International Courant
The 2024 Olympics are simply across the nook and like many individuals around the globe, I’m excited to tune in and comply with the motion. Like most, I’ll be cheering on athletes from my house nation. Not eager to miss the moments when new world information are set and stars are made, I’ll be watching the dash. As a marine scientist, I’ve a pure affinity for something that has something to do with the ocean, so I’ll seemingly be following all of the water sports activities as properly. Lastly, I’ll be tuning into all of the occasions over the following two weeks to maintain a watch out for one thing most individuals gained’t discover: reusable cups.
In my work, I marketing campaign to cease plastic air pollution that’s destroying our oceans. As a part of this work, my colleagues and I try to get the world’s largest beverage corporations to promote extra of their drinks in reusable packaging as a substitute of single-use plastic. A ten p.c international enhance in reusable beverage packaging by 2030 may to get rid of multiple trillion single-use plastic bottles and cups and forestall as much as 153 billion of those containers from polluting the world’s waterways and seas. Reusable packaging is the beverage trade’s greatest answer to deal with its contribution to the plastic air pollution disaster at the moment plaguing our oceans. For six years in a row, Coca-Cola and Pepsi have been named among the many the world’s greatest plastic polluters by the worldwide Break Free From Plastic motion. So I used to be excited once I first heard that the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Video games can be serving drinks to spectators in reusable packagingwhich may doubtlessly change thousands and thousands of disposable plastic cups.
This choice by Paris 2024 is a serious milestone within the international battle towards plastic air pollution, marking a shift in the direction of large-scale reuse methods and away from the take-make-waste economic system, the place packaging is used solely as soon as after which thrown away. The 2024 Video games would be the largest sporting occasion in historical past to make use of reusable packaging, though current stories have indicated that this effort won’t be good and that there will probably be some vital flaws.
A key design requirement of efficient reuse methods is that reusable packaging should change single-use packaging. That is obligatory to make sure that the system achieves its aim of maximally decreasing packaging waste and air pollution. To most, this looks like an apparent requirement, however sadly, someplace alongside the way in which within the planning course of for Paris 2024, this aim was both misplaced or by no means prioritized. On the Paris Video games, stories have confirmed that lots of the drinks served to spectators in reusable cups are being poured from single-use plastic bottles. Organizers have claimed that this choice was resulting from operational constraints in momentary venues the place fountain machines can’t be put in. This excuse is tough to swallow. Title sponsor Coca-Cola, its packaging and distribution companions and occasion organizers ought to work tougher to develop revolutionary options that may enable them to fulfill demand with out the necessity for single-use plastics.
A further necessary requirement for the design of a reuse system is that reusable packaging doesn’t have engaging branding for occasions. Sadly, at Paris 2024 many reusable cups will function the Olympic brandmaking them engaging to spectators as souvenirs and fewer more likely to be returned – and reused. Whereas followers are more likely to reuse these cups at house, reuse methods can’t attain their full potential of minimising waste – and carbon emissions – with out excessive return charges. Utilizing unbranded reusable cups is fully possible – they’re already getting used at large-scale concert events and music festivals similar to these hosted by leisure firm Dwell Nation, the place a reusable cup system, TURN, has achieved return charges of greater than 90 p.c.
Regardless of its shortcomings, the inclusion of reuse at Paris 2024 stays – for me – a beacon of hope for the oceans. Importantly, with the world watching, Paris 2024 presents an unparalleled alternative to shine the highlight on reuse, increase consciousness of the environmental advantages of reusable packaging and enhance client demand for extra of it. Earlier this month, greater than 100 sports activities organisations and elite athletes from around the globe took benefit of this chance, calling on main beverage corporations and sports activities sponsors to make use of reusable packaging as a substitute of single-use plastic. This request was made through a letter despatched to the CEOs of the Coca-Cola Firm, PepsiCo and Coca-Cola’s largest bottler – Coca-Cola Europacific Companions (CCEP). It particularly requested the businesses to dramatically enhance the quantity of reusable packaging, get rid of single-use plastics from future sporting occasions and help an formidable UN plastics treaty.
The letter despatched a powerful message towards single-use plastics from the sports activities neighborhood, and I used to be heartened to see the outpouring of help. It’s clear that athletes are involved about this difficulty, and main sports activities sponsors ought to take observe. Greater than 50 Olympians, Paralympians, world champions and world file holders endorsed the letter, together with 23 athletes who will compete within the Paris 2024 Video games. Over the following two weeks, I will probably be cheering loudest for these athletes – who should not solely champions of sport, but in addition for the oceans.
Plastic air pollution is an issue that impacts us all – athletes and spectators. Within the spirit of the Olympics, it’s time for us all to return collectively and swap single-use plastic for reuse. The way forward for our surroundings, our local weather and our well being is determined by it.
What to search for on the Paris 2024 Olympics: reusable cups | Paris 2024 Olympics
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