Walking the Walk Down Under: The Australian Grand Prix Corporation’s Sustainability Journey with Sarah Lowe
By: Fiona L.Q. Flaherty
Image credit: Unsplash - Pat Whelen
Enovation Consulting sat down with Sarah Lowe, the Senior Manager of ESG at the Australian Grand Prix Corporation (AGPC), the Australian promoter for Formula 1® and MotoGP™, ahead of this year's FORMULA 1 LOUIS VUITTON AUSTRALIAN GRAND PRIX 2025 World Championship season opener in Melbourne.
The promoter has made enormous progress on renewable and clean energy solutions and waste reduction, and on February 19, the AGPC won the Formula 1® Promoters’ Community Changemaker Award which recognised the work AGPC has done on diversity and inclusion, charity programs, inclusive pit lane experiences, STEM activities, school programs, accessibility and First Nations engagement and activities.
Here’s our conversation.
ENC: This is the first year the GP is starting to talk publicly about its sustainability progress. Tell us a little bit about the decision to speak up.
[Lowe] We’ve deliberately been quiet on what we have been doing because we were getting our house in order as we just finished two years of carbon footprint audits, a double materiality assessment, development of our carbon feasibility report, and our environmental sustainability action plan. We wanted to make sure that when we started talking about our progress, when you scratched beneath the surface, there was substance.
ENC: How did the AGPC approach its ESG journey? There are some unique challenges being an event that builds in a public park and relies on temporary infrastructure.
[Lowe] Everything is based on our carbon footprint audits and feasibility documents. We went through our base carbon inventories for 2022 and 2023, and within that audit, we took an operational approach to our boundary setting.
ENC: What strategies emerged from the carbon footprint and double materiality assessment?
[Lowe] Our approach centered on getting high-quality data on our operations. The double materiality assessment and carbon footprint allowed us to do that. Right away, one of the biggest decisions we made was procurement related. We switched to 100% certified green power for all our grid-supplied electricity, so we now procure green power for our offices, our storage yard, and the Formula 1® event.
ENC: Scope 1 emissions are a big area of opportunity for you as a temporary circuit that relies on stationary combustion infrastructure like generators. What solutions were employed to tackle this?
[Lowe] We installed energy meters which pinpointed where we were overutilising generators. Last year we downsized 10 generators and eliminated two altogether. We then tapped into more permanent and grid-supplied energy instead of the generators where we could. We used biofuel for our generators in 2024.
In 2025 we are procuring HVO renewable diesel for 40% of our generators which equates to over 70,000L of renewable diesel and offers an 80% reduction in associated greenhouse gas emissions. This is an exciting achievement because supplying renewable diesel in Australia is challenging, and we are going to be one of the first major events in Australia to use this type of power operationally on site.
ENC: The GP also made huge strides in 2024 using hydrogen cell generators to power a general admission area that encompassed 20 activations. What did you learn from this process?
[Lowe] We were the first major event in Australia to use this model of hydrogen generator operationally in 2024 at scale via a company called Blue Diamond, displacing approximately 1,300L of diesel across the event weekend. Critically, it wasn’t just the AGPC that worked on that initiative. We work with our infrastructure delivery partner, iEDM, who support us on the technical and operational implementation of these low-emissions technology solutions. We needed to show that if you do put the guidelines and planning in place, hydrogen can be an achievable, sustainable solution for events. 2025 will be the second year of having the generators in operation powering 22 activations and a catering run.
ENC: The AGPC is part of an Australian major events sustainability network. How has knowledge sharing contributed to the success of the AGPC’s ESG programmes?
[Lowe] In Australia, we are open about knowledge sharing and showcasing progress in the major events context. We collectively celebrate the wins and the things that didn’t go right as it’s the best way to see collective progress. For the hydrogen generators, we went through this process together with the Australian Football League, and their infrastructure team brought so many great questions. That knowledge is something that we have shared now with 2-3 other major events. We are starting to see the ripple effects of adopting new innovations and new technologies.
[ENC] As F1 grows in popularity, all promoters are facing a growing challenge: Waste! How is AGPC embedding zero waste and circular economy initiatives into operations?
[Lowe] We have many waste programs on site. We have designated areas where we use reusable plates and bowls for our food vendors and are adopting reuse models for select front of house vendors. Last year, we worked with Green My Plate, and the team washed 15,927 plates.
Post-event, we work with food donation charities Oz Harvest and Secondbite to collect all donatable food and distribute it to those in need throughout Melbourne. In 2024, 11 tons of food were collected which equates to over 22,000 meals.
Additionally, since we are a temporary circuit, we are currently working with our infrastructure contractors and designers to isolate areas where we can reduce waste and incorporate circular and modular design principles.
Image credit: Enovation Consulting
[ENC] All of these sustainable operational achievements and activations have a key centerpiece: Education. How will we see that at the 2025 Grand Prix?
[Lowe] All sustainability initiatives we’ve described will happen at the 2025 GP, but the education piece is central. We are focusing on showcasing what we are doing this year and doing it in a way that feels organic and transparent. Motorsport isn't something that a lot of people inherently look at and think of as being environmentally friendly, however, motorsport is built on innovation, and we are adopting that mindset as we continually implement programmes and initiatives which will drive positive environmental outcomes.
We have recycling stations all over the event and work with Reground, specifically with a waste advisory stream of their social enterprise. Their staff come in and educate patrons on what waste goes where and what we are doing in the background. Even for the generators, we’ve found a more active way to educate fans and stakeholders alike on what we are doing in the energy space.
In 2025, we are implementing an ESG, energy-focused activation for the first time. We have repurposed an old shipping container, and within that activation, it showcases all the energy innovations we have adopted. You can walk through the activation, learn about all the initiatives, and there are a few interactive pieces too.
[ENC] What is the advice you’d give to similar organisations looking to start their sustainability journeys?
[Lowe] Our ESG strategy has been a pillar for us. We have been working on a comprehensive double materiality assessment for the last 8 months, and we just received a draft of the final document. Having clear documents that state what is material to the organisation helps us prioritise. The ESG team is the first to admit that we have tried to take on a million different projects.
Now we are really using this policy and our carbon feasibility report as governance documents for ourselves and how we move forward. Prioritisation is an especially important consideration when it comes down to budget, ensuring that the programs we support have positive outcomes.
[ENC] In closing, let’s talk social enterprise. The Australian GP has made it a priority to look at sustainability and ESG holistically. What does that look like on the ground, and how has that made a difference in the resilience of your programs?
[Lowe] This is something that is very important to us. We work with local social enterprises that we try to help grow, like our partner, Reground, who collects coffee grounds from our events and repurposes them to community gardens and organisations close to the Grand Prix. This is where the governance piece really comes in.
I work very clearly in the environmental sphere and oversee our ESG strategy and approach as a whole. My colleague Alex Corry and her team work more in the social sphere on our First Nations Cultural Integration and community programs. And you can see by AGPC’s recent award, the work the team are doing in this space is amazing!
We really pushed for us to move toward an ESG model. It aligned more to how we operated as a company, as we are a governance-oriented organisation from a reporting perspective. And this is great because we want ESG to be integrated across our operations. This collaborative work has been the key point of success, and in turn, allows sustainability to become a journey that invites everyone at AGPC onboard.