The Beatson’s Building Supplies Mull Rally – one of Britain’s most popular motorsport events – has committed to an environmental policy which will offset 136 tonnes of carbon emissions this year. And that’s just the start.

The organisers of the Tobermory-based rally are working on a strategy which will demonstrate year-on-year improvement to the green credentials of an event set to bring a multi-million-pound, post-COVID boost to the Hebridean island.

The rally is working with the island-based Future Forest Company to conclude an agreement on carbon offset credits, ensuring the event’s environmental impact is mitigated.

Beatson’s Building Supplies Mull Rally Clerk of the Course Andy Jardine said: “This is just the beginning of our journey to ring fence – from an environmental perspective – the future of the event.

“This year we will offset carbon generated by the use of fossil fuel consumption not just on the rally route, but also getting to the rally. This means the organisers, the crews, their support crews and all the brilliant volunteers who help us out by marshalling and working as officials will travel to this stunning part of the world safe in the knowledge that their carbon dioxide emissions will be fully compensated.

“The environment has never been higher on global, political and sporting agendas than it is right now and in the year that the United Nations Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, is held in Glasgow the Beatson’s Building Supplies Mull Rally wants to show that it understands and takes incredibly seriously its responsibility in that direction.

“We talk a lot about the positive economic impact the rally has on the island – and that will be felt more keenly than ever when it returns after its pandemic-enforced absence in 2020 – but it’s vital that we compensate for the environmental impact as well.

“Every year the rally runs, we have a team of volunteers and officials who go around the route to check we’re leaving the highways and byways of Mull as we found them. Now we’re doing the same with the environment. And, crucially, we’re working locally to deliver on that policy.”

Future Forest Company owns the Glen Aros Estate, which features on the route for the rally itself.

Future Forest Company’s Chris Zair said: “We’re really delighted to be partnering with such an iconic event and neighbour in the Mull Rally to help play a part in the event sustainability journey in 2021 and beyond. Our focus at The Future Forest Company is to remove as much carbon from the atmosphere as possible, and this approach combines reforestation and peatland restoration with the nature-based carbon removal and storage techniques of Biochar and Enhanced Weathering.

“Our partnership with The Mull Rally will help fund the removal of 136tonnes of eCO2 through our Biochar process, with this biochar added to the land as a soil additive at our reforestation site at the Glenaros Estate on Mull, helping create healthier forests. Once the offsets are produced and certified in late 2021, they will be provided to the team at the Mull Rally to cover the footprint of event vehicles. We’re excited to be working with their team this year and to hear of their plans to expand their sustainability strategy year on year to reduce their environmental impact.”

Jardine added: “As always when the spring looks towards the summer, we start to get excited about the route for Mull. This year’s no different. All will be revealed soon enough.

“And, as a team of organisers, we’re very aware of the costs involved with competing on this event. I’m sure there will be people out there asking the question of how much the carbon offsetting is going to cost them. All I can say is that we are very confident the competitors will be pleasantly surprised by the entry fee…”