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By participating in a globally visible sporting event, Carbon Challenge aims to add the ‘performance dimension’ to the CO2 discussion, making it more relevant to global business.

A concept that merges sporting ambition, environmental responsibility and management training to demonstrate leadership in CO2 reduction to businesses.

Wind, high tech, emotions … and an on-board mission that will be heard around the world: “We can win the Race against Global Warming”. Carbon Challenge (www.carbonchallenge.net) has been accepted as preliminary entry in the Volvo Ocean Race, starting on October 4 in Alicante, Spain and continuing through nine stopovers around the world before finishing in St. Petersburg, Russia in June, 2009. However Carbon Challenge is much more than a sailing team. “It is a 360 degree carbon reduction platform. It serves international companies and top management who want to highlight their commitment level and leadership position in carbon management and climate protection” explains Commercial Director, Jacqueline Sasse.

At sea, on land and in minds: The Carbon Challenge project will consist of a mobile zero-net-energy “Boathouse” which serves as a showcase for energy efficiency in buildings, an international management academy that will offer a Master’s programme in carbon management from 2009, as well as a professional sailing team with a carbon footprint significantly below comparable other teams. The founders of Carbon Challenge have certainly set themselves some high targets: “The IPCC has recommended companies reduce their carbon footprint by 50 per cent by 2050. We plan to achieve this target by 2015 as well as continuously maintaining a carbon neutral balance.” Such are the self-imposed conditions binding on Carbon Challenge as it embarks on its sporting and business missions.

“We are inviting business leaders and corporations from around the world to join us” explains Jacqueline Sasse, responsible for securing commercial partners for Carbon Challenge, “and make use of the ‘cool’ combination of sport, architecture/design and professional training as a platform to give a context to their CO2 reduction objectives.”

The Carbon Challenge sailing syndicate will be led by Campaign Director, Tom Weaver. Weaver brings with him two decades of experience in high performance sailing, most recently as Team Manager for the America’s Cup syndicate, Mascalzone Latino.

One of the attractions of the Carbon Challenge tour-de-force is sure to be the zero-net-energy Boathouse by star architect, David Chipperfield, a building which does more than simply house the sailing team. The building serves as a showcase for energy efficiency in buildings, as an academy, an exhibition space and as a conference centre. The mobile structure will be open to public access and many of the technologies employed will be in full view of the public. Partnering the Boathouse project are ARUP (London), the world’s leading engineering firm for sustainable construction, and the members of the Energy Efficiency in Buildings (EEB) project of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

The most important component of the Boathouse will be the Carbon Challenge Academy, to be situated in the Boathouse. It has partnered with CEMS, a strategic alliance of 28 leading international business schools and universities.  From autumn 2009, Carbon Challenge Academy will offer a Master’s programme for Carbon Management in addition to its curriculum of management training modules.

PricewaterhouseCoopers are employed to design and implement a carbon management system for Carbon Challenge to calculate the emissions of the campaign itself as well as throughout its supply chain. PWC’s Global Sustainability Leader, Thomas Scheiwiller, says: “Today’s companies are aiming for a AAA rating. In the future companies will go for a a CCC - Carbon Challenge Champion rating.”

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