As sustainability has become a defining trend across industry globally, the events sector has often been criticised for being slow to adapt. Mega-events like the Olympics and FIFA World Cup generate significant environmental footprints.  

Things have improved more recently, with the most recent Olympics in Tokyo embracing the circular economy for example. Paris is hoping to host the most sustainable games to date later this year, with a wide range of initiatives being implemented to achieve the goal of cutting the carbon footprint of the previous games in half.  

Along with transitioning to 100 per cent renewable energy and incorporating carbon offsets, some other areas being addressed include:  

Venue resources 

The games are committed to using fewer resources, making better use of those needed and ensuring their reuse after the event. Approximately 95 per cent of the Paris 2024 venues will be pre-existing or temporary, with the remainder being built using low-carbon construction methods.  

For instance, the Aquatics Centre will serve as a venue and future multi-sports hub for the Paris community post-games. All seats in the centre are made from recycled plastic, with 80 per cent sourced from local post-consumer recycling bins, mostly from plastic bottles and caps. 

This principle will also apply to venue interior design, encouraging shared use of items like tents, chairs, computers, and sports equipment, heavily reducing estimated furniture requirements from 800,000 to 600,000 items.  

Food and drinks 

With a focus on responsible food sourcing and waste reduction, the organisers are engaging 120 organisations including farmers, caterers and nutritionists to shape the Paris 2024 Food Vision. This includes sourcing 80 per cent of ingredients locally, doubling plant-based meal options for all spectators and staff, and halving single-use plastics while reusing 100 per cent of catering equipment and infrastructure post-games.   

In partnership with Coca-Cola, 700 water and soda fountains will be installed across the venue alongside free drinking water points by the organiser, allowing spectators to enter all venues with their own reusable bottles. Other measures include a ban on single-used plastics from food consumption and the implementation of a deposit return scheme for food and drink containers. 

Transportation 

Public transportation is set to be the primary mode for travelling to venues, with buses, trains and subways easily accessible. These services will also be expanded by 15 per cent compared to regular summer traffic to accommodate the anticipated demand. The existing transport network will also be reinforced with over 400 kilometres of new bike lanes. 

The organisers also plan to include electric, hybrid and hydrogen-powered options in the vehicle fleets used by athletes and accredited participants. Additionally, they aim to further reduce carbon emissions associated with transportation by optimising fleets and decreasing the number of vehicles by 40 per cent compared to previous games. 

While these initiatives are only a portion of Paris' sustainability endeavours, they exemplify the significant actions event organisers across the sector can take to address environmental impact.  

Planet Ark does not take responsibility for the accuracy of the original information and encourages readers to check the references before using this information for their own purposes.