Royal Ascot, a horse racing tournament with centuries of royal tradition is set to open on Tuesday in Berkshire, in the UK. The annual event will gather horse racing fans from across the country for a week-long equestrian extravaganza.

For the first time ever, the Village Enclosure at Royal Ascot will operate as a net zero emissions area. Some of the actions organizers have taken include generating solar power and storing energy in batteries, cooking more plant-based recipes and collecting rainwater for use on the track and grounds.

"We're reusing cups. This year we will actually reuse about 500,000 cups," said Jonathan Parker, Managing Director of 1711 by Ascot. "We're trying compostable cups and packaging, so that will go off to a recycling plant that will then produce compost. It potentially could come back here and we can use it on the track here or use it within the grounds."

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In addition, Royal Ascot is reducing its carbon footprint by procuring and serving locally sourced British food and beverages; staff are hired locally with their journeys strictly limited to train or electric buses.

Parker said they are on a journey now to do everything they can to achieve net-zero for the whole event by 2040, which is in line with the United Nations' Sports for Climate Action principles that they have signed up to.

For over three centuries, the horse-racing event has been known for its extravagance that captures the essence of British sporting prowess, heritage and fashion.

Apart from being an equestrian event, Royal Ascot has made a name for itself due to its strict dress code, hence a playground for dedicated followers of high-end fashion. Queen Elizabeth II was a regular at the event and her son and successor to the Throne is expected at the Berkshire track this week.

This year, organizers are encouraging attendees to reduce the carbon footprint left by the fashion industry.

"For the first time we've created our look-book, which is a new take on our style guide, something that people look to every year on how they should dress and represent themselves at the racecourse," said Felicity Barnard, Commercial Director at Ascot. "We have two very exciting edits, a vintage edit and a pre-loved and rental edit, and what that really allows us to do is to say to people, 'perhaps rather than buying a new outfit every year, why don't you mix and match? Why don't you look at what you already have? Look at borrowing something and look at mixing the trends a little bit more'." 

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