At Encina, we envision a future in which nothing is wasted. It turns out that is the same vision shared by the 2024 Paris organizing committee for the Olympics and Paralympics, which committed to embedding sustainability throughout the Games, minimizing negative impact on the environment and showcasing sustainable, circular solutions.
Organizers pledged to rent, reduce, reuse and recycle wherever possible, and we were particularly impressed with the absolute dedication and infrastructure devoted to making recycling an easy-to-achieve activity and the innovative and widespread uses of recycled and recyclable material.
Decarbonization and circularity are Encina’s priorities, too. Our proprietary advanced recycling technology processes waste streams economically and sustainably by diverting end-of-life plastics from landfills and incinerators and converting them into drop-in quality ISCC+-certified chemical building blocks, which our customers can use to make new products.
The Paris organizing committee and its suppliers took that same mission to heart in designing every aspect of the Games. It chose to install about 11,000 spectator seats at two different venues that were made out of tons of recycled plastic bottles and caps. The medal podiums were made from French wood and 100% recycled plastic.
Flooring for the handball, volleyball and sitting volleyball events, as well as wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, goalball and boccia, contain an average of 35% recycled materials and is itself completely recyclable, although the manufacturer committed to reusing all the flooring from the Games in sports or educational establishments.
In the athletes’ village, the living areas featured coffee tables made from recycled shuttlecocks, poufs made from parachute canvas and chairs made from recycled bottle caps. The bed bases were made from 100% recycled cardboard, so they could be recycled again. The 14,000-plus mattresses topping them were made from recycled plastic and will be donated to the French army.
Fashion kept with the theme of sustainability as well. Pieces worn by Team USA in the opening and closing ceremonies were made with recycled polyester and U.S. wool grown to the Responsible Wool Standard certification. Part of their everyday apparel included shirts made from recycled cotton fibers that were welded together.
Other countries followed suit, ranging from Ireland’s opening and closing outfits – a sustainable fabric, made from recycled T-shirts and PET bottles – and Thai athletes who wore high-performance jerseys made from plastic bottles.
It’s estimated the Games would serve 9.6 million beverages to participants without using single-use plastic – soda fountain machines and reusable cups or returnable glass bottles took their place. Another 6.2 million drinks were poured into reusable cups from single-use plastic bottles made from recycled plastic which will then be recycled.
At Encina, we believe having this level of commitment to a circular economy and using the world stage to showcase how we can give products a second life – or even multiple lives – was a gold medal performance in and of itself.
When the Summer Games return to Los Angeles in 2028, there is a promising opportunity for the world’s greatest athletic competition to highlight products made from innovative circular chemicals that were formerly waste – including Encina.