The increase in awareness around organisations needing to take corporate responsibility and be accountable for their actions is ever-increasing. We at RS, are proud to be making changes to a more prosperous and sustainable future. This starts with changing mindsets and supporting attitudes that incite positive social change.
The RS21 Italian Class Association are setting high standards for sustainability efforts across our RS events. “Aside from the eco-friendly design of the RS21, the RS21 Italian Class Association endeavour to build up a team of sponsors and affiliates that have the same mindset and motivation” – Davide Casetti, President
What are the RS21 Italian Class doing to be more sustainable?
For instance, the class have an agreement with the Biova Project – a brewery that adopts a circular economy and produces premium craft beer from unsold bread. They create local supply then recycle the production scraps, fertilising the ground for new produce. This is a great example of how we can still enjoy ourselves and contribute positively to our local area, people and communities that are embedded within that.
They are also working with an Italian accreditation organisation to calculate the CO2 emissions for the European Championships with the objective of accurately offsetting them through forestation. When achieved, they will be the first international sailing event to be carbon neutral! At RS, we actively consider environmentally friendly processes and solutions that we can design our boats around. We are constantly learning about the wider picture and doing what we can to reduce our carbon footprint.
Negotiations are currently taking place for a title sponsor with a local, environmentally conscious clothing organisation that use the plastic from fishermen’s nets. We respect the originality of creating goods out of old materials, that if left will harm the environment.
MarkSetBot and the RS21 Italian Class have formed a solid partnership for the Italian and European RS21 Championships. Michiel van Dis attended the third-weekend event and has kindly offered to supply a set for future events! This is a great opportunity to showcase how we can protect our playground by preventing seabed damage, but still, do what we do best!
Finally, the RS21 Italian Class trophy is named after Project Grael (based in Brazil) which offers sport and environmental courses for children in the public school system. The courses help to prepare them for the job market and encourage maritime careers. This represents a strong element of what we are about – social sustainability. We believe in the value of contributing to the wider community on a global scale. Through engagement, promoting wellbeing and uniting people we can promote positive social change. This trophy will be presented at the closing European Championships, Lake Como.
What do RS have to say about sustainability?
At RS, we have a long-term vision for a community with a wider focus on positive change and a more prosperous future. We are always seeking to evolve our processes and conscientiously make decisions to effectively incorporate environmental, economic, social, and human elements into our strategy.
We strongly believe that sustainability is a collective responsibility and that small differences lead to bigger changes. We understand that human values are not an obstacle for change, so we wish to inspire people to positively contribute to a more sustainable way of living. We are very proud of the RS21 Italian Class and all the work they are doing to be more sustainable. We hope that they will inspire RS communities around the world to make changes where they can!
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