motorsport.
Headquartered in Ireland, Kingspan is the global leader in high-performance insulation and building envelopes. Having started its first sustainability program (Net Zero Energy) in 2011, the company is now in the second year of its Planet Passionate sustainability program, which is underpinned by ambitious Science-Based Targets aligned with the IPCC’s 1.5-degree scenario. The company’s targets include net-zero carbon manufacturing by 2030 and a 50 percent reduction in the CO2 intensity in its primary supply chain partners by 2030.
The Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 team has set a target of reducing CO2 emissions in its operations by 50 percent by 2022[1] and is working on ambitious targets to become net zero. The team’s high-tech chassis factory in Brackley already uses renewable energy to power all its operations, while its Brixworth technology center in Northamptonshire produces more than half of its electricity using solar panels and an on-site CCHP plant.
Next season will see F1 move to E10 fuel, a mixture of 90% fossil fuel and 10% ethanol. With the launch of the new generation of power units, the aim is to develop a 100% sustainable fuel. Elite motorsport is well established as a test bed for innovations that go on to be applied across the wider motor industry.
Kingspan’s products, systems and technologies address critical challenges in the built environment, including improving energy efficiency, reducing embodied carbon, driving circularity and conserving water. Kingspan products have been used to help create high-performance buildings around the world for the team’s parent company, Mercedes-Benz.
Toto Wolff, Team Principal and CEO of the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team said: “We are delighted to welcome Kingspan to our team both as a Team Partner and to chair our new Sustainability Working Group. To find a company whose ambitions to deliver carbon reduction and sustainable solutions in their industry that match our own so exactly is a real opportunity for both partners. We are making good progress in transforming our company to operate more sustainably but the ability to share expertise, resources and inspiration with Kingspan through our new Sustainability Working Group will really help to accelerate change and awareness within our team, and hopefully, our sport.”
Gene Murtagh, CEO of Kingspan Group, said: “Two of the great challenges of our age are decarbonizing transport and decarbonizing the built environment. Kingspan and the Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team share a determination to rise to these challenges through technology, innovation and teamwork. I am excited about bringing that message to an audience of 500 million Formula One fans.”
About Kingspan:
Kingspan Group is the global leader in advanced insulation and building envelope solutions.
Known for its ambitious Planet Passionate 10-year sustainability program and innovative products, Kingspan’s mission is to accelerate a net-zero emissions built-environment with the wellbeing of people and planet at heart.
39% of carbon emissions come from buildings. Kingspan develops pioneering materials and technologies that save energy, carbon and water while delivering superior lifetime performance and value for those who own and occupy buildings.
The Group manufactures high performance insulated panels, insulation boards, pre-insulated heat distribution pipes, water storage and rainwater capture systems, daylighting, natural ventilation and smoke management solutions as well as raised access flooring and data-centre airflow systems.
In 2021, Kingspan’s products will create significant environmental impact across the world:
- 196 million tonnes of CO2e are estimated to be saved over the life of Kingspan insulation systems sold this year
- Over 800 million waste plastic bottles are expected to be upcycled into raw materials
- Kingspan daylighting systems will create ca. 9 billion lumens of natural light
- Over 41 billion liters of rainwater are expected to be harvested by Kingspan systems produced in the year
Organised across five divisions, Kingspan employs over 18,000 people in more than 70 countries who are united by a desire to create Better Buildings for a Better World.