At York Racecourse we have been committed to environmental sustainability since 2017 and in the last five years have made considerable strides towards minimising our negative impact and finding ways to have a positive impact through our land stewardship. 

In 2022 we completed our first phase of measurements, including our carbon footprint and in 2023 we launched our environmental sustainability strategy with these four key pillars: 

• To reach Net Zero emissions by 2040
• To enhance biodiversity
• To conserve water
• To embrace the circular economy

Our environmental strategy, Green Knavesmire 300, is all about understanding the totality of our impact and taking meaningful steps towards being the most sustainable racecourse we can possibly be, across all areas of the environment. We want to ensure that we are doing the right thing by our horses, our people and our planet for the next 300 years.

We take our responsibility as custodians of the Knavesmire seriously and to demonstrate our commitment, we became the first independent racecourse worldwide to sign up to the UNFCCC Sport for Climate Action Framework. 

We are proud of how far we have come already, and know that we have a long way to go yet. We will work internally with our team, within our York community and across the racing industry to do everything we can to transparently and authentically tackle environmental sustainability. 

In 2024, the Bustardthorpe Development was completed, which enhanced the Southern End of the racecourse. The public and private spaces incorporate toilet, betting and bar facilities, which though used, were underutilised due to their lack of appeal and quality comparable to the rest of York Racecourse. The development therefore sought to enhance this part of the racecourse, and in doing so, would ensure that all parts of York’s vision were met, including our commitment to environmental sustainability. For the suatainability summary of the Bustardthorpe Development please click here.