The inconvenient truth behind F1’s anti-plastic stance

Single-use plastics have become a pressing environmental issue, and Formula 1 has committed to removing them from the paddock by 2025. But behind these headline initiatives, says STUART CODLING, the commercial rights holder and several teams continue to operate partnerships with some of the world’s largest producers of the raw materials that make these plastic items

In big business there will always be a tension between being seen to do the right thing and actually doing the right thing. Indeed, being seen to do the right thing has become a business in itself as global corporations partner up with organisations which can help them apply an environmental and socially responsible gloss.

You might argue a sport such as motor racing, largely dependent on the consumption of fossil fuels, both in terms of on-track operations and transporting personnel and equipment to venues, may as well just accept pariah status and get on with it. But that argument is not a great ‘sell’ to potential sponsors at the more investor-dependent end of the sport, particularly cash-hungry F1.