With just two weeks to go before the opening of London 2012,
millions of visitors are preparing to descend on our capital city. But will London deliver, in David
Cameron's words, "the greenest Games ever"? And how will the chemical industry
contribute?
An estimated 8,000 tonnes of waste will be collected across
the Olympic venues, and London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG)
aims to recycle 70% of it. Phil Cumming, corporate sustainability manager for LOCOG,
is in charge of meeting this target. He admits that the company "has come up
with an approach which has not been attempted at this scale", but remains
confident that they will succeed.
LOCOG and government-funded WRAP present a wealth of ways in
which they will attempt to execute this task in the 'London 2012 Zero Waste
Games Vision.' It describes, for instance, the alliance of Coca-Cola and SITA UK. The two
companies will create recyclable PET bottles, containing up to 25% recycled
content (rPET). These will be reprocessed, as with all clear PET bottles
discarded at the games, and with the help of ECO Plastics, within an impressive
six weeks. Similarly, products will be served in recyclable polypropylene (PP)
cups whenever possible.
As these PET bottles account for around 30% of the Games'
predicted total waste, these companies' work is crucial to London 2012's
efforts towards sustainability.
The Dow Chemical Company is another example of the chemical
industry's involvement in London's
'Zero Waste' Vision, and goes far beyond recycling. George Hamilton, vice
president for Dow Olympic operations, described the games as "a great platform"
for sales, predicting to generate over $1 billion revenue during their ten-year
Official Worldwide Olympic Partnership; but the US company's intentions are not purely
mercenary. Dow's goal is to "provide solutions that help make the Olympic Games
more sustainable"; this is apparent through their contributions to London's
rapidly-approaching Games.
Dow's Plastics Division, for instance, provided the sustainable
fabric wrap to surround the iconic Olympic stadium. Compared to conventional
materials, it will have a lower carbon footprint, require fewer raw materials
in manufacturing, and will be recycled following the Games. The printing
process will also reduce emissions and eliminate volatile organic compounds
(VOC). Their Performance Plastics Division has also developed sustainable high-performance
polyethylene resin used to make the artificial grass for the Olympic hockey
pitches.
Despite the efforts of both the chemical industry and those
planning this summer's Olympics, it seems the sustainability plans central to London's winning bid were
too ambitious.
As well as concerns about pollution and failures to meet 20%
renewable energy targets, London 2012 is set to damage the environment through
breaking their 'Zero Waste' promises. Some food waste will be sent to landfill,
and a reported 99% of demolition materials were not reused.
Plans for a low-carbon Olympic torch were also scrapped as
EDF Energy failed to develop it in time. According to Shaun McCarthy, chair of
the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012, what would have been an "unequivocal
demonstration of London's
commitment to a truly sustainable Games", has been replaced with a less
sustainable torch, using a formula of butane and propane.
Many have voiced their concerns about the reality of London
2012's impact on the environment. Darren Johnson, London assembly Green party member said the
organisers "are a long way short of the inspirational revolution in
environmental policy we were promised."
Obviously, the reality of the Olympics' sustainability will
remain unclear until the last bottle has been binned. The work of LOCOG, WRAP
and companies such as Dow certainly seems to have pushed London in the right direction. But the
greenest Games ever? I'm doubtful.
By Becky Wilson
