The Softest Tread

SMSP Sustainability

Environmental

2023 CLOSED LOOP 12-MONTH WASTE AUDIT

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Total waste recycled – 1,234 square metres, or twenty-six 40-foot containers.
149,000 cups and 130,000 cans/containers recycled.

Closed Loop 12-Month Audit, 2022 – 2023

The Waste Audit scope focused on the dominant waste streams of General Waste, Comingled Recyclables and Cardboard.

‘Specialty’ Waste types such as Liquid Waste, Sanitary Waste, Tyres, Oil and Security Waste were also included.

Geographically, the audit focused on the primary waste generation areas of the venue including the primary catering area, venue office, garages, and spectator stands/zones.

METHODOLOGY

The SMSP waste audit was conducted by Closed Loop at the SMSP precinct for the following situations:

  • From beginning of Feb ‘22 to end of Jan ‘23
  • General day-to-day functioning of the venue (7 days/1 week)
  • Major Events include :
  • Powercruise ’22
  • SuperCars ’22
  • World Time Attack ’22
  • Shannon’s Nationals ’22

The Waste Audit scope focused on the dominant waste streams of General Waste, Comingled Recyclables and Cardboard.

Specialty’ Waste types such as Liquid Waste, Sanitary Waste, Tyres, Oil and Security Waste were also included.

Geographically, the audit focused on the primary waste generation areas of the venue including the primary catering area, venue office, garages, and spectator stands/zones.

Super Solar – GASSD FIRED PIZZAS

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At SMSP events, you may run into Troy Sullivan and his gassd fired pizza’s van, Australia’s only exclusively solar powered pizza van!

“Our first trailer was built and company established in 2012. Our goal was to be the first food trailer to be totally self sustainable,” said Troy.

“This (truck) 10 years ago was a big ask as nobody had the know how to build what we wanted or knew how to get it to work.

“We spent three years trialling several different variations of equipment ’til we finally got the system dialled in. We use all Victron Blue components which is an Australian company with a strong support network. We now have the only two true completely off grid capable food trucks running that run all commercial equipment – no 12 volt fridges or small components.

“The benefits of being self sustainable goes further than most people think. While we are travelling to venues and around all our fridges , fans etc remain on . This means our quality control on our produce is second to none.

“All other food trucks while driving or waiting for power don’t have their fridges running which for me as a chef is totally unacceptable. We pride ourselves on what we have built and the product we stand behind. Our trucks are now capable of running for 20 hours of continuous use off grid.

“Each truck has 2 large fridges, 1 long Baine prep fridge, dough mixer, dough roller, lights, computer POS system, fans and phone chargers. Another main benefit is we don’t rely on noisy generators or trip hazard power cords and can be placed wherever we are needed at a venue.”

Closed Loop – Upcycling

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The ‘circular economy’ is a model for sustainable economic growth that reduces waste and maximizes resource productivity.

Upcycling is a process in which waste is transformed into new materials or products of better quality for better environmental value. This process helps to close the loop of the supply chain by reusing resources that would otherwise be wasted.

By upcycling our waste are able to reduce our environmental impact and improve our bottom line.

Sustainability partner Closed Loop has many streams of upcycling, from asphalt to civil equipment, packaging and trays for retail food, building materials and more.

LEARN MORE >

GEMA Catering Partner

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SYDNEY MOTORSPORT PARK’S NEW MENU FOR SUCCESS WITH GEMA GROUP PARTNERSHIP.

The Australian Racing Drivers’ Club (ARDC) has partnered with leading hospitality and major event caterer (GEMA GROUP) on a new multi-year agreement covering all corporate hospitality and retail catering at Sydney Motorsport Park (SMSP).

The agreement, beginning July 2023, sees GEMA further expand their position as the premier provider of hospitality and catering across Australian motorsport, adding full-time SMSP operations to their coverage of the Formula 1, MotoGP, and Australia-wide Supercars Championships, as well as multiple services at national and international major events, other high-profile venues and leading sporting stadia across the country.

Together, GEMA and the ARDC, along with their other key stakeholders, aim to significantly raise the stakes on the range of foods available, as well as introducing some well-known brands to the circuit. Venue infrastructure will see a significant upgrade, and the integration with new technologies will help streamline the service offering from “plate to paddock”.

ABOUT GEMA

The Gema Group was founded in 1984 by the Valenti family and has grown into a sizable catering company with over 40 active catering contracts and sites. Gema Group has over 450 years of combined senior management catering experience and expertise at our fingertips. We pride ourselves on our committed and collaborative approach with our clients and partners in delivering some of Australia’s most memorable catering.

Gema Group began as a humble Australian owned family business back in 1984 and has grown into one of Australia’s leading event catering partners specialling in greenfield site sporting events and stadiums.   With dedication and strength at its core, Gema Group has been delivering amazing event experiences for almost 40 years.

Gema Group understands the importance of a quality catering partner who believes in a shared vision and are excited to bring their interpretation of a great food and beverage experience to SMSP.

Sustainability at the Park

For composting, most of their packaging is bio-degradable or compostable and managed by Closed Loop as part of their waste management services, while organic waste is collected for compost, and waste oil is collected weekly and turned into biofuel.

Where possible, they will also be transitioning our packaging products to recyclable and upcycled Closed Loop products.

Digital Signage

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PMY Group, a leading provider of integrated technology and media solutions, has invested $4 million in LED digital screen technologies at Sydney Motorsport Park (SMSP) as part of a 10-year partnership with the ARDC.

The new screens, which were officially unveiled at the Supercars Championship round in October 2021, feature a large 45sqm welcome screen, four 12sqm double sided elevated cantilever LED boards, and 144m of pit straight LED screens facing the Brabham Main Straight.

Printed communications at the racetrack, such as scrim, flyers, posters and banners, have a significant environmental impact and are often single use only.

In addition to the materials, there is the ink, toner, and other chemicals used in the printing process. Then there is the energy required to power the printers and dispose of the waste. These factors contribute to the carbon footprint of printed communication, all of which has been significantly reduced on site at SMSP.

The LED screens are also state-of-the-art, so are energy efficient (and offset by our solar panels), and a recycle program for their end-of-life is included.

In addition to the LED screens, PMY Group’s Smart Operating Platform (Platform) will be deployed at SMSP to provide an operational and crowd intelligence solution. The Platform will enable SMSP to better understand crowd behaviour and optimise the fan experience through real-time analysis of data collected from a variety of sources. This has many advantages, such as helping traffic flow and congestion, lessen food production waste by examining wait times and demand, and more.

This is the first time that the platform has been used at a motorsport venue in Australia, and it is hoped that it will set a new standard for fan engagement at other racetracks and even other sporting events.

The softest tread.