Innovation, Honeybees and Cherry Blossom Trees: Sustainability at the FORMULA 1®︎ LENOVO JAPANESE GRAND PRIX 2025
By: Fiona L.Q. Flaherty
Image credit: Juno Sakurai, Suzuka Circuit (2024)
It’s almost time for the FORMULA 1®︎ LENOVO JAPANESE GRAND PRIX 2025!
In 1962, the Suzuka Circuit became Japan’s first full-fledged racing venue. In the decades since then, the track has transformed into a globally renowned motorsport venue that hosts both premier racing events and serves as a testbed for sustainability initiatives and mobility innovation. The Suzuka Circuit is part of the Honda Mobilityland Corporation, which also owns Mobility Resort Motegi, hosting the MotoGP®︎ Japanese Grand Prix.
Enovation Consulting had the chance to interview representatives from the Suzuka Circuit, a member of the newly formed Sustainable Motorsport Alliance Foundation, to explore the track’s progress on sustainable fan mobility, renewable energy, biodiversity, and more. Here is our conversation.
ENC: The circuit has started to speak more publicly about its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) progress in the last six months, which is fantastic to see. Tell us about how sustainability takes shape at Suzuka.
[Suzuka] Last year, Suzuka Circuit was awarded the FIA 3-star Environmental Accreditation in recognition of its environmental management system for creating a sustainable future. To achieve net zero for the entire event by 2030, the F1®︎ Japanese Grand Prix has been working on using clean energy, providing zero disposable plastic and plastic bottles, increasing recycling rates by sorting and collecting, reducing landfill waste to zero, and expanding capacity for low carbon means of transport and promoting their use.
To ensure a Grand Prix that incorporates sustainability holistically across environmental and social areas, we’ve also implemented initiatives to provide opportunities for children and young people to experience the F1®︎ Japanese Grand Prix, donate surplus food to food bank organisations in the surrounding area, and utilise local businesses and food ingredients to create a local economic ripple effect.
ENC: Fan mobilisation now constitutes a large portion of the race weekend’s carbon footprint, and fans from America, East Asia, and Oceania are increasingly travelling to Suzuka for the Grand Prix. Please tell us about some of the solutions Suzuka is implementing to meet this challenge.
[Suzuka] Currently, 20% of visitors to the F1®︎ Japanese GP are from overseas, most of whom use public transport, while 40% of domestic visitors' main mode of transport is private cars which have high CO2 emissions. To further increase the proportion of public transport, we are increasing the capacity of low-carbon modes of transport year on year by increasing the number of tour buses from surrounding cities that serve as tourist hubs, in addition to shuttle buses from the nearest train stations. Additionally, students will support international visitors as volunteer interpreters at the main train stations. For those who use their own vehicles, we also offer a ride-sharing service for fans to ride with other fans.
ENC: Suzuka aims to meet 100% of its energy needs with renewables by 2030. How are you progressing against this target and what sources of energy does the Grand Prix have at its disposal?
[Suzuka] Grid electricity used during the F1®︎ Japanese GP has been 100% green power for the past two years. A solar carport in the on-site car park that was completed this year provides 30-40% of the electricity used on the racing track from on-site power generation. The paddock uses a generator which last year was 16% HVO-fueled, but this year we aim to increase the use of HVO fuel to 90%.
Normally, about 70% of the electricity purchased in Japan is thermal power, and due to the mountainous terrain and abundant water resources, 10% is hydroelectric power, 10% is solar power and the remaining 10% is other types of power generation. Green power with added environmental value is procured using non-fossil certificates derived from these renewable energy sources.
ENC: Suzuka has implemented a robust waste management programme that has resulted in a 41.5% trackside recycling rate. The circuit is also making progress on composting and food waste solutions at events. What will the next phase of reducing waste and minimising plastic look like at the circuit?
[Suzuka] A 100% switch from disposable plastic to biomass materials has been completed for food serving containers. At this year's Japanese Grand Prix, all plastic bottles for beverages will also be switched to aluminum cans. But re-use is also necessary to reduce waste. Beer will be served in returnable aluminum cups in cooperation with an aluminum material manufacturer, with a discount applied as an incentive for refills. While the aluminum cups will be recycled as aluminum material, many fans will take them home and re-use them as a souvenir due to their original Suzuka design.
Image credit: Enovation Consulting
ENC: The Suzuka circuit collaborated with city and local university experts to establish a biodiversity monitoring system, which analyses the venue’s impact on local ecosystems. What can you tell us about this monitoring system and the insights it has provided so far?
[Suzuka] The circuit is located at the tip of the Suzuka Hills and is surrounded by countryside ecosystems, which are a set of forests, rice paddies and reservoirs, secondary grasslands and wetlands. Expert research has shown that 2,137 plant species and 4,570 animal species have been identified in Suzuka. On the grounds of the circuit, we regularly carry out work to remove the specific alien plants that cause damage to these ecosystems.
In spring when the Japanese Grand Prix is held, cherry trees are in full bloom all over Japan and the Suzuka Circuit grounds are home to 500 cherry trees. In association with F1®︎, which celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, a further 75 cherry trees will be planted around the racing track in time for the F1®︎ Japanese Grand Prix.
By planting six additional species of cherry trees with different flowering times, including “YAMAZAKURA” and “KUMANOZAKURA” cherry trees which are wild species indigenous to Japan, we aim to increase biodiversity and ensure that beautiful cherry trees can be seen on the racing track for a long period of time. In addition, composted soil from grass cuttings and branches and leaves from the racing course and spectator areas will be used for the tree planting and flower beds on the track to repurpose resources.
ENC: Relatedly, four-time F1®︎ World Champion Sebastian Vettel introduced 11 insect houses to Turn Two as part of a sustainability initiative at the 2023 Japanese Grand Prix. How are the bees and insects doing and has their presence had measurable impacts on the circuit and surrounding ecosystems?
[Suzuka] Eight of the 11 ‘insect houses’ have been donated to the Yamada Honeybee Farm, a well-known beekeeping facility in Japan, where they are being used by Yamada Apiary researchers for further research on pollinating insects and biodiversity. Three of the insect houses still provide a home for insects at the Suzuka Circuit.
ENC: Often, we only talk about measuring quantitative impacts in the environmental context, but the Japanese Grand Prix is working to quantify its positive impacts on surrounding communities. Why is it important to measure social and economic impact in this way?
[Suzuka] The Japanese Grand Prix is organised mainly by private enterprise. To be able to host the Grand Prix on an ongoing basis in the future, national and regional support and understanding will be necessary, and to achieve this, we think it’s important to quantify the economic ripple effects of hosting the Grand Prix. We focus on increasing the economic impact in the prefecture by actively trading with local companies and developing products using local ingredients and traditional crafts.
On Thursday 3rd and Friday 4th April of the Grand Prix, we are inviting primary school students’ families from the surrounding areas and high school and university students from around the country free of charge, providing them with the opportunity to experience motorsport and thereby planting the seeds for the future.
ENC: Lastly, mobility innovation is at the centre of the Suzuka success story. Japan is known worldwide for being an innovative force in the automotive and energy sectors. How does this factor into the circuit’s future sustainability journey?
[Suzuka] There are many automobile manufacturers in Japan, such as Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mazda, Subaru and Mitsubishi, and each company is conducting various studies to create environmentally friendly vehicles. Honda's founder, Soichiro Honda, said that ‘racing is a running laboratory’. This was because he believed that the technology developed in racing could be applied to ordinary passenger cars, and that motorsports, which required instantaneous decision-making, would train engineers.
The circuits that serve as venues for these events attract many people, and reducing the environmental impact of visitor-attraction projects is a social issue that other sports and concerts face as well. We believe that our sustainability management is for motorsport to take the lead in the sustainability journey, collaborating with various companies and using the circuit as a demonstration field.
Get inside the track!
The Sustainable Motorsport Alliance is a membership platform that connects motorsport circuits, championships and manufacturers to accelerate industry-wide sustainability best practice. The Sustainable Motorsport Alliance Membership provides access to: a bespoke ESG impact report for your organisation, quarterly newsletters, and virtual and in-person events with the chance to connect with industry stakeholders and sustainability experts.