Bed Heads; Let’s Talk Sustainable Olympics
Amidst the Olympic fervor of 2021, there has been one unexpected star brought into the spotlight alongside the world’s greatest athletes: their beds. During these mid-pandemic Games, it has been hard to miss the media coverage of the seemingly bizarre cardboard beds provided for the competing athletes in Tokyo, supposedly designed to hold the weight of just one person. Inevitably, this claim has led many Olympians to put the beds’ strength to the test by dancing, jumping, and even working out on these temporary structures. Olympic officials, however, have stated that intention of the beds’ design was not to prevent the spread of COVID-19 but to help address sustainability issues that come along with constructing vast, temporary Olympic villages.
There are many examples of the Olympics failing to take sustainability into account in the past and leaving their host countries to deal with the fallout. In Brazil, following the 2016 Rio Olympics, the infrastructure left behind was too massive to be properly maintained by the government. Despite aspirations for it to become a public park and venue, it has been shut down repeatedly due to safety concerns. Ultimately, the economic boom that comes with an influx of tourism to the host country can be completely negated by the destruction created by what is left behind, economists argue. Perhaps because of the absence of spectators, Tokyo could not hide behind the same short-term economic gains and is tackling sustainability more head on than ever before.
As officials understand the considerable levels of waste and negative externalities, the Tokyo Olympics has implemented far more sustainability measures than any Olympics before it. Before the Games, a drive for used electronics was held and the gold, silver, and bronze obtained to create the famed Olympic medals. The Olympic podiums were 3D printed from plastic waste, electric vehicles were used to transport athletes and officials, and the entire Olympic village is designed to easily become apartment complexes following the Games (another reason those recyclable beds are so important). In fact, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics are set to be carbon neutral, with the purchase of carbon offsets being a key component of that claim. The need for sustainable solutions at the Olympics spans numerous ESG categories including sustainable infrastructure, waste disposal, transportation, and clean energy — creating a world of opportunity for innovation.
The nature of the Olympics is unsustainable with the construction of huge arenas which are rarely used more than once, and it is widely understood to be a net negative for the host country when handled thoughtlessly. However, the Olympics is an event that athletes spend their lives training for, and one that billions of people enjoy (with an estimated over 3 billion viewers on average) so we must strive for prosperity by limiting waste and using designs that are made to be repurposed to allow the Games to continue with limited environmental harm. As with many sustainability issues, we must continue to find creative solutions that will enable the continuation of an event that we love without sacrificing the safety of people or the health of the planet.
Jane Urciuoli, Investment Associate Intern
While great strides have been made this year, there are many who believe that an event the size of the Olympics can never truly be sustainable. In this article, Tokyo 2020 Olympics accused of “superficial” sustainability efforts, Jennifer Hahn discusses greenwashing and the potential drawbacks of this year’s sustainability measures.
As the Tokyo Games come to a close this week, educating yourself about the plans for upcoming Beijing Winter and Paris Summer Olympics is integral to a continued push for true sustainability. Helping spread awareness about the importance of these issues is a good start to tackling Olympic institutional problems which can often feel out of reach.
Looking to learn more about sustainability efforts and outcomes at the Olympics? Listen to this episode of the Deep Green Podcast which discusses: Can the Olympics be Sustainable?
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