Paris 2024: A Celebration of Sports & Sustainability

With the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games been and gone, our Senior Writers explore some of the steps taken to make strides in, and recognise, sustainability. Cerys Deakin delves into the overall commitment of the Olympics to sustainability, while Daisy Culleton examines the sustainability of this year's Olympic and Paralympic Uniforms.

Recognition of the effects of climate change is commonplace, but the impacts on sport and contributions by sport are now being more widely acknowledged. This Olympic season, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) worked to ensure those that contributed to the Games could be celebrated for their sustainable and ethical attitudes and actions.

Jennifer Steinmann, Deloitte Global sustainability leader said, “The Olympic and Paralympic Games Paris 2024 are not only a demonstration of athletic excellence; they also exemplify a strong commitment to sustainability”. Upon reflection, it should be mentioned that these Games have proven to be more sustainable than all of its predecessors. But how exactly was this achieved?

A promotional installation at Jardin Du Luxembourg featuring the 'PARIS 2024' logo. Image Credits: Solen Feyissa on Unsplash.

Behind the Scenes – Planning Paris 2024

Planning these Games began with the pledge to cut carbon emissions in half, when compared to the emissions of both London 2012 and Rio 2016. Planning was far more complicated than ever before, with new considerations ranging from energy consumption practices all the way to the actual equipment used in the sports. For instance, approximately 75% of sports equipment used in Paris was rented from local sports federations, alongside a further estimated 75% of electronics also rented. The hope was that through these efforts, the Games could follow a circular economy strategy that hopes to reduce waste and encourage recycling and repairing.

In following this process, there was less demand for the construction and production of new equipment, which would further enhance emissions. Where there was the production of new equipment, the organisers created a clause for suppliers, to ensure that the equipment was given a second life following the completion of the Games. These facts are so important in improving the Olympics’ level of sustainability, when considering that there are estimates of around 350 million tonnes of CO2e being produced by the sports sector.

As for the infrastructure involved in the Games, there were 35 venues required for the functioning of the games, of which 95% were pre-existing. Those that were required to be built, were planned with sustainability in mind with consideration for impacts on local biodiversity. Each year that the Games occur, there are records of significant impacts on wildlife, through disruption to ecosystems, deforestation, displacement and widespread waste disposal. But this year, strategy was designed with the aim of avoiding these impacts. The Games were also solely powered by renewable sources, with the new aquatics centre being fitted with over 4,500m2 of solar panels on its roof. The aquatics centre is of particular importance to the local community, who will continue to use the centre in the future, where half of all 11-year-olds in the area do not know how to swim. 

The triathlon also reached peak publicity during the Games, due to the poor water quality in the river Seine prior to the games. Whilst there were some disturbances to the triathlon schedule, the Olympic Games can be celebrated for their outstanding efforts to improve the water quality in the river. Paris 2024 accelerated an already present effort to improve the water quality, with the hope that the locals can begin to enjoy the river also. The Paris Games marked a huge milestone in sustainable development of sports, with evidence of progress in various sectors of the planning and production.

Further, they have offered improved livelihoods for locals, as well as marking a different set of standards for future events. Children in the local area are now given greater opportunity for involvement in sports and life-saving skills such as swimming. The job opportunities provided valuable income for families and the development of new skill sets to carry forward. 

It is abundantly clear that the Olympics this year marked a turning point in how spectacular events can be held even whilst considering the sustainability of them. But another critical area in keeping our planet clean and environmental impacts to a minimum includes the mammoth production of fast fashion pieces. How then, did Paris 2024 play its part in ensuring athletes looked their best whilst remaining conscious of this fact?

Uncovering the Sustainability of the Olympic Uniforms

Various media outlets have dubbed Paris 2024 as the ‘greenest Olympics in history’. While this statement carries a degree of historical exaggeration – after, all the earliest recorded Olympic Games, held in Olympia, were naturally far more sustainable as a product of their time – it is clear that Paris 2024 made huge strides towards establishing a new, greener model for the Olympics, Paralympics and sports in general. Amid growing debates surrounding the environmental and ethical issues of fast-fashion, sustainability measures for Paris 2024 even extended to many of the uniforms worn by the competing athletes.

Team Japan partnered with Asics, a Japanese sportswear brand, to create uniforms made from recycled materials. Team Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) dabbled in sustainable innovation, collaborating with Far Eastern New Century (FENC), New Wide and Junmany to produce garments featuring carbon-captured polyester, cooling fabrics and labels weaved with sustainable yarns. Cariuma, a B-Corp skatewear brand, meticulously crafted uniforms for the skate teams of Portugal, Slovakia and the Netherlands, using materials made from recycled plastic bottles. Likewise, Team Ireland embraced sustainability. Irish fashion designer Laura Webber fashioned Ireland’s Opening and Closing Ceremony outfits from ECO-Hybrid taffeta made using recycled t-shirts and PET bottles.

Additionally, sustainability was even prioritised in the design of the medals, demonstrating a real commitment to environmental responsibility from the host city’s organising committee. Each medal comprised 18 grams of iron removed from the Eiffel Tower and preserved during renovation in the 20th century.

A view inside the Eiffel Tower Stadium. Image Credits: Qi Li on Unsplash.

Conversely, the involvement of certain high-end consumer and luxury brands in the Olympic Games has led to accusations of greenwashing. Ralph Lauren, which has been partnered with Team USA since 2008, was one of the brands seen to be muddying the waters. Ralph Lauren provided cotton polos for USA Olympic and Paralympic athletes which were allegedly made from 100% recycled materials.

Despite this clear attempt to appeal to a sustainability-minded audience, many feel that Ralph Lauren’s place as the quintessential, trendy American brand puts it completely at odds with itself. The brand, known for its classic American luxury and aspirational lifestyle, seems to clash with the principles of sustainability entirely. What’s more, the lack of certification for any part of Ralph Lauren’s supply chain by critical labour standards that safeguard worker health, safety, and wages, also led many to view their Olympic uniforms as a superficial commitment to sustainability, aimed at diverting attention away from their dubious, unethical working conditions.

LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy), a French multinational luxury goods conglomerate, being the lead sponsor for both events has also left a bitter taste in the mouths of sustainable fashion supporters. Although they were reported to have created outfits for medal bearers using upcycled textile offcuts their wider behaviour as a luxury brand does not reflect this, and, as such, like Ralph Lauren, their sustainability efforts at the Olympics and Paralympics are seen as insincere and phoney.

This controversy surrounding the true sustainability of many of the ‘sustainable’ uniforms leads one to question whether the most sustainable option would be to return to the practices of the Olympics pre-1908, before formal uniforms were introduced, and athletes would wear their own sports apparel. However, in today’s consumerist and fashion-forward climate, we can only dream of a return to such simplicity. Therefore, the sustainability measures taken by teams such as Chinese Taipei and Ireland, whilst they can be improved upon, do at least represent a step that is in line with the growing criticism of fast fashion.  With clear efforts being made to make uniforms more sustainable than they were previously, it is easy to understand how Paris 2024 got hailed as a ‘green Olympics’. 

So, what sustainability measure would you like to see implemented at LA 2028?

About the Author:

Cerys Deakin is an MSci Zoologist at the University of Exeter with a keen passion for conservation and sustainability. With high interest in mammals and primates, Cerys hopes to share her passion with others and inspire them to work to conserve biodiversity. You can see Cerys’ passion for wildlife in images over on her Instagram @cerys.hermione.photography and check out her skills over on LinkedIn.

Daisy Culleton is an American Studies and History graduate from the University of Nottingham. She has a keen interest in both Art and Environmental History.