Anna Gerke, an Associate Professor at Audencia and a member of the Scientific Committee for the Think Tank Sport and Citizenship, examines whether the Paris Olympics have established a new benchmark for the circular economy in sporting events.
Source: CircularOnline
As our planet confronts urgent environmental issues, including the rapid depletion of natural resources, the principles of the circular economy hold promising solutions.
Sports organizations are beginning to adopt circular economy practices at various levels, whether it's at the product, organizational, or even the entire industry or ecosystem level.
Mega sporting events, which typically consume significant resources, necessitate innovative solutions to boost their sustainability.
The Paris 2024 Olympic Games have set a new standard in this regard. As Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), emphasized during the closing ceremony, these Games signaled the dawn of a new era.
They were not only the first to achieve gender parity among competitors but also the most sustainable Olympics to date.
The Paris 2024 organizing committee is the first to appoint a Circular Economy Officer, and in November 2023, they released their sustainability strategy.
But how can they achieve a more sustainable legacy, grounded in circular economy principles, compared to previous Games?
The circular economy at the Paris Olympics
Paris 2024 aims to establish a precedent by embedding sustainable practices into every facet of the Games, showcasing the potential for large-scale sports events to implement and gain from circular economy strategies.
Let’s examine these initiatives in light of recent developments in circular economy research to grasp their potential impact.
The circular economy can be distilled into three core principles:
Eliminating the use of virgin resources by designing out waste and pollution
Relying entirely on renewable resources for energy
Creating regenerative designs that are integrated into socio-economic systems
To apply these principles, circular strategies involve prolonging the life of products, materials, and resources, as well as developing new models to meet these needs.
These principles should be executed while ensuring social equity and environmental stewardship.
A winning strategy for enhanced sustainability
The Paris 2024 organizing committee has articulated ten commitments to achieve “more circular games.”
For instance, 95% of the infrastructure for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games was either already in place or temporary.
This resulted in a significant reduction in new construction, nearly eliminating the use of virgin resources.
By utilizing existing venues and temporary structures, the Games minimized the environmental impact of new buildings.
The organizing committee is also committed to maximizing the reuse of materials used during the Games.
They have mandated that 100% of the venue furniture and all temporary infrastructure be repurposed and given a second life post-Games. Furthermore, subcontractors were required to integrate second-life elements into their projects.
This commendable approach showcases Paris 2024’s dedication to extending its circular economy goals throughout the event’s supply chain.
Additionally, 90% of marketing and signage products will be redeployed, reused, or recycled after the Games.
Waste, energy, and other concerns
The organizing committee aims to avoid or recover 80% of consumption waste during the Games, targeting a 50% reduction in single-use plastic waste compared to prior events.
However, they could have made more significant strides by completely replacing plastic-based products with those made from organic materials.
The first green Olympic flame, soaring high in the Olympic Cauldron above the Tuileries Gardens—honoring the Montgolfier brothers and powered solely by green electricity—captivated everyone’s attention.
This remarkable feat highlights the commitment to sustainability. However, broader issues like energy consumption, energy sources, emissions, and pollution generated by the Games were not extensively addressed in the circular economy strategy of the Paris 2024 organizing committee.
Alternative consumption models such as rental, leasing, and sharing received little focus. For instance, only 60% of sports, technology, and security equipment was leased rather than purchased.
While local production should be prioritized, only 15% of licensed products used were produced in France and made from organic or recycled materials.
This outcome is quite disappointing, given the emphasis on small-scale, local production and consumption circuits as essential components of the circular economy.
In conclusion, the Paris 2024 organizing committee deserves recognition for its sincere, serious, and significant efforts to make the Olympic Games more circular. The challenge now shifts to Los Angeles to advance these initiatives further and ensure that the 2028 Games truly embody circular principles.
