Catering was the biggest source of carbon at Hardline 2024. Across staff, athlete and concession food it came to over 10.4 tonnes CO2e, more than a third of the 29.99 tonne total. On-site machinery and energy came to under 107kg.
Red Bull · Dinas Mawddwy, Dyfi Valley · Wales, UK · 2024 · Sport and live events · Consultancy
Red Bull Hardline is a downhill mountain bike race in mid Wales, and 2024 was its tenth year at the site. Red Bull asked for a measured footprint rather than an estimate, covering the categories the event could actually control. The purpose was a baseline: where the carbon sat, which suppliers were carrying it, and which of the event's existing assumptions were wrong.
Data was gathered directly from the people doing the work, not modelled from averages. Twenty of the event's 24 suppliers returned data, 83%. Three of five concessions returned data, 60%. Twenty-five Red Bull staff logged their own travel and accommodation. Each supplier was asked for vehicle type, load, distance, crew numbers, overnight stays and fuel used. Concessions were asked the same plus food volumes. Catering was measured by weight and split by protein type across eight days of crew meals. Energy was metered rather than estimated: generators drew 4,136kWh, running on 2,077 litres of HVO biodiesel, with all mountainside electrical power battery operated so the generator load sat at the valley base only. Waste was weighed by stream by the contractor. Water was tracked by volume shipped and volume used, with transport carbon calculated separately. All 24 suppliers were assessed on certification held, public reporting and agreement to the event's mandatory commitments. Local employment was counted head by head. Thirteen categories were reported separately so Red Bull could see the shape of the footprint rather than a single number.
The finding Red Bull did not expect was about food. Machinery, generators and waste attract the most attention at an event like this, and at Hardline they came to 122kg CO2e combined, under half a percent of the total. Catering came to 10,497.5kg. The carbon was in the meals, not the diesel. The data was also incomplete in ways worth stating: two of five concessions did not return figures, so 40% of concession activity is unmeasured, and over 3,000 single use paper cups and 3,000 paper plates went through catering. Both are recorded as a problem, not a result.
29.99 tonnes CO2e across thirteen categories, the equivalent of driving an average car 131,541 miles. The three largest categories were supplier logistics at 9,244.6kg (30.82%), staff and athlete catering at 5,584.5kg (18.62%) and concession catering at 4,913.0kg (16.38%). 2,077 litres of HVO avoided over 5 tonnes of carbon against standard diesel. 2.41 tonnes of waste, zero to landfill, 42% recycled. 24 suppliers, all UK based, averaging 67 miles. 26 temporary local jobs created, with marshals and car park staff hired exclusively locally. 5,700 attendees across two days. Excluded: attendee travel and accommodation, BF Goodrich partner transport, build structures and signage (all rented or reused), and merchandise. Indicative, calculated in house, not independently audited.
B360 (energy reporting), Power Logistics, A.R. Richards (waste), Feast and Dinner Time Catering, Juke Burger, Trash Free Trails, D3 Events, CONTINEST (flat pack container offices, which create six times less carbon in transport than traditional portable offices). Compostable toilets. 100% battery power for mountainside supply.