Monaco, motorsport and the sustainability question sport can’t avoid
The Monaco Grand Prix is one of the most recognisable events in global sport. It is also a useful reminder that every sport, including the high-profile and high-footprint ones, is being asked to understand its impact and show credible progress.
A sporting spectacle tied to place
The Monaco Grand Prix wrapped up after a weekend that delivered everything the event is known for: speed, spectacle, heritage, tight streets, global attention and one of the most distinctive settings in sport.
Few events are as visually tied to place as Monaco. The harbour, the streets, the history and the atmosphere are part of the product. It is not just a race on a calendar. It is a sporting spectacle built around identity, tradition and location.
And that is exactly why it is such an interesting event to consider through a sustainability lens.
Why motorsport is a complex sustainability conversation
Motorsport does not always sit neatly in environmental conversations. Pretending otherwise would miss the point.
The expectations around events like the Monaco Grand Prix are complex, visible and evolving, particularly when you consider global travel, logistics, temporary infrastructure, energy use, procurement, waste, broadcast operations, tourism and the pressure major events can place on host communities and local environments.
But complexity is not a reason to avoid the conversation, but the reason the conversation matters.
Formula 1’s Net Zero commitment
Formula 1 has committed to reaching Net Zero by 2030. In its latest sustainability update, the organisation reported a 26% reduction in carbon emissions by the end of 2024, compared with its 2018 baseline.
Its total footprint reduced from 228,793 tCO2e in 2018 to 168,720 tCO2e at the end of 2024. This has happened while the calendar has grown from 21 races in 2018 to 24 races in each of the past two seasons, with race attendance increasing from 4 million to 6.5 million over the same period.
You can read Formula 1’s sustainability update here: Formula 1 sustainability update
That growth point matters, because it reflects the central challenge facing many sports and major events: how do you grow, gather more people, reach more audiences and create more economic and cultural activity, while also reducing environmental impact?
There is no simple answer. But there are some clear places to start.
Where progress is being made
Formula 1 has identified progress across factories and facilities, travel, logistics and event operations.
Its latest update points to emissions from factories and facilities reducing by 59%, travel emissions reducing by 25%, logistics emissions reducing by 9%, and event operations emissions decreasing by 12% on a per-race basis compared with 2018.
Key actions include a transition to renewable energy across F1 and team sites, investment in Sustainable Aviation Fuel for race travel and freight operations, remote broadcast operations, more efficient freight containers, and the use of biofuel trucks for freight in Europe.
Formula 1 President and CEO Stefano Domenicali has said, “Formula 1 has always been synonymous with innovation and the desire to improve.”
That idea matters.
Because if sport is going to keep growing, gathering people and holding cultural attention, then innovation cannot only be about performance.
It also has to be about responsibility.
The Monaco event-level approach
The Monaco context adds another layer.
The Automobile Club de Monaco, which organises the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco and several other motorsport events, has an environmental policy focused on reducing its impact and promoting more sustainable, socially responsible motorsport.
Its stated areas of focus include climate and energy sobriety, responsible purchasing, low-carbon mobility, sustainable catering and souvenirs, circular economy and waste, accessible events, the evolution of race formats and multi-sector collaboration.
You can read the Automobile Club de Monaco environmental policy here: Automobile Club de Monaco environmental policy
The practical work behind major event sustainability
The Club’s practical actions include recycling bins at track events, measures to prevent pollution of the ground and sea, an eco-spectator charter for the Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco and Rallye Monte-Carlo, a responsible purchasing strategy, collaboration with SNCF to support train travel to events, and promotion of local soft mobility options such as bicycles, buses, car-sharing and electric charging.
You can read more about Green ACM’s event actions here: Green ACM emblematic actions
One particularly useful detail is spectator transport. According to the Automobile Club de Monaco, around three out of four spectators use the train to reach the Monaco Circuit, with ACM working with SNCF to align train arrivals with peak event times and adjust train availability for the public.
That is a practical example worth paying attention to.
Because in major event sustainability, the most important work is often not glamorous. It is not always the headline initiative or the one that looks best in a campaign video.
It is the operational work: moving people better, sorting waste properly, sourcing responsibly, using less energy, measuring emissions, reducing freight impacts, protecting local environments and making it easier for spectators to make better choices.
What can the wider sport sector take from this?
Not every organisation is Formula 1. Not every event is Monaco.
Most sport in Australia happens in very different settings, from community ovals and aquatic centres to regional venues, suburban clubs, state facilities and major stadiums.
But the underlying questions are surprisingly similar.
How do people get there?
What happens to the waste?
Where does the energy come from?
How are suppliers chosen?
How is water used?
How are local communities affected?
What is measured?
What is improved year on year?
And what is left behind once the event is over?
The role of honest progress
At Sports Environment Alliance, we believe the strongest sustainability conversations in sport are not the simple ones, but the honest ones.
The ones that recognise impact, respect complexity and still push for better systems, better choices and better outcomes.
That is especially important for high-profile sports and major events. When the audience is large, the platform is powerful. The choices made are visible. The story travels. And the expectation to show credible progress only grows.
Every sport needs to move
The Monaco Grand Prix is not a neat sustainability story. Most major events are not.
But it is a useful reminder that the future of sport will not be shaped by one type of event, one code, one venue, one policy or one perfect solution.
It will be shaped by the willingness of every part of the sport ecosystem to understand its footprint, act where it can, be transparent about progress and keep moving.
Not every sport will move in the same way. But every sport needs to move.