Interview: Sparco
1) Please describe Sparco and your partnership with IM British GT Championship?
Sparco was founded in 1977 by two young and passionate motorsport drivers, who wanted to combine safety and style when designing motorsports equipment. At present, with more than 45 years of existence, Sparco is one of the leading manufacturers of racing safety equipment worldwide.
Our Sparco Group, since 2000, diversified its activities to strongly enter the carbon fiber automotive components’ industry, while in the last years we have expanded our business to the gaming-simulation racing industry and to the safety clothing industry (footwear and workwear), where most recently we have launched a fully sustainable clothing line.
We have more than 1000 employees that operate in eight production plants (four in Italy, three in Tunisia and one in the USA) and a global commercial presence. Today we count more than 300 partnerships in various world motorsport competitions and have worldwide client adoption of our products.
We became Intelligent Money British GT Championship’s Official Racewear Supplier in 2021. Our instantly recognisable blue and white branding appears trackside at IM British GT events throughout the year, championship staff are supplied with Sparco-made uniform, and a paddock-based service centre provides teams and drivers with a range of essential racewear items.
The relationship between Sparco and the IM British GT Championship is highly strategic for the Group as it represents the strong link between the brand and motorsports at its highest representation.
2) Why is sustainability important to Sparco?
Sustainability is key for Sparco. We now have in place a strong plan in relation to our sustainability balance and we acknowledge our corporate social responsibility by publishing yearly sustainability report of the Group. We strongly believe that by working sustainably we are creating future for all upcoming motorsport generations.
3) What is Sparco’s new Full efficiency product line?
We like to call our new Full Efficiency product line a new clothing world standard, essential for a more sustainable future of the whole industry. Currently featuring suits, gloves and shoes, the sustainable collection was created via a virtuous circular production cycle, with zero waste target and with more than 51% regenerated fibers. The sustainable production process of the new line was achieved thanks to our fully owned technology which uses innovative techniques for spinning and weaving of regenerated fibers, in a fully controlled textile supply chain. All products of the line are Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) certified.
As mentioned, the new Full Efficiency line is aimed at the “zero waste” principle: we have been working in the last two years in revising our production flows in order to have a continuous regeneration of raw materials and consequently granting a lower impact on the environment. Official tests have shown that we are able to save up to 40% on average, in terms of environmental impact, for a suit and a pair of shoes.
4) How are the Full efficiency products used in the 2023 IM British GT championship season?
The Full Efficiency line is provided to the safety car driver, as well as the TV presenter. The driver of the safety car taking part in all IM British GT events is wearing the full efficiency suit, made of more than 70% recycled materials, as well as the shoes from the collection, made of full efficiency upper fabric (80% regenerated fabric) and three-dimensional jersey lining constructed from full efficiency yarn. The TV presenter also wears the line’s suit and shoes.
5) Where do you see the Full efficiency product line in future and what is your overall vision for a sustainable motorsports industry?
The Full Efficiency line will definitely grow and our Research and Development department will continue searching for innovative solutions in term of safety, performance and sustainability.
We are convinced that sustainability is crucial for successful motorsports future, and our core company values will be driving new sustainable product definitions and processes, in the medium to long term.
Please follow this link for more information.
