SAIL GP x PARLEY

Partnerships

Jun 1

Parley and BONDS Sailing Roos join forces to promote the AIR Strategy at sea, on land and in everyday life

In 2021, Parley teamed up with the BONDS Flying Roos to take the fight against marine plastic pollution and other ocean threats to a global audience through zero-emission racing, team actions and in-person events around the world. Over the course of the partnership so far, Parley and the crew – headed by Tom Slingsby – have set out to create changes ranging from the removal of single-use plastics to the use of clean energy, to promoting ocean education. It’s all part of the team and league’s commitment to making SailGP a truly game-changing new global sport through zero-emission sailing and initiatives that see teams #RaceForTheFuture.

As part of the league’s Purpose Agenda, each SailGP team has identified their mission beyond sailing and committed to goals they want to achieve. For the sailors of BONDS Flying Roos, that was a genuine desire to create a better future for the oceans, with their love of the water driving their efforts to preserve marine ecosystems for generations to come. “Our team is passionate about leaving a positive impact that extends beyond sailing to protecting the Australian way of life,” explains Tom Slingsby. “With the ocean integral to our sport, we have a responsibility to give back to the surroundings that make our sport possible.”

“We have an opportunity to use our platform to not only educate and inspire a generation of environmental advocates, but also to work with an incredible world-renowned partner in Parley that can help put our vision of a greener future into action.”

TOM SLINGSBY, BONDS FLYING ROOS CEO & DRIVER

The team kicked off the education commitment at a home race in Sydney in February 2021. Parley and the BONDS Flying Roos co-hosted a Parley Ocean School at Woollahra Sailing Club with forty youth sailors and BONDS Flying Roos athletes, Kyle Langford, Nina Curtis, Jason Waterhouse and Sam Newton.

The program included a talk by ocean photographer and head of Parley Australia Christian Miller, a microplastics exploration session along the coastline, a Parley AIR Talk given by Olympic medalist Lisa Darmanin and a workshop led by Precious Plastic Melbourne – transforming intercepted plastic into carabiners to be used by the youth sailors. The Australia team also hosted a panel sharing how they personally, and as a team, are making changes to reduce their impact on the planet and the important role sport has in driving awareness.

“SailGP has lived up to its promise of taking big, bold steps towards championing a world powered by nature,” says Parley founder Cyrill Gutsch. “We’re excited to see what they have in store next following some hefty commitments like their initial goal of winning the race to zero carbon, to shifting from technologies based on fossil fuels to 100 percent renewable power by 2025. We see them as not just a supporter of Parley, but a true collaborator and change maker.”

By 2050, over 570 low-lying coastal cities, including SailGP host venues such as Plymouth, Saint-Tropez and Sydney, will face projected sea level rises of at least 0.5 meters, putting more than 800 million people at risk from the impacts of rising seas, extreme weather and storm surges. At the end of the 9-event season, SailGp international teams are rewarded for the positive actions they make to reduce their overall carbon footprint and help accelerate inclusivity in sailing. Parley is supporting and advising the team on the Impact League, helping them to maximise their efforts, ensuring genuine systematic change through collaboration, eco-innovation and the Parley AIR Strategy: Avoid, Intercept, Redesign.

”Through this partnership,” adds Cyrill, “we’re excited to bring some of the biggest threats facing our oceans to a global audience while also demonstrating the role we can play in being a part of the solution. Sport really does have the power to make a change and through the power of community, education and activism and with partners such as SailGP, we can turn the ocean cause into a truly global movement.”

In 2024, the partnership ramped up educational programs with dedicated talks, Ocean School sessions and a new platform for building awareness in sailing audiences. In January, we collaborated with the Tharawal Aboriginal Corporation to bring sailings lessons, ocean education and mentorship to eight First Nations youth in Sydney. The expedition marked the launch of Sail For The Oceans, a program we aim to expand globally in 2025 to create new opportunities for communities historically underrepresented in environmental and sports education.

Ahead of the Apex Group Bermuda Sail Grand Prix in May 2024, Parley and the BONDS Flying Roos also launched SailGP Vs Plastic, an educational platform and community hub to combat plastic pollution and examine its links to climate change.