Seats made of packaging, beds made of cardboard and athletes with specific demands to the major drinks manufacturers. The Summer Olympics in Paris somehow also have something to do with the packaging industry.
The 2024 Olympic Games in Paris are to be held under the motto „Green Games“ and focus on sustainability. Paris has set itself the goal of setting new standards for future major events and it is clear that packaging will not be left out of the equation.
As little plastic as possible
The organisers of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris are planning to make the event as plastic-free as possible. Disposable plastic is to be avoided in the packaging of food and drinks in order to reduce the usual mountains of waste at major events. Instead, reusable drinking bottles and drinking fountains will be provided for visitors.
For many organisations and athletes, however, this does not go far enough. Two weeks before the start of the Games, more than 100 sports organisations and athletes called on the major drinks manufacturers Coca Cola and Pepsi to increase to use reusable packaging. The initiative was launched by „Sailors for the Sea Powered by Oceana“ and „EcoAthletes“ on the way.
Open letter to Coca Cola and Pepsi
The signatories of the letter are calling for the Olympic Games to be used as a starting point for the increased use of reusable packaging at future sporting events. Recycling alone is not enough to solve the plastic waste problem, the initiators emphasise.
They are calling on Coca-Cola and Pepsi to offer reusable packaging worldwide and significantly increase its use by 2030. The companies should also ensure that future Olympic Games and other major sporting events use reusable packaging.
Support from prominent athletes
The appeal is supported by over 50 Olympians, Paralympians, world champions and world record holders. Among the signatories are Italian freediving world record holder Alessia Zecchini, US Olympic swimming champion Zach Apple and British skateboarder Andy Macdonald.
Coca Cola has now responded to this appeal. To „Packaging Europe“ the company announced, They already have ambitious goals and are thinking about the impact of every drink they sell.
At the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, we will offer beverage fountains with refill options, reusable glass bottles and plastic bottles made from 100 % recycled materials (without cap and label). Paris 2024 will provide reusable cups, and fans and athletes will also be able to use refillable bottles. During the Olympic Games, we will also promote the collection and recycling of bottles.
Sitting on leftover packaging
So while on the one hand the aim is to do without packaging, elsewhere we are looking at what can still be made from old packaging. For example, the seats in the Olympic swimming centre are made from recycled plastic.
The French company was in charge Le Pavé, which manufactures floor coverings, tables and fittings from recycled plastic, among other things. For the seats in the swimming centre, the company worked with four dozen recyclers who supplied around 100 tonnes of packaging waste - most of it plastic bottles and caps.
For cardboard-solid sleep
So while visitors sit on old bottles, athletes will be able to experience the performance of corrugated cardboard while they sleep. 16,000 cardboard beds have been placed in the Olympic Village. However, the idea is not new: the manufacturer Airweave had already implemented this concept at the Summer Olympics in Japan.
As an official supporter of Paris 2024, the company produced Airweave The bed frames are made in France from 100 % recycled cardboard. After the games, the beds are also recycled in France.
Thanks to the high-quality corrugated cardboard and sophisticated design, the beds are stable and durable. After the games, they are passed on to various organisations such as the military, the Paris Opera Ballet School or the hotel management school.