In addition to great on-court performances and several additional attractions, the Rio Open Tournament, presented by Claro, also has a record of accomplishment on something invisible to the naked eye, but of great importance when it comes to Sustainability. And it will be no different for the 2023 edition.
After being recognized by the UNO for its initiatives, Rio Open remains steadfast on the process of neutralizing its activities’ environmental impact. In a partnership with ENGIE, a renewable energy leader in Brazil, in addition to decarbonizing the event itself, the organizers of Rio Open will also neutralize, for the second year, CO2 emissions from the audience’s travels to and from the event.

To join the initiative and decarbonize their own emissions, members of the public need to visit neutralizarioopen.com.br, enter their ticket code and calculate the emissions arising from their commute, free of charge and with no additional obligations.

“Since the Rio Open first edition, we have the concern to provide benefits for the whole society. We want to be promoters and spreaders if a Sustainability culture. In this sense, we have been developing a range of initiatives to neutralize the environmental impact of our activities. In 2020, we have become a carbon neutral event. In 2023, we want to engage even more the public to decarbonize its displacement to the event. To obtain the adherence of the higher number of people, we will promote a communication campaign, which starts now until the tournament week”, affirms Marcia Casz, Sports Director at IMM Esporte e Entretenimento.
It is worth emphasizing that Rio Open has since 2020 been in a partnership with ENGIE to develop a Strategic Plan whose implementation began that same year. The goal is for the event to become a benchmark for environmental responsibility, at a level with the world’s top sports events. The efforts cover neutralizing emissions from the tournament and developing sustainable actions.
This commitment begins a long time before each event, with the application of the principles of circularity to the waste chain in three stages: reduction, recycling and re-use. One example of reduction can be seen in the re-usable cups available at the bars. For recycling, the event implements measures for the composting of organic waste and the allocation of recyclables to certified co-ops. All food & beverages concession holders will also be using recyclable materials.
Materials re-use is also among the actions in place. To illustrate, while the tournament is under way, bracelets will be made from the strings of the rackets used and sold at La Boutique, the official merchandise store. The event’s organizers will also allocate tarps to partner co-ops, set aside bottle crowns to be exchanged for wheelchairs, and balls and leftover uniforms for social projects.
The event’s sustainability vision comprehends social initiatives, economic impact by generating jobs and income, and the use of the power of sports to promote environmental awareness and preservation.
In 2022, Rio Open’s partnership with ENGIE neutralized 1,143 tCO2 through carbon credits generated by renewable energy from the Jirau Hydro Plant. Out of this, 24 percent represent the event’s direct emissions, or 275.47 tCO2 from the beginning of setup to the end of demobilization (the sources considered include generators, electric energy, air and land travel for athletes and producers, and waste) and 868 tCO2 (76%) from emissions generated by public transit to the event.
”Our purpose is to act to accelerate the transition to a zero-carbon economy by means of reduced energy consumption and more sustainable solutions, which includes reducing and neutralizing emissions. We are very glad to, once again, use carbon credits generated by our renewable energy plants to make Rio Open even more sustainable,” said ENGIE Brasil CEO Mauricio Bähr.

The event is recognized for its high sportsmanship level. It is Brazil’s first ATP World Tour 500, part of the exclusive group of 13 ATP 500 tournaments, one of the ATP’s 22 most important events and the only one held locally. This makes it Rio de Janeiro’s top annual sports event and one of only three ATP-level events played on clay, together with Hamburg and Barcelona. For the 2023 event, the current 1st- and 4th-ranked players worldwide – Carlos Alcaraz and Casper Ruud – have already confirmed.
Rio Open is an IMM event held by the Rio de Janeiro Tennis Institute.
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