Deceuninck-QuickStep announced Friday that it has launched an ambitious sustainability project with the hashtag "It starts with us (#itstartswithus)" to become the first carbon neutral cycling team.

This Belgian team will work with a group called CO2logic to reduce its carbon footprint. The first project will help reduce deforestation by helping to provide clean water to the Kaliro district of Uganda, eliminating wells and the need to use energy to boil water.

The second project will take place around Mont Ventoux, a famous symbol of cycling, and will support conservation and reforestation projects to increase habitat for the team's spirit animal, the wolf.

"Every day in the news these days is about our environment and its evolution. Compared to many other sports, cycling has a unique relationship with the environment in that it is our stadium and, like all stadiums, needs to be cared for and looked after," says communications manager Alessandro Tegner.

"As a team, we travel thousands of miles each year and consume large amounts of energy. We see this as a long-term process of educating and changing habits; it's not just about one thing." [Riders, staff, sponsors, supporters, and those around us at races and events. It won't happen overnight, but if we all do our bit, the benefits will be long-lasting. We are also pleased that our partners have supported our initiative from the very first moment and have contributed ideas and comments that will be part of future projects."

Deceuninck-QuickStep recognized that sports are a major factor in the current climate crisis. This is because players, staff, and fans travel around the world and contribute to climate change through carbon dioxide emissions from various modes of transportation.

The team's annual footprint is calculated at 1,288 tons of CO2, "the equivalent of 179 round trips around the world by car, or 539 round trips between Brussels and New York," according to the press release. The amount of forest needed to absorb this amount of CO2 is equivalent to about 3,099 soccer fields."

In addition to carbon offsets, the team is committed to reducing the use of single-use plastics and shifting to the use of recycled and biodegradable products, encouraging fans to bike, reducing energy consumption at team headquarters, promoting recycling, discouraging littering curtailing, and pledging to educate players and staff to respect the environment.

CO2Logic founder Antoine Gerinckx said that collaboration with the teams is a model for all sports.

"Cycling is a beautiful, inherently low-carbon sport that brings people together around the world. Unfortunately, the CO2 required to ride is emitted into the atmosphere. We continue to calculate and reduce our team's climate impact through daily actions and by supporting certified climate change projects.