London Olympics Goes for the Green with Sustainable Sourcing Code
The organizing committee behind the 2012 Olympic Games has unveiled a guide to procuring products from suppliers around the world that meet strict social and environmental standards.
The organizing committee behind the 2012 Olympic Games has unveiled a guide to procuring products, services and promotional items that meet strict social and environmental standards.
The London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games announced the sourcing guide as a first step to make sure the next Summer Games meet and exceed the green goals of this summer's games in Beijing.
There are four basic principles behind the sourcing code, which is aimed at internal Olympics 2012 buyers, suppliers for the games, and licensees: responsible sourcing, use of recycled materials, energy efficiency in the supply chain, and non-toxic materials.
The organizing committee projects that the 2012 Olympics will generate roughly 5,000 business opportunities and 25,000 supply chain opportunities. Sales of licensed products for the 2008 Beijing Olympics reached $700 million by the end of 2007, and the 2004 Olympiad in Athens, Greece, grossed over $1 billion in total sales.
As a result, their hope is to make a positive and lasting chain in the manufacture, packaging, shipping and recyclability of a large swath of companies. The CEO of the London 2012 committe, Paul Deighton, said in a release that "London 2012 represents a fantastic opportunity to deliver a world class sporting event, but in a sustainable way. Our ambition is to set new sustainability benchmarks for the way large-scale events are staged, the Sustainable Sourcing Code is a key part of this."
The organizers also intend to make the Games a zero-waste event by keeping all materials out of landfills. Emphasizing recycled materials and easily recyclable materials in the Sourcing Code is a key element of that strategy.
The edition of the Sourcing Code released last week is just a first step; further updates are expected as the organizing committee refines its criteria. The full code is available to download from London2012.com [PDF].
The London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games announced the sourcing guide as a first step to make sure the next Summer Games meet and exceed the green goals of this summer's games in Beijing.
There are four basic principles behind the sourcing code, which is aimed at internal Olympics 2012 buyers, suppliers for the games, and licensees: responsible sourcing, use of recycled materials, energy efficiency in the supply chain, and non-toxic materials.
The organizing committee projects that the 2012 Olympics will generate roughly 5,000 business opportunities and 25,000 supply chain opportunities. Sales of licensed products for the 2008 Beijing Olympics reached $700 million by the end of 2007, and the 2004 Olympiad in Athens, Greece, grossed over $1 billion in total sales.
As a result, their hope is to make a positive and lasting chain in the manufacture, packaging, shipping and recyclability of a large swath of companies. The CEO of the London 2012 committe, Paul Deighton, said in a release that "London 2012 represents a fantastic opportunity to deliver a world class sporting event, but in a sustainable way. Our ambition is to set new sustainability benchmarks for the way large-scale events are staged, the Sustainable Sourcing Code is a key part of this."
The organizers also intend to make the Games a zero-waste event by keeping all materials out of landfills. Emphasizing recycled materials and easily recyclable materials in the Sourcing Code is a key element of that strategy.
The edition of the Sourcing Code released last week is just a first step; further updates are expected as the organizing committee refines its criteria. The full code is available to download from London2012.com [PDF].
