McLaren, the world's first carbon-neutral Formula 1 team, has re-confirmed its carbon-neutral status and has formed a partnership with CNI (UK) Limited (CNI), who will join the team as an Associate Partner for Sustainability.

Over the past four years the entire McLaren Group has rigorously examined, revised and improved every aspect of our operations in order to reduce our carbon footprint. In December 2011, working with CNI, we achieved a long-held ambition and were certified as fully carbon-neutral.

Following the successful implementation of a suite of efficiency-driven measures across McLaren Group's operations, we have now formally partnered with CNI to maintain our carbon neutral status for the next three years. To offset our remaining carbon emissions we will work with CNI to purchase carbon credits, which will be registered and retired on the APX Environmental Register.

This year McLaren will be purchasing our carbon credits from environmental projects across a number of geographies, the first of which will support the Nansha Hydro Power Project in Yunnan Province, China.

"At Vodafone McLaren Mercedes we've worked extremely hard for a number of years to become more efficient and environmentally sympathetic," said Martin Whitmarsh. "We were the first Formula 1 team to achieve the Carbon Trust Standard for our efforts in improving carbon efficiency and the first to be certified fully carbon-neutral. It was an achievement of great significance both for us and our partners.

"However, these are the early stages of our journey rather than the ultimate destination. Even the most carbon-efficient business faces challenges as it follows its normal operating procedures. It is our duty to remain vigilant against waste and inefficiency, and to focus our inventive power on leading technological change over the coming decade.

"CNI played an important role in enabling Vodafone McLaren Mercedes to become fully carbon-neutral, and I am delighted to welcome them as an Associate Partner in our ongoing drive to improve our environmental performance. With a step-change in the Formula 1 regulations imminent, we face a new era of challenge and opportunity - one in which we can firmly establish the sport as the definitive platform for the transport and energy solutions of the future."

"We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Vodafone McLaren Mercedes," added Edward Carlton, of CNI. "Continuing at the forefront of sustainability Vodafone McLaren Mercedes has gone even further, offsetting the whole McLaren Group. CNI is proud to be a part of this achievement and to have provided the platform to strengthen McLaren's commitment to sound sustainability policy."

The McLaren Group has implemented a rigorous approach to reducing our environmental impact, which has already seen us reduce CO2 emissions per employee by 18.4% in four years. We have now set ourselves tough targets to reduce CO2 emissions by a further 2.5% each year and to send zero waste to landfill by 2015.

In recognition of our commitment to sustainability we achieved the Carbon Trust Standard in 2010, were recertified by the Carbon Trust in 2012 and recently became the first company in the world to receive the FIA Institute's Environmental Award for the Achievement of Excellence.

McLaren chose CNI to be its Associate Partner for sustainability as it offers a first class range of environmental consultancy, including audit and energy management in addition to carbon offsetting.