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The DP World Tour reinforces its commitment to environmental responsibility by announcing that its five Rolex Series tournaments in 2023 will be carbon neutral and take a consistent and highly credible approach to reducing carbon emissions and mitigating climate change .
These five Rolex Series tournaments are the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, the Hero Dubai Desert Classic, the Genesis Scottish Open, the BMW PGA Championship and the DP World Tour Championship.

The commitment is made as the start of the 2023 Rolex Series is given this week, at the start of a historic year in the United Arab Emirates which will host COP28 from November 30 to December 12, shortly after the DP World Tour Championship which will close the season.

Comprehensive emissions reduction plans are implemented for each tournament, covering venue operations and all key aspects of organization and resource consumption, including energy, transport, materials, catering and infrastructure. The action plans build on the baseline carbon emissions data produced for the 2022 events.

As part of each event's legacy plans, the DP World Tour will assume responsibility for all baseline and unavoidable forward emissions from all Rolex Series tournaments by contributing to Gold Standard-certified projects that support global efforts to limit global warming and to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. This approach will be complemented by investments in the restoration of local ecosystems and other low-carbon natural heritages with regional partners. Carbon credits and investments are aligned and measured with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to ensure additional social and ecological benefits.

Keith Pelley, European Tour Group Managing Director, said of the initiative: “Last year, we defined our position by launching the European Tour Group's new sustainability strategy, while becoming a signatory to the United Nations Framework for Action on Sport for Climate. We are now focused on a credible, phased and consistent implementation and it is fantastic to see the Rolex Series, the events that showcase the best of the DP World Tour, leading the way. We still have a long way to go to minimize direct impacts, but we are committed to implementing this in a robust and progressive way with our partners, while continuing our journey towards net zero by 2040. We very much appreciate the support from our implementing partners the GEO Foundation and Gold Standard”.

Margaret Kim, CEO of Gold Standard, added : “I am happy to see the sustainability efforts being implemented across all five Rolex Series tournaments. Golf has a strong connection to nature and the DP World Tour is helping to tackle the climate crisis and ensuring that its support benefits the communities most affected by climate change. By using Gold Standard certified credits to finance carbon reduction projects after implementing comprehensive emission reduction plans, they take responsibility for their environmental impact.”

©DP World Tour

The global projects supported through the Rolex Series are based in Africa, which ensures that they uphold the principles of global climate justice and direct funding to the landscapes and communities hardest hit by climate change and ecosystem degradation. These projects are:

• Hifadhi cookstoves in Kenya this project will save over a million tons of CO2 over 10 years, improve the livelihoods of local communities, improve sanitary conditions by reducing the inhalation of toxic smoke, and to reduce the degradation of the tropical forest.
• ADES solar ovens in Madagascar – This project provides ovens that save up to 50% of the consumption of charcoal or firewood. They allow vulnerable people to save money, reduce deforestation and reduce emissions.
• Safe Water Program in Central Mozambique (Safe Water Supply) This project provides clean water sources to hundreds of households in rural areas of Mozambique, reducing the risk of waterborne diseases and the need to boil water to purify it, exposing households to dangerous air pollution. This saves thousands of tons of firewood per year and reduces CO2 emissions.

The regional project portfolio starts by supporting the mangrove restoration project in Al Dhafra region, United Arab Emirates.

This announcement builds on the progress made in 2022 to reduce the carbon footprint of these events. Key initiatives include:

• the switch to biofuels for on-site electricity generation, which has reduced emissions by 94% compared to diesel alternatives,
• rolling out waste-free recycling processes to landfill and introducing free water filling stations to reduce single-use plastic consumption.

Initiatives for 2023 will include:

• greater use of electric vehicles on the site,
• a greater proportion of public transport,
• greater use of solar energy,
• more vegan and vegetarian food stalls,
• better recycling of infrastructure and spectator equipment,
• greater water efficiency.

Scheduling back-to-back events in the same region also reduces transportation-related emissions for players, organizers and suppliers.

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