Organisers of the Olympic Games have been considering the planet for more than a decade by introducing recycling initiatives to avoid waste. This year's Winter Olympics, running from 4th to 20th February, is the most environmentally friendly in history.
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The idea of recycling on a massive scale took off at the Vancouver Winter Olympics in Canada in 2010 - all the medals were made from recycled electronic waste collected from across the country. More than 1,000 medals awarded at the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games were made from recycled metals.
Reducing emissions
Today, the International Olympic Committee plays an increasing role in halting climate change by spearheading new, green practices.
Global warming is increasingly impacting the sports world, leading to unreliable snowfall and higher temperatures, which are disrupting winter sports. When it comes to the summer Olympics, generally hotter temperatures and heatwaves every summer are threatening athletes' health as they compete in intense heat.
The IOC has a vital role to play in following green initiatives at the Olympic events. It has pledged to reduce emissions by 30% by 2024 and 50% by 2030.
New torches
The 2022 Winter Olympics' opening ceremony in Beijing and the traditional torch relay featured futuristic silver and red torches made from a carbon-fibre composite. Lighter than steel, the material is up to nine times tougher. Strands of the composite were woven into the torches' base and infused with resin to create a hard shell.
Even more revolutionary was the fuel tank within the torches that burned hydrogen fuel. The smooth shell was polished and painted before artists added 1,268 decorative patterns on the body of each torch by laser-etching.
Recycled plastic team wear
The British Olympic team devised an unusual use for recycled plastics for the Games. Sportswear manufacturer Adidas and green organisation Parley for the Oceans collaborated to make a jacket for Team GB from recycled materials.
The new design incorporated recycled ocean plastics into a Parley jacket made from Terrex Myshelter Primaloft. The material includes "Primeblue", a high-performance thread made from 50% Parley ocean plastic. According to Adidas, this comprises recycled plastic waste that has been collected on shorelines and in coastal areas.
Team GB also commissioned manufacturer Stratasys to print numerous designs for luge moulds to improve the athletes' sleds. The luge is a small one or two-person sled on which the athlete lays down feet-first. The team tested the tweaked designs and sent them back to Stratasys to produce.
Moulds for the new designs were printed and turned around in two weeks - a massive saving in manufacturing resources from the old production methods, which took two to three months to complete.
In addition, the BBC has created a 40-second "Extreme by Nature" advert for the Olympics, incorporating 3D-printed winter scenes using polymer materials. The ground-breaking trailer uses the 3D printed cubes, combined with imaginative camera work, to depict some of the 15 sports being played at the Olympic Games.
Olympic innovations
Other innovations at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics include eco-friendly refrigeration systems at ice venues to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Improved cloud computing has helped athletes at Tokyo 2020 interact with fans through virtual participation - a viable alternative to being there in person. The carbon footprint of the media hub for televising the Olympics is 30% smaller today than it was at the Rio Olympics in 2016.
One of the biggest decisions the IOC makes is choosing which city will host each games. A large part of the decision-making process today is finding sustainable venues. The committee considers a stadium's location, capacity and materials from a sustainability point of view: all the venues at Beijing 2022 are powered by 100% renewable energy, with wind and solar power being the main sources.
The Paris 2024 Summer Olympics aims to maintain the eco-friendly trend by halving the carbon footprint of the previous summer games.
With a responsible ethic, Solent Plastics supports eco-friendly practices, including the supply of sustainable plastic products that will last a lifetime. We do not condone single-use plastics and ensure our products can be reused or recycled for multiple purposes. Together, we can help save our planet!