Paris 2024: first results of the circular economy strategy

Paris 2024 unveiled the first results of its circular economy strategy. Integrated into every level of the organisation, the strategy is based on three key principles: organising the Games with fewer resources, making better use of these resources by promoting eco-design and ensuring the second life of resources after the Games. For all the facilities, Paris 2024 has proposed a more responsible model: thinking about their post-Games life before the Games even start.

Assessing the “material footprint” of the Games to reduce it more effectively

Spectator seating, tents, beds, chairs, tables, tennis balls, shuttlecocks, flags, bibs, etc. Organising the world's biggest international sporting event requires a large amount of equipment and many resources.

As with its carbon footprint, Paris 2024 wanted to calculate its “material footprint” in advance of the Games, i.e. the sum of the weight of all the resources mobilised for the needs of the Games, a first in the history of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Venue by venue, Paris 2024 has produced a detailed map of the resources needed to organise the Games, with the aim of reducing and pooling resources and controlling their life cycle before, during and after the Games.

To obtain its supplies, Paris 2024 applied its Responsible Purchasing Strategy, defined in 2019, of which circular economy is one of the pillars. In its calls for tender, Paris 2024 has given preference to suppliers who:
- adopt an eco-design approach to their products and services,
- give priority to equipment hire and long-life products,
- use lower-impact raw materials such as recycled materials or production offcuts,
- are committed to certification processes,
- offer solutions for the second and end-of-life of products (re-use, re-cycling),
- minimise the use of packaging and promote reusable or recyclable packaging.

To date, thanks to the application of this Responsible Purchasing Strategy, 90% of the six million resource elements used will be deployed and taken over by the Games' service providers and partners, who manage a large proportion of the services required to organise the Games. The remaining 10% of resources will be under the direct responsibility of Paris 2024, as the Organising Committee.

Organising an event with fewer resources

At the time of the bid, Paris 2024 proposed a concept for a more responsible Games: capitalising on 95% of existing infrastructure or temporary venues, to build less and thus mobilise fewer resources.

This principle of reducing resources is also reflected in the interior design of the 40 or so competition and non-competition venues. Tents, chairs, computers, sports equipment or signage... Paris 2024 has questioned and pooled its needs whenever possible. This approach has enabled us, for example, to reduce the number of items of furniture from 800,000 to 600,000.

In addition to reducing its needs, Paris 2024 has given preference to hiring rather than buying from event organisers. Of the two million items of sports equipment, three-quarters will be hired or made available by sports federations. Seventy-five per cent of electronic equipment, such as televisions, computers and printers, are also hired rather than purchased. Finally, with GL Events, Official Partner of Paris 2024, as well as Arena, ES Global and Loxam, Official Supporters of Paris 2024 for temporary infrastructure and fitting out, 100% of the stands, tents and bungalows to be used will be hired rather than purchased.

In the catering sector, Paris 2024 has committed to reducing single-use plastic by 50% compared to the Games of London 2012. This will be achieved by using returnable, recycled and reused containers. To achieve this, Coca-Cola, Worldwide Partner of Paris 2024, will favour packaging-free solutions by installing drinks fountains where the configuration of the venue allows, to significantly reduce the use of plastic bottles. Making better use of resources by promoting eco-design

Paris 2024 worked with its partners and service providers on the second pillar of its circular economy strategy: promoting eco-design. With respect to dressing competition and non-competition venues, installing signage or furnishing spectator, athlete and volunteer areas, the eco-design approach to products has been a key evaluation criterion in Paris 2024's calls for tenders.

For the flooring for the handball, volleyball and sitting volleyball events, as well as wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, goalball and boccia, Paris 2024 chose Gerflor, Official Supporter of Paris 2024 and a French company specialising in floor coverings. The 33,466 m² of sports flooring supplied by Gerflor will contain an average of 35% recycled materials and will be 100% recyclable. Gerflor is committed to finding a re-use destination in sports or educational establishments after the competition, for all the flooring used during the Games of Paris 2024.

To furnish the competition venues, the Athletes' Village and the Media Village, RGS Events, Official Supporter of Paris 2024, has sourced certain lots of furniture from companies in the Social and Solidarity Economy sector, with the support of the Les Canaux association as part of the SSE 2024 programme. The athletes' areas will feature coffee tables made from recycled shuttlecocks, poufs made from parachute canvas and chairs made from recycled bottle tops. As for the athletes' beds, Airweave, Official Supporter of Paris 2024, has chosen to manufacture the base frames in France from 100% recycled cardboard, and to recycle them in France after the event.

100% second life for temporary infrastructure, furniture and equipment

By their very nature, the Olympic and Paralympic Games are ephemeral events. To ensure that the resources mobilised for the Games do not become waste, but can be reused, Paris 2024 thought about the second life of material assets before the event. As with eco-design, Paris 2024 has chosen suppliers who incorporate second life into their products.
For example, Sodexo Live!, Official Supporter of Paris 2024, will ensure the second life of the 35,000 plates in the Athletes' Village restaurant, produced without a logo to facilitate their re-use. Also in the Athletes' Village, Saint-Gobain, Official Supporter of Paris 2024, has developed partitions that can be reused to convert athletes' rooms into housing or to be reinstalled on other sites. Materials and temporary structures (tents, stands and bungalows) will be reused or recycled.

The second life of the Games' facilities also involves the legacy left by such facilities to the regions and the world of sport. In particular, the Organising Committee has decided to bequeath the temporary swimming pools used during the Games to the Seine-Saint-Denis region so that they can benefit the local population. Myrtha Pools, Official Supporter of the Games and supplier of the temporary pools for Paris 2024, will reinstall the Paris La Défense Arena temporary pools in Nanterre in the areas of Sevran and Bagnolet/Est Ensemble. (STADIAWORLD, 21.03.2024)