Surrey pledge to reach Net Zero by 2030

The county have targeted reducing their total CO2e emissions by 45 per cent by the end of 2024, with the aim of reducing its carbon footprint by over 80 per cent in total

Surrey have pledged to reach Net Zero emissions by 2030 and have also signed up to the United Nations' Sports for Climate Action framework.

The county have targeted reducing their total CO2e emissions by 45 per cent by the end of 2024, with the aim of reducing its carbon footprint by over 80 per cent in total.

The club will initially focus on rapidly reducing direct emissions, including reducing electricity consumption, improving operational processes at the venue and increasing the amount of recycling.

Surrey chief executive Steve Elworthy said: "We are under no illusions of the scale of the challenge that we are facing in order to achieve Net Zero by 2030.

"However, we are fully aware that is an important part of our responsibility as a club to reduce the impact that we have on the environment, and it is a challenge that we are relishing."

The Galadari stand, which was opened in 2021, has had solar panels installed on the rooftop, and the Kia Oval was one of the first grounds to stop selling drinks in disposable cups in 2015 and stopped using plastic straws and bags in 2018.

^{Surrey have pledged to reach Net Zero by 2030 (Alex Davidson/Getty Images)}

Surrey and the Kia Oval have installed an ORCA food waste system that drastically reduces the amount of waste that is disposed of offsite.

They have also found that 78.6 per cent of emissions related to the club and venue come from external sources. This includes emissions of suppliers to the ground, as well as those who come as guests to The Kia Oval.

Emily Iveson-Pritchard, head of sustainability at Surrey Cricket, added: "It is vital that we minimise the impact that we have on the environment.

"We will be taking our own radical steps to achieve our targets but we also know that it will be crucial for us to bring the hundreds of thousands of people who visit The Kia Oval on that journey with us as well, we cannot reach Net Zero without their commitment."

They follow Gloucestershire in signing up to the United Nations' Sports for Climate Action framework.

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