It is a great feeling to be sharing with you this moment here in Ancient Olympia, the cradle of Olympism.

Let me first of all congratulate you for being here. You have been selected by your respective National Olympic Committees to take part in the 56th Session of the International Olympic Academy for Young Participants. Over the next few days, you will be taking an in-depth look at various themes linked to Olympism and sustainability.

Before speaking more specifically about the role of the Worldwide TOP Partners in sustainability, let us first examine what sustainability means for the Olympic Movement.

How does the IOC define sustainability?

When we talk about sustainable development, we are expressing our hope for a better future, for an environmentally sounder and more humane society. A society which does not only focus on short-term success, but rather spares a thought for subsequent generations as well as its own needs.

This attitude is included in our Olympic Charter as one of the Fundamental Principles of Olympism – “The goal of Olympism is to place sport at the service of the harmonious development of humankind” – as well as in the IOC’s role “to encourage and support a responsible concern for environmental issues, to promote sustainable development in sport and to require that the Olympic Games are held accordingly”.

More than twenty years ago, the IOC included environmental protection in the Olympic Charter as the third pillar, alongside sport and culture.

The IOC was one of the first and largest sports organisations to seriously consider the impact environmental conditions can have on the practice of sport and equally, the significant impact sport can have on the environment. Since then, developing and promoting sustainability has been one of our most pressing concerns.

Under the leadership of its President, Thomas Bach, the IOC reaffirmed its commitment to sustainable development in its Olympic Agenda 2020, the strategic roadmap for the future of the Olympic Movement, which was unanimously approved during the IOC’s 127 Session held in December 2014 in Monaco.

The 40 detailed recommendations that make up Olympic Agenda 2020 provide the Olympic Movement with a clear vision of where it is headed and how it can protect the uniqueness of the Olympic Games, safeguard the relevance of Olympic values in society, and ensure and strengthen the role and place of sport in society.

Sustainability is one of the three pillars of the Olympic Agenda 2020 reforms, along with credibility and youth. Olympic Agenda 2020 places great emphasis on incorporating sustainability in all aspects of the Olympic Games and encourages the Olympic Movement to include sustainability in its daily operations.

As a consequence, sustainability has been introduced as a working principle of the Olympic Movement, defined as decision-making which “ensures feasibility, maximises positive impacts and minimises negative impacts in the social, environment and economic spheres”. As you see, this new definition goes further than taking care of the environment, although this will be our focus today.

By its nature, sport can contribute to sustainable development goals such as health, education, inclusiveness and peace. By implementing its missions in a sustainable manner, the Olympic Movement can have an even greater impact and contribute to the well being of people, sustainable cities and healthy nature.

This important role of sport was duly recognised last September when the United Nations General Assembly adopted the post-2015 Development Agenda including a direct reference to the benefits and importance of sport.

Paragraph 37 of “Transforming our World: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” reads:

Sport is also an important enabler of sustainable development. We recognise the growing contribution of sport to the realisation of development and peace in its promotion of tolerance and respect, and the contributions it makes to the empowerment of women and of young people, individuals and communities as well as to health, education and social inclusion objectives.

Like the Olympic Movement, the Worldwide TOP Partners are looking at ways to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals; also, they are increasingly making sustainability an integral part of their corporate strategy.

What the contribution of the Worldwide TOP Partners has been so far?

The twelve Worldwide TOP Partners have already made a substantial contribution to improving the sustainability of the Olympic Games, especially on the environmental side.

Let me give you a few examples:

• General Electric and sustainable lighting: Over the years, General Electric (GE) has become a vital part of the efforts to deliver sustainably responsible Olympic Games, leveraging its Ecoimagination initiative launched in 2005, which aims at finding innovative solutions that work towards more energy-efficient products. In London in 2012, there was GE equipment in all sporting and non-sporting venues, including the Olympic Village. GE has provided power, heating and cooling systems across the Park for the Games and for the new buildings and communities that will develop after 2012. GE worked with the London Mayor and the London Transport in association with the Organising Committee and with fellow London 2012 sustainability partners, to install 120 GE charge points that supported a fleet of zero-emission electric vehicles used during the Olympic Games, which continue to work afterwards. GE and its partners also replaced the lamps on London’s iconic Tower Bridge, providing a state-of-the-art, energy-efficient lighting system that helps save 40 per cent over previous artistic lighting fixtures. Energy-efficient LEDs and floodlights now illuminate the towers of the Bridge.

• Coca-Cola recycling and waste management: During the Olympic Games Beijing 2008, Coca-Cola’s plan was to raise awareness about the many ways plastic can be reused. Alongside extensive signage and numerous recycling bins, all PET plastic bottles collected from all official venues have been fully recycled into valuable reuses, through a Coca-Cola partnership with BOCOG and the City of Beijing. One of their initiatives included gifting every 2008 Olympian and Paralympian with an exclusive t-shirt made out of recycled beverage containers. The limited-edition shirts featured the slogan “I’m from Earth”, and the back depicted five beverage bottles, the same number of recycled containers it had taken to make the shirt.

In Rio, Coca-Cola’s Coletivo Programme is one of its key CSR initiatives and supports recycling cooperatives in becoming self-sustaining businesses. This is not a Games-specific project, but will be leveraged in the context of Olympic Games Rio 2016:

– More than 500 communities are being developed through this programme.

– Coletivo helps communities by teaching retail skills to young adults and women, to help prepare them for the job market, while 70 per cent of participants are women.

– Coletivo Recycling helps recycling cooperatives in becoming self-sustaining businesses.

• Dow, Co2 reduction and compensation:

Science-based solutions from Dow have been an important part of the Olympic Games since 1980 when insulation products were used in ice rinks and bobsled runs at the Lake Placid Winter Games. Since then, the partnership between Dow and the Olympic Movement has only grown stronger, focusing on helping to reduce the CO2 impact of the Olympic Games.

– By the start of the Olympic Games Sochi 2014, the compensation programme established with Dow had already mitigated over 520,000 tons of CO2 equivalent – surpassing Sochi’s 2014 direct carbon footprint of 360,000 tons. And by the first half of 2015 it had successfully delivered 1.6 million tons of CO2 equivalent in climate benefits. The success of the Sochi 2014 programme highlights Dow’s commitment to creating long-term benefits for host countries and the Olympic Movement overall, and demonstrates the importance of the environment and sustainability in planning for major sporting events.

• For the Olympic Games Rio 2016, Dow has been working closely with the local Organising Committee to help reduce the environmental impact of the Olympic Games, while creating a positive social legacy in the host country. Since becoming the first member of Rio 2016’s “Embrace Sustainability” programme in September 2014, Dow has created the most comprehensive carbon programme in Olympic Games history to help mitigate the direct greenhouse gas emissions from the organisation and hosting of the event. A key element of the programme is the Sustainable Agriculture project, which sees Dow working with Brazilian farmers from the state of Mato Grosso to implement more sustainable agricultural practices. Dow is also working with the Organising Committee to leave further post-Games legacies. These include an engagement programme that aims to share information on sustainability and climate change with 500,000 people in Brazil, and a commitment to generate an additional 1.5 million tons of CO₂-eq in climate benefits by 2026, addressing other Olympic Games-related emissions.

This is just a brief look at what three of our twelve Worldwide TOP Partners have done or will be doing during the Olympic Games. But the contribution of commercial partners is not limited to the Olympic Games themselves, as sustainability is part of their daily concerns.

For example, Atos recently confirmed its commitment to sustainability by joining the UN Global Compact, a strategic policy for businesses to align operations and strategies with ten universally accepted principles covering human rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption. The company has also agreed to offset its data centres’ carbon emissions, it will become the first global IT provider to offer fully integrated, carbon-neutral hosting services. Atos has developed a complete portfolio of innovative sustainability solutions to help its clients become Firms of the Future and move towards sustainable business, while reducing costs and improving efficiency.

For its part, P&G has set a long-term vision to power all its plants with 100% renewable energy, use 100% renewable or recycled materials for all products and packaging, have zero manufacturing and consumer waste go to landfills, and design products that delight consumers while maximising the conservation of resources. It has set a series of short-term goals to ensure it is on track to deliver against its long-term vision.

Another recent Worldwide TOP Partner, Bridgestone has also clearly indicated its mission towards a sustainable society through its Environmental Mission Statement: “to help ensure a healthy environment for current and future generations”. The focus has been placed on three objectives: Harmony with nature, Value natural resources and Reduce CO₂ emissions.

Last but not least, for the first time in its successful history, the TOP programme has a mobility category with the arrival of Toyota as a Worldwide TOP Partner. The mobility category is designed to support the sustainability goals of the Olympic Movement, ensuring we adopt the most sustainable, efficient mobility solutions. In line with Olympic Agenda 2020, the IOC and Toyota will work with the Organising Committees and National Olympic Committees to support sustainable mobility solutions for the Olympic Games and the Olympic Movement’s operations. The aim is to help with safer, more efficient mobility, including intelligent transport systems, urban traffic systems and vehicle-to-vehicle communications systems.

These are some of the examples of the key role played by our Worldwide TOP Partners.

For those of you who would like to have more information about sustainability and Worldwide TOP Partners, I invite you to go on the sustainability and legacy page of our website, olympic.org.

How can we work with the Worldwide TOP Partners even better in the future?

Of course, when we speak about sustainability and the IOC, the first area which comes to mind is the organisation of the Olympic Games. With its new approach in the bidding procedure as a follow-up of Olympic Agenda 2020, the IOC encourages potential candidate cities to present a holistic concept of respect for the environment and the feasibility of developments, in order to leave a sustainable and positive legacy to the host city, the host country and the whole community.

As President Bach said in front of 1,000 mayors from around the globe at the 21st United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 21) in Paris:

“We are now asking the cities in what ways the Olympic Games can serve best as a catalyst for their long-term and development plans and then we are considering how we can adapt the Olympic Games to the sustainable needs of the different cities.

As part of the Olympic Games candidature process, the IOC now organises workshops with cities, during which Worldwide TOP Partners are invited to share their experience to help cities speed up their learning curve and find more sustainable solutions for meeting their unique needs.

Beyond the Olympic Games themselves, there are many more opportunities for the IOC and the Olympic Movement at large to work closely with the Worldwide TOP Partners on a permanent basis, and not only in event mode.

For instance, recently the International Hockey Federation contacted Dow to talk about what happens when its synthetic turf reaches the end of its life.

As we all know, we are stronger when we are all working together. It is only by working hand-in-hand with all our stakeholders, both institutional (National Olympic Committees, International Federations and Recognised Organisations) and commercial partners, as well as with experts and non-governmental organisations, including the United Nations system, that we will be able to find the most progressive solutions.

This is one of the direct outcomes of Recommendation 5 of Olympic Agenda 2020 (Include sustainability within the Olympic Movement’s daily operations). I quote:

“The IOC has to engage and assist Olympic Movement stakeholders in integrating sustainability within their own organisation and operations, and to achieve the above, the IOC to cooperate with relevant expert organisations.”

The newly renamed IOC Commission for Sustainability and Legacy and the newly created IOC Department for Corporate Development, Brand and Sustainability are currently engaging with all the Olympic Movement stakeholders, including the Worldwide TOP Partners, to confirm the areas of focus (such as sustainable sport venues and infrastructure, responsible consumption, sustainable mobility or healthy workplace) and the level of ambition that we could collectively set for 2020, not just for the Olympic Games but for the Olympic Movement at large.

The IOC is more than ever committed to using its global reach so as to support sustainable development. Sport alone cannot achieve these goals but the power of sport can have an active role in their achievement.

Conclusion

The IOC is counting on you, the representatives of the next generation, to take part in this global effort, to tell us what you think, what you want and what you suggest concerning how sport can play a role as a force for sustainable change around the world.

To conclude my presentation, let me quote my colleague from New Zealand, Olympic champion Barbara Kendall: “If everyone took a small bit of responsibility for his or her environmental actions in sport, the world would be a better place.”

‍

SAMARANCH SALISACHS Juan Antonio, "How the worldwide top partners can contribute to a more sustainable and protected enviroment",in:K. Georgiadis (ed.), Olympic values-based learning as an effective tool forenvironmental protection, 56th International Session for Young Participants (AncientOlympia,11-25/6/2016), International Olympic Academy, Athens,2017, pp.173-182.

‍

‍

‍

‍