Brazil tops the podium in 2025 season opener of SailGP's Impact League

Mubadala Brazil lead the clean up on Pombeda Island in Guanabara Bay, Rio © Fernando Veloso Leao for SailGP

The Mubadala Brazil SailGP team secured the top spot in the first Focus Area of the 2025 season Impact League - SailGP's "Podium for the Planet" - the season-long competition that rewards teams for driving environmental action and promoting inclusivity in sailing.

The results for the first Focus Area for 2025 were for the 'Race to Zero Waste' challenge, which tasked teams to address waste-related impacts and circular economy challenges in communities or ecosystems linked to the oceans. The results were announced at today's Ocean Impact Project ahead of the Oracle San Francisco Sail Grand Prix.

Mubadala Brazil - new to the startline for the 2025 season and under the leadership of the League's first-ever female driver, Martine Grael - led the pack with an impressive waste management project focused on cleaning up Pombeda Island in Guanabara Bay, Rio. Despite being designated as a protected island, Pombeda Island had suffered from severe plastic pollution. Mubadala Brazil brought together over 40 local fishermen, employing them to collect and recycle/discard a staggering 4,139kg of waste. This project garnered significant national media attention and has left a lasting impact on the local community.

Martine Grael reinforced the importance of acting in her hometown: "Guanabara Bay has a very special meaning for me. We know that the environmental challenges here are enormous, but I believe that actions like this can really transform realities. We chose to start our journey in the Impact League right here in Rio, to show that, in addition to competing, we want to leave a positive legacy for those who live off the sea."

The panel of globally esteemed judges - including the renowned grassroots leader and Youth Judge, Sharona Shnayder - awarded points based on the teams' efforts to reduce waste, promote sustainability, and leave a positive environmental legacy. The panel commended Brazil for their "high-quality project with significant, demonstrated, and tangible impact" and the "positive legacy... created beyond direct environmental benefits, such as providing employment opportunities to local fishermen and inviting PhD researchers to carry out microplastic research on the Island."

Coming in a close second, Emirates GBR SailGP - overall champions of last season's Impact League - made strides in sustainable design by introducing replaceable Velcro branding patches on their life jackets, reducing waste in partnership renewals. Their commitment to sustainability also saw the team rebranding old kit and equipment, keeping 628 items in circulation.

Finishing in third, NorthStar Canada's innovative 'NorthStar Locker' initiative introduced a sustainable donation system for obsolete sailing kits. This program has already reached sailing clubs in Canada and Italy, extending the life of team equipment and benefiting 760 youth sailors with approximately 1,000 pieces of kit. The Locker initiative was commended by the judges for its "quality simplicity" and is being adopted by other clubs, helping to ensure gear remains in use for longer.

Fiona Morgan, Chief Purpose Officer, SailGP: "The teams have kicked off this year's Impact League by demonstrating their deep commitment and delivering measurable impact. To see a new team top the leaderboard is a powerful testament to how seriously all teams take the impact aspect of the league. They continue to raise the bar, and it's inspiring to see the global change athletes are driving using our platform for good."

New for the 2025 season, the Impact League is embedding globally recognised impact measurement standards to better evaluate and demonstrate the impact of teams' projects, alongside some globally renowned new judges. This competition category included the addition of guest judge Keith Tuffley, who previously led Citigroup's energy transition and sustainability strategy and served as the former CEO of Richard Branson's B Team. A keen sailor, Tuffley recently led a sailing expedition from Norway to Alaska, conducting eDNA research to understand climate impacts on megafauna.

Also new for the season, SailGP extended the Impact League's mission into schools and the wider youth communities in race locations, empowering young people to create a more sustainable and equitable future through their own competition.

The path to the podium continues for all teams, both in the Impact League, and with racing taking to the bay of San Francisco this weekend (March 22-23), before a first-time stop in Rio de Janeiro (May 3-4), and the return to New York (8-9 June). Tickets to all events are available now at SailGP.com/tickets.