This year’s DP World Tour Championship, Dubai is set to be the greenest edition to date, with multiple innovations providing a more sustainable tournament experience at Jumeirah Golf Estates from 14-17 November.
As part of its commitment to the United Nations Sports for Climate Action Framework, the DP World Tour is focused on implementing sustainable innovations at its events, including the DP World Tour Championship, to help reduce direct carbon emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieve net zero by 2040.
A big focus for 2024 has been water conservation, and the tournament is continuing its ban on plastic water bottles for the fourth year running. In collaboration with No More Bottles, free water walls installed around the course have dispensed more than 80,000 litres of water to date, resulting in a saving of over 120,000 500ml bottles.
A buggy will also be travelling around the course offering water refills for the first time, which can be tracked via the player tracker on the Tour’s app.
In addition, a collaboration with Al Laith will see new water conservation technologies rolled out, including installing modular, waterless urinals and adopting water recirculation practices. The Earth Course will not be overseeded again this year, a sustainability measure that saves more than 20million litres of water.
Another key area of focus is reducing the use of diesel fuel. With Al Laith, IoT-enabled electric machinery is being used to prepare the golf course. It is estimated that transitioning to electric machinery will save approximately 10,000 litres of diesel. In addition, solar lighting is being embraced across the site, which will result in a 30% reduction in energy usage.
Working with official waste management company, Averda, the DP World Tour Championship will attempt to have zero waste going to landfill this year – a first for the tournament. Food composters will also be located around the venue to minimise food waste with ORCA food digester technology employed that utilises microbial bacteria to convert food waste into a nutrient-rich liquid. There will also be no plastic cutlery or straws on site.
For the second year running, the DP World Tour Championship will have a carbon neutral “Earth Lounge” hospitality unit on the 16th hole.
This will be fully powered by solar panels and hydrogen generators to deliver a 100% reduction in CO2 emissions. Constructed in partnership with event suppliers Flow, Wicked and Al Laith, the lounge will also have no PVC branding this year and all furniture and materials inside the lounge will be recycled or reused.
This will also be the first year that spectators will be able to track and offset their own travel to and from the tournament, utilising the DP World Tour’s fan emissions offsetting tool that launched in May.
Electric buggies will be used across the venue, including the use of a smart buggy management tool, while electric vehicles will play an important role in the event’s BMW shuttle fleet. Fans and spectators arriving in electric vehicles will also be able to take advantage of free charging stations and preferred parking spaces.
The DP World Tour Championship will also see the winners unveiled, on Thursday 14th November, of the Tour’s inaugural European Tour Group Sustainability Awards. These new Awards are open to suppliers of the Tour who have helped make golf tournaments in the Middle East more sustainable by demonstrating innovation and leadership.
The winners will come from five categories - Venues, Event Staging, Event Operations, Innovations and Activations, and Catering - with an expert panel discussion of leading golf sustainability experts taking place immediately before the prize giving ceremony.
Finally, all unavoidable emissions will be offset once again this year via the Gold Standard’s Rolex Series Driving Net Zero portfolio, supporting important climate mitigation projects regionally and globally.
Sustainability activations this year will also have a focus on supporting the local community. The DP World Tour’s Golf Futures programme will be out in full force, which showcases the benefits of watching, playing and working in golf.
The Tommy Fleetwood Academy, based at Jumeirah Golf Estates, will be offering free lessons on the driving range throughout the week. The Unleash Your Drive Zone on the 1st hole of the neighboring Fire Course, operated by the Emirates Golf Federation and The R&A, will see 17 local schools kitted out with equipment and receiving tuition before competing in a shortened format of the game.
Finally, the DP World Tour Championship will also play host to the G4D Tour, where the worlds best players of determination will be battling it out to win the season-ending event. An increased field will see winners across the year in both the net and gross rankings competing in different competitions on the same course.
Speaking about this year’s sustainability innovations Maria Grandinetti-Milton, Director of Sustainability at the DP World Tour, said: “We are fully committed to making this year’s DP World Tour Championship the most sustainable edition ever, rolling out new innovations such as our fan travel emissions offsetting tool and a brand-new Sustainability Awards.
“Sustainability is a team effort, and by working closely with our event partners and suppliers, we are ensuring that we can deliver a world class event that maintains the highest environmental standards. It is incredibly rewarding to see how many suppliers we work with that are embracing best practice and innovation in their solutions.”
