London Marathon Events (LME), the first-ever sports buyer of carbon removals, has signed its third deal with CUR8. LME will purchase 1,935 tonnes of carbon removals from the global carbon removals market maker to support its progress to net zero.
A carbon removal credit represents 1 tonne of CO₂ removed from the atmosphere which is physically stored for hundreds to thousands of years. Unlike carbon offsets which pay for the avoidance of emissions or protection of natural carbon sinks (e.g. forests), carbon removal is a new asset class that is universally recognised by scientists to be critical, alongside deep decarbonisation, to stopping climate change.
CUR8 will manage a diverse portfolio of removal credits for LME that consists of six leading global projects across the spectrum of nature-based to human-engineered, such as: Carboneers, an Indian biochar initiative with strong social and community co-benefits; InPlanet, an innovative Brazilian Enhanced Rock weathering project; and 1PointFive, a global direct air capture (DAC) leader set to have the world’s first plant capable of reaching megatonne scale. Alongside this, they will use CUR8's proprietary Credit Management Platform to ensure that their portfolio delivers on London Marathon Events' sustainability goals.
LME has set the ambitious target of reaching net zero by the end of 2030, and continues to launch initiatives to reduce its carbon footprint.
If you want to know how you can play your part next time you take part in an event, here's what we have on offer.
Opt out of a finisher medal and t-shirt
Instead you can opt for planting a tree with Trees Not Tees.
Consider low-carbon travel
Where possible, we recommend travelling on foot, by bicycle, or by public transport to the Start Line. At most of our events, you will find a free bike park available on a first-come-first-served basis.
Hydrate your way
If you wear a hydration vest, or use a bottle belt or hand-held water bottle, you can hydrate when you want and you won’t waste precious water. We have water refill stations so you can top up.
Recycle on Event Day
You can wear an extra layer to the Start Line and donate it before starting your run. The Salvation Army will collect the donations to resell, reuse, or recycle.
You can also donate unwanted trainers to JogOn, the running shoe collection campaign, at the Finish Line. The team redistribute the trainers to organisations in the UK and further afield.
If you have waste you want to dispose of, please go to a recycling station and hand your waste to our team of volunteers who will put it in the right bin to make sure we recycle as much as we can.