Sustainability
Focus on sustainability and the environment
Tour of Norway aims to be the best cycling event at the top level. Not only as a bike race, but also on sustainability. It’s a long-term focus where we continuously work to take our responsibility in society, in the work of being a sustainable organization.
Cycling itself is part of the green shift. Increased bicycle use is important for the society to achieve the climate goals, in addition to being positive for our health. We want to create awareness of bicycle use, whether it is as transport, training, competition or experience, through our professional event.
We have previously caried out ripple effect studies, which show that the population and the public are inspired to use more bicycles by our event. In a normal year without Covid-19, we therefore arrange both children's rides, tour rides, family rides and other activities to inspire and strengthen the use of bicycles among residents and the public.
Employees in the company use bicycles to and from work. Bicycles or electric cars are used for meetings outside our own location. The organization limits travel to a minimum and will always choose digital meetings when appropriate.
In collaboration with our largest partner, Repsol Norway, we have been challenged to think new, more sustainable, and develop smarter solutions. Repsol is a world-leading multi-energy company with operations all over the world. As one of the largest energy companies, they are present throughout the value chain from exploration and production, transformation, to the development and commercialization of efficient, sustainable and competitive energy.
Tour of Norway's goal is for all vehicles in the event to be electric during the year 2024. In 2023, the organization reduced the number of vehicles to a minimum in order to have the least possible impact on the environment. During the race, 30 of the cars used was zero-emission cars.
Tour of Norway extends over a large geographical area. With our large geographical area, there is therefore a strong focus on waste management, sorting and recycling. It is important for us to use local suppliers, at the same time as we have a conscious relationship with the development of equipment and materials used in our events. Our skilled and experienced employees, hired and volunteers, work all the time so that we can reuse as much as possible in our events, year after year.
We use natural materials and weather-resistant clothing from our partner Twentyfour. This means that our volunteers can not only use it during the event, but also in their free time for many years later. Both the organization and the visiting teams live in hotels that are experts in meeting our needs, but also have a focus on the environment and sustainability. Visiting teams will always be needed to arrange Tour of Norway. To make this trip as environmentally friendly as possible, they are offered a trip with Fjord Line to / from Stavanger. Fjord Line is the first and largest in the world to use environmentally friendly natural gas on its cruise ferries, which protect the environment from CO2 and NOx emissions.
TV production is a big part of Tour of Norway. To ensure the beautiful TV pictures of Norway's beautiful nature, it has previously been necessary to have an aircraft that can receive the TV signals and send them out into the world. We are very proud to take a big step in the right direction in 2021 when we will no longer need this aircraft. Telenor and NEP have together with Tour of Norway come up with a solution where the TV signals can go via the 4G network. With this move, we make a big difference in our C02 footprint.
We are always in search of new partners that will help us become even better at sustainability.
Norway has the most beautiful nature in the world, this is something we should be proud of and take care of. During the race there will be zero tolerance for littering. To avoid this, separate garbage zones are set up where cyclists are allowed to dispose of waste. If these rules are not followed, riders can be thrown out of the race. These rubbish bins are then cleared by the organization so that we leave the area as it was when we arrived, or better. We also encourage the public to contribute where they are and follow the event, so that we can all be sustainable and environmentally friendly.
We will continue our work with sustainability in the years to come, together with our good partners, and constantly want to find better and more sustainable ways to arrange Norway's largest cycling race for men.