From left: Manuel Fraga, director of the regatta; Marco Mendoza, general manager of Trueworld; and Iñaki Miniño, CEO of Marexi, the project's partner.
© Laura G. Guerra / Copa del Rey MAPFRE
The Real Club Náutico de Palma hosted the presentation of the sustainability plan that will be implemented in the 40th Copa del Rey MAPFRE. An ambitious project to efficiently manage the environmental impact of the event through a series of measurement, education and awareness-raising initiatives involving the organisation and participants.
The 40th Copa del Rey MAPFRE is launching an environmental management project developed by the RCNP with the support of BMW and MAPFRE, which was presented at the club's facilities.
"For years we have been taking steps towards a more sustainable regatta that materialises the RCNP's commitment to Nature and, especially, to the sea," explained Manuel Fraga, director of the Copa del Rey MAPFRE. "This year we wanted to go further, and we are not only going to calculate and neutralise our emissions, but we are committed to reducing them in line with the goals set by the United Nations in its 2030 agenda. We have taken on the challenge of being the first event with a positive impact through a programme that involves all agents: sponsors, professionals and those attending our event, promoting and supporting local projects for the conservation and regeneration of the Balearic Sea".
This initiative was born with the idea of turning the regatta into a benchmark in nautical sport, working hand in hand with a local technology company, Trueworld, which has designed the strategy and has implemented its environmental and innovative solutions with the collaboration of Global Omnium for the calculation of the carbon footprint and AENOR for its certification.
"The aim is to find a meeting point between development and the environment, so that both can coexist and have a future," explained Marco Mendoza, CEO of Trueworld. "The idea is to be able to transmit the data on the impacts of this regatta in real time and not just remain in the analysis. On a technological level, we are creating a digital twin of the bay through the deployment of probes and buoys to measure in real time everything from noise pollution to atmospheric and marine emissions". According to Mendoza, the Copa del Rey MAPFRE will demonstrate that an international sporting event can have a positive environmental effect, "something that seemed a little antagonistic, but which we hope will be the first of many events with this model".
A highlight of this project is the solar electric boat Stenella, capable of propelling itself through a combination of a battery pack and solar panels. The Stenella is part of the support fleet in the 40th Copa del Rey MAPFRE.
The RCNP is committed to minimising the direct and indirect impact of the carbon footprint in its design, assembly, celebration and dismantling phases. As part of this commitment, club and event activate educational initiatives and participate in an emissions offsetting programme by supporting projects for the conservation and regeneration of Mediterranean underwater forests and marine biodiversity.
The 40th Copa del Rey MAPFRE will be held from 30 July to 6 August in the Bay of Palma. It is organised by the Real Club Náutico de Palma and the Royal Spanish Sailing Federation, with the sponsorship of MAPFRE and the institutional collaboration of the Government of the Balearic Islands, Palma City Council, the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands and the Balearic Sailing Federation.