Zoom Earthdreams livery at Honda since the start of the 2007 season

A core theme for discussion at this year's FT Sports Industry Summit held last week was the extent to which sport can take a lead in demonstrating to other commercial sectors that it makes sense to seek more sustainable ways of doing business.

In his opening address to the summit, Nick Fry, CEO of the Honda Racing F1 Team, suggested that for sport to retain its place in a changing world, it needed to accept that it could no longer operate in isolation.

He further commented that sport needed to acknowledge that it had a duty to minimise its impact on the environment as well as finding ways to engage with a broader cross-section of society.

Fry introduced the Honda team's 'earthdreams' concept as an example of how the team is tackling the sustainability issue in Formula One, describing it as "a structured and committed programme that is funded by the team and its partners to deliver support to inspirational environmental projects that make the world around them a better place. "

"At the core of our earthdreams programme is Honda's commitment to good citizenship and corporate responsibility," he underlined.

Fry also outlined how other sports could learn from the new agenda that is driving Formula One forward.

"Sustainability is now a significant factor in determining the future of Formula One and we believe that such innovation, as well as the awareness and support we give through Honda's earthdreams programme, can make a real difference," he stated.

D.B. © CAPSIS International