The World Rally Championship brings an economic impact of approximately 10 million euros per year to Estonia. More than 800 million pairs of eyes around the world will watch the race as drivers speed through the hills of South Estonia this July. As one of the largest events in Estonia, Rally Estonia has worked hard to make the event more sustainable than ever before.
The FIA World Rally Championship will be held for the fourth time in Estonia this year. WRC Rally Estonia 2023 takes places from July 20th to 23rd in Tartu and on the roads of Otepää, Elva, Kanepi, Kambja, Peipsiääre and Mustvee parishes. The event's organizers have been working towards a more environmentally friendly race for several years, and for WRC Rally Estonia 2023, they have worked closely with the the Motor Sports Council of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) and the WRC Promoter.
10 ways WRC Rally Estonia has become more sustainable
Rally Estonia has stood out for its green-minded, innovative spirit, and this year, they have achieved a carbon-neutral event. Here are 10 more ways Rally Estonia has delivered on their promise of sustainability.
- Hybrid cars on the track — There will be more hybrid cars on the track this year compared to last year. While this change has led to heated debates in the rally world, it is definitely the greener way to go.
- Planting trees — Rally Estonia started a tree planting campaign in 2021. Last year, 8,000 spruce trees were planted in cooperation with RMK specialists.
- Calculating visitor footprint — Rally Estonia has calculated the footprint of the rally spectators. The calculate the footprint for the event as a whole, but they also consider small green indicators. For example, they measured how many people came to the rally per car. Last year, this figure was 3.3 people per car.
- Digital event organization — Estonians are known for their digital innovations, and Rally Estonia is no exception. The organizing team developed a special platform to help run the event more efficiently and sustainably. For example, this program determines exactly how many kilometers of separation tape are needed for the track, how many banners need to be printed, and how the management team must move on the track in order to solve problems effectively.
- Hybrid cars for the organizing team — Organizing a rally means driving cars long distances around Southern Estonia. Their fleet of nearly 70 hybrid cars has been provided by Toyota.
- Digital screens — Printed advertising posters have been replaced by digital screens to avoid single-use waste.
- Collection of scrap metal and paper — Residents living near the rally's track can give away piles of scrap metal and paper. Last year, Rally Estonia created the winners' cups from the scrap metal they had collected.
- Solar energy — The large control center located at the ERM ran 50% on renewable energy and 100% solar energy was used in the Leigo area. This reduced carbon emissions by 2.3 tons.
- Recycling — Both the organizing team and spectators neatly sorted the garbage they created. All the necessary collection boxes had been moved to the woods for this occasion, and there was also a helpful team that helped to explain and guide the sorting of garbage, if necessary.
- Green Tiger founding members — Green Tiger is a cooperation platform between fields, the goal of which is to create a balanced economic model for Estonia and the world. Rally Estonia is one of the initiatives that laid the foundation for it.
Rally Estonia has received the highest green recognition from the FIA for its sustainable management, and they hope to inspire the international rally community to take steps towards making the sport more environmentally friendly.
