On the evening of July 26, 2024, the opening ceremony of the 33rd Summer Olympics was successfully held on the banks of the Seine River in Paris, France.
In the hot summer, attracting hundreds of millions of viewers around the world, in addition to the full swing of the sporting events and athletes, there are many controversies of the Olympic Games: the Seine River water quality management is ineffective, the opening ceremony performance is too bold and innovative, the Olympic Village for the sake of environmental protection is not equipped with air conditioning, athletes sleep on cardboard beds caused by the inconvenience ......
However, it is undeniable that, as the first Olympic Games fully compliant with the requirements of the Olympic Agenda 2020, the Paris Games have demonstrated elements of sustainability in many dimensions, including venue design, event operation and publicity and promotion.
As early as October 2022, the Paris Games passed the ISO 20121 certification of the sustainability management system for large-scale events, which recognizes the high standards of the Paris Games in terms of economic, environmental and social impacts, and is a manifestation of "organizing an Olympic and Paralympic Games that is compatible with society and its realities".
System Management: ISO 20121 and the Paris Olympics Sustainability Management System
ISO 20121, Requirements for and Guidance on the Use of Sustainability Management Systems for Large Events, is intended as an international standard that defines the requirements for a sustainability management system for any kind of large event and provides guidance for meeting those requirements.
The standard is applicable to all organizations wishing to establish, implement, maintain and improve a sustainability management system for large events, and can also be used for third-party certification. The standard requires organizations to improve processes and thinking, which in turn leads to continuous performance improvement, and gives organizations the flexibility to be innovative in the way they conduct their event-related work without deviating from the event objectives.
Guided by the ISO 20121 standard, the Paris Olympics has established a Sustainability Management System (SMS) that systematically integrates environmental and social objectives into all Paris Olympics activities, helping to facilitate the implementation of the Paris Olympics' legacy and sustainability strategy by providing a set of systematic, standardized framework processes and aligning stakeholders in the ecosystem with the event's ambitions.
It mainly contains the following elements:
- Approach to the Sustainability Management System and action plans for the relevant sectors;
- Adoption of a formalized process on how to assess challenges, dialogue with stakeholders in the Olympic ecosystem, regulatory monitoring, skills management, operational management, reporting data collection, etc;
- Operational tools to help the Paris Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games integrate social and environmental challenges into its activities, including a matrix of priorities, a list of best practices for sustainable development, a charter of participation and guidelines.
Forward Planning: Developing a strategic vision for sustainability
The Paris Organizing Committee, together with all stakeholders, has set itself the goal of reducing the environmental and climate impact of the Olympic Games, making sport a tool for social innovation.
To this end, the Paris Organizing Committee has developed a legacy and sustainability strategy based on two pillars:
- Organize a more sustainable and innovative Olympic Games in all environmental and social aspects
- Building a social and environmental legacy, utilizing sport for the benefit of individuals, society and the environment.
In addition, the Paris Organizing Committee has refined its universal accessibility strategy and its three main objectives:
- Ensure a fully participatory and accessible Games experience
- To leave a tangible legacy for the residents and visitors with special needs in the venues where the Games are held
- To leave an intangible legacy for people with special needs in the host country and around the world.
Collaboration for mutual benefit: Building an ecosystem of interested parties
A sustainable Olympic Games cannot be achieved without the collective mobilization of the Organizing Committee around an ecosystem of stakeholders, including public participants, including national departments and local authorities, partners, international and national sports associations and civil society organizations.
The Paris Organizing Committee offers a new organizational model that seeks to create a Games open to all.
All stakeholders in the ecosystem of the Paris Olympics contribute together to the sustainability and legacy of the Games, according to their respective roles, scope of responsibility and level of commitment to the project, thus benefiting society at large.
Establish the pillars: Clarify the framework of responsibilities for the management system
Paris Organizing Committee clarifies the role and commitment of leaders, Tony Estanguet, President of the Paris 2024 Organizing Committee, said, "Together, we are building a new model for the Olympic Games that ensures that the Games control their impact on their surroundings and on the planet as a whole, bring people together, and are inclusive, frugal and sustainable."
The Departments of Sustainability, Impact and Legacy, Universal Accessibility, and Planning and Coordination are responsible for implementing the Mega Event Sustainability Management System and working closely with the operations team to define its review and development process.
Defining Impacts: Identify key sustainability issues
Early in the bidding phase for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Paris Organizing Committee organized a consultation covering 250 participants from the Olympic Movement, business, NGOs, CSOs and partners to identify a list of sustainability topics, supplemented by the inclusion of topics included in the ISO 20121 and ISO 26000 standards to reflect the mega-event's expectations and aspirations of stakeholders in the ecosystem.
Based on the global development context, the urgency of the issue, the compliance requirements associated with the issue, and the level of control that the Paris 2024 Olympic Games will have over the implementation of the issue, the Paris Organizing Committee assessed the importance of the identified issues. The topics were then finalized and prioritized based on aspects that will help to consolidate the Paris Olympic Games strategy, and issues to be addressed when implementing the ISO 20121 sustainability management system.
The 17 sustainability issues identified by the Paris Olympics are based on a double materiality analysis, which identifies the environmental, social and economic impacts associated with the event.
Precision Practice: In-depth implementation and impact management of sustainability commitments
The Paris Organizing Committee has always been committed to continually advancing its sustainability commitments and improving its event management practices, managing the environmental, social and economic impacts of the Games by integrating sustainable development principles into all aspects of event planning and operations, in order to promote a greener, more harmonious future.
For example, at the environmental level, the Paris Olympics set the tone for future Olympic organizers by announcing early in the planning process that it would host an Olympic Games in 2024 that would make a positive contribution to the climate. It also set a commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 50% compared to the previous two editions, limiting them to around 1.75 million tons.
The Paris Olympics adopted the AAROM (Anticipate, Avoid, Reduce, Offset, Mobilise) approach to carbon emissions management and biodiversity conservation: i.e. alignment with the requirements of the Paris Agreement, avoidance of unnecessary emissions, adoption of mitigation measures, offsetting of carbon emissions that cannot be avoided and reduced, and mobilization of 100% of the ecosystems.
On the social level, the Paris Organizing Committee and its partners, determined to make the Olympic and Paralympic Games a responsible event in economic, social and environmental terms, signed a social charter on June 19, 2019, in conjunction with trade unions and employers' organizations, to incorporate social considerations into the economic opportunities and to ensure that the Games make a positive contribution to local communities.
On the economic level, around 90% of Paris Olympic suppliers are from mainland France, of which 78% are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The Olympic Games are expected to generate between 690 and 11.1 billion euros of economic activity in the Paris metropolitan area, benefiting the local economy.
The Olympic Games is not only a gathering of sports competitions, but also a common pursuit and practice of green and sustainable lifestyles around the world. The Paris Olympics has practiced the requirements of the ISO 20121 standard, and its commitments and practices provide an example of sustainability management for large-scale events around the world.
Read Moore: From iconic venues to gender equality, what makes Paris 2024 so special?