The ‘Embrace’ proposal is aimed at delivering sustainability before, during and after the Games. With our partners and sponsors, we will develop projects and programmes that will serve as seeds to be cultivated by society as a whole.
Our way of working sustainably is based on integrating three pillars – PLANET, PEOPLE and PROSPERITY – and our aims are to:
- establish a standard of sustainability for holding events
- insert sustainability into the DNA of event organisation
- serve as an example of good sustainable practices
- be transparent through dialogue with society
Planet
Delivering low-impact Games, minimising pressure on materials and energy resources, without impairing the quality of the event.
Rio 2016 is following sustainability guidelines and embracing low-impact operations in its processes. This means that even before beginning an activity, we consider how it can be delivered efficiently, from an environmental point of view.
Efficiency
The Games will inevitably generate environmental impacts. We are talking about high consumption of water, energy, raw materials, food and so on. Rio 2016 undertakes to use all resources conscientiously and rationally, prioritising certified, reusable and recyclable materials.
• Buying 100% certified wood → Rio 2016 undertakes to buy all the timber items required for the Games from sources with chain of custody certification. This means that, in addition to sustainably managed logging, traceability is guaranteed from the time the timber leaves the forest through to the end user.
• Sustainable headquarters → Rio 2016 has its headquarters in a temporary building. After it is taken down, 80% of the material will be reused in future structures. The building consumes 70% less energy than ordinary buildings. Timers on bathroom wash basins, intelligent flushes and a rainwater collection system enables us to cut water consumption. Furthermore, the building is fully accessible to people with physical and visual impairments.
• Material life-cycle analysis → Up to 2016, the visual identity of the Games will be displayed throughout the city of Rio de Janeiro in various forms and printed on various kinds of material. To ensure more conscientious and sustainable choices, the organising committee has analysed the life-cycles of 106 materials that will be used by the Games visual identity team to minimise the environmental impact.
CARBON EMISSIONS
To deliver low-impact Games, we are working on a number of initiatives to cut our emissions. We have completed a study of our carbon footprint and defined an emissions management strategy, based on impact measurement, cutting emissions, mitigation where possible and offsetting what cannot be mitigated.
• Biodiesel from recycled cooking oil → Fleets of buses and trucks will be fuelled by diesel containing 20% recycled cooking oil. Biodiesel emits less carbon and sulphur than mineral diesel. It is estimated that 20,000 oil collectors will be involved, boosting the development of this production chain.
• Logistics efficiency programme → Logistics are a major factor in boosting the Games’ CO2 emissions. Rio 2016 is designing an intelligent route model to cut transportation time for the more than 30 million items to be bought in for the Games. This will also cut fuel consumption, as well as carbon emissions.
• Technology-based carbon mitigation plan → This plan aims to mitigate 100% of the emissions generated by the Rio 2016 Games, which will amount to 500,000 tonnes of co2eq direct emissions from our operations and 1.5 million tonnes of co2eq from spectators. Mitigation projects involve the agriculture, manufacturing and civil engineering sectors, and they will reap short, medium and long-term benefits.
Waste
For Rio 2016, one of the key points related to sustainability is waste management, since large volumes of waste will be generated daily during the Games. Our great challenge is to minimise waste and raise awareness among spectators, athletes, volunteers and others involved in the event in regard to the correct way to dispose of and recycle waste.
• Rio 2016 headquarters waste management → Before the Games, our office is the only waste producer. Our workers have been instructed on how to dispose of it correctly. Some of our actions include not buying plastic cups, reducing the number of printers available and not providing individual waste bins.
• Guide to sustainability for packaging → One of the critical points in the generation of waste is packaging. With this in mind, in April 2013, Rio 2016 published a guide to sustainable packaging, in which the committee laid down sustainability options and mandatory requirements for this category of items, including labelling, ecodesign, accessibility of information and packaging materials.
• Games waste management strategies → Our strategy does not only cover the Games-time period: it begins during the preparatory phase and ends when the venues are dismantled. Recycling cooperatives will be involved and the strategy is based on the following sequence: waste generation avoidance → minimising volume → managing inevitable waste → promoting behavioural change. The strategy also includes treatment of organic waste through composting, in order to reduce the amount that is sent to landfills.
People
Promoting Games for everyone, offering the best Olympic and Paralympic experience.
By embracing and welcoming everyone, Rio 2016 proposes to engage them and raise awareness on important topics, such as diversity, inclusion and accessibility. We are working so that Olympic and Paralympic values and attitudes transcend the Games and provide inspiration for people’s daily behaviour in the workplace and in society in general.
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION
To deliver all-inclusive Games, it is important they reflect the Brazilian people, with their huge diversity of colours, ethnic origins, age-ranges, life stories and experiences. Diversity and inclusion have been integral parts of the Rio 2016 story since the candidature phase, and are reflected in the workforce, purchasing process and the way in which the Games have been conceived as a spectator event.
• Diversity and inclusion dialogue groups → To further strengthen Rio 2016’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, in the second half of 2014, the committee set up four dialogue groups, focused on gender, LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) issues, black people and people with an impairment. Meetings are held to define action plans that will be implemented gradually in 2015.
• Diversity Programme → When considering inclusion strategies for recruitment and selection, we decided that Rio 2016’s mission was to go beyond quotas for people with an impairment. Our efforts are centred on recruiting people with all kinds of impairments at various hierarchical levels.
• Diversity, inclusion and accessibility training → On beginning their activities at Rio 2016, all staff, trainees and pioneer volunteers receive training in diversity, inclusion and accessibility. Our online courses are compulsory for everyone. After selection, the 70,000 volunteers for the Games will also receive this training.
ACCESSIBILITY
The city of Rio de Janeiro poses an enormous accessibility challenge. Rio 2016, in conjunction with government agencies, will be working to ensure that by 2016, all people with any kind of impairment will be able to participate in the Games. We see the Games as presenting an opportunity to strengthen public policy on accessibility and helping reduce mobility barriers in the city.
• Accessibility in hotels → Rio 2016 has created a assessment and classification programme for hotels, based on accessibility criteria. After inspection visits and assessments, hotel managers receive feedback to raise their awareness of how important it is to provide adapted amenities and make the necessary improvements. During phase one, we assessed 22 hotels and by the end of the programme, we hope to have covered 150 hotels.
• Accessibility Technical Guidelines → This handbook provides a guide to technical parameters for building sports facilities. It contains the main requirements laid down by Brazilian standards (ABNT) and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and Brazilian law. The handbook is intended to provide a legacy for building future sports facilities in Brazil.
• “I’m not a wheelchair user, but what if I was?” → This in-house Rio 2016 initiative commenced in 2013, with the aim of allowing staff without an impairment to experience life in a wheelchair for a day. Staff who take on this challenge have to do everything in a wheelchair, including going to the bathroom and venturing out onto the streets for lunch.
KNOWLEDGE
One of the most important seeds that Rio 2016 wants to plant is that of knowledge. The Games should transform Rio de Janeiro into a better city, with qualified professionals ready to organise events on any scale.
• Transforma – the Rio 2016 Education Programme → Transforma takes the Rio 2016 Games into schools. It is designed to create opportunities for pupils to experience the Olympic and Paralympic values, try out new sports and develop enthusiasm for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. You can find more information at rio2016.com/educacao (only in Portuguese).
• Free online English course → Up to 2016, the committee will offer an online English course for the Games workforce (including volunteers), schools in Brazil and people interested in learning English. We estimate that one million Brazilians will take the course, which will be the biggest language training programme in the history of the Games.
• Volunteer Training Programme → In addition to being part of the first Olympic and Paralympic Games held in South America, the 70,000 volunteers will receive training – another legacy of the Games. More than 1,600 courses will be available, including leadership and excellence in service, as well as the online English course.
Prosperity
Deliver prosperous Games, inspiring the establishment of a chain of qualified suppliers and developing a management model prioritising transparency and dialogue with stakeholders.
Rio 2016 has embraced the challenging responsibility of making conscientious choices for everything purchased, also covering the dismantling cycle. The aim is to improve the quality standards of our suppliers and their production chains. Based on transparency, we will make our documents and reports accessible to the public, giving full details of our management models and assuming accountability for all our activities. Furthermore, we will create an environment that facilitates dialogue and exchange with all civil society participants.
SUPPLIERS
With the aim of acting as a catalyst for change, Rio 2016 will work to improve production chains and develop small-sized suppliers. The idea is to turn sustainability into a competitive edge for all suppliers prior to, during and after the Games.
• Sustainable Supply Chain Guide → The Rio 2016 procurement area has integrated sustainability into its working routine. The basic premise is to ensure that sustainability is taken into account in the technical requirements for contracts. The Sustainable Supply Chain Guide is a basic document for suppliers interested in doing business with Rio 2016.
• Supply chain monitoring → Rio 2016 monitors its chain in two ways: the first is through Sedex Global, an international database which makes it possible to monitor sustainability criteria and risk management of our authorised key suppliers. In addition, we perform site visits to the manufacturing plants to monitor environmental, social and ethical compliance during the production of Rio 2016 products.
• Sustainable Purchasing Manual → Rio 2016 has promoted the development of a sustainability methodology for the supply chain. The committee steered the project conducted by Brazilian Corporate Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS) in partnership with over 40 businesses. The Sustainable Purchasing Manual is the first sustainability legacy for the Brazilian market driven by the Games.
SUSTAINABILITY MANAGEMENT
One of Rio 2016’s objectives is to work in a transparent and collaborative manner. Behind the reports and budgeting, there is planning, execution, monitoring and control of a series of actions aimed at sustainability.
• Sustainability Management Plan (SMP) → In 2013, Rio 2016 launched this plan, drafted in conjunction with city, state and federal government agencies. The SMP is an integrated action plan detailing the sustainability programmes, initiatives and projects for the Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
• Olympic Games Impact (OGI) study → In 2014, we published our first OGI study, carried out by the Rio de Janeiro Federal University School of Engineering (COPPE) and containing an analysis of 22 environmental, 76 socio-cultural and 25 economic indicators. This first edition relates to the period 2007-2013. A further three reports are to be published, covering impacts up to 2019.
• Sustainability Report → Rio 2016 has undertaken to publish three sustainability reports covering the organisation, delivery and dismantling of the Games. The first report, published in October 2014, contains information relating to the period 2012-2013. The document is intended to describe how we plan, execute and monitor sustainability actions for the event.
DIALOGUE
It would not be possible to hold the Olympic and Paralympic Games without public support. We have joined forces with various stakeholders to ensure that the Games will be a catalyst for positive change in Brazil.
• Dialogue with civil society → Initial dialogue with civil society took place in 2013 and brought together 34 representatives of 24 organisations to assess the content of the Sustainability Management Plan (SMP). These meetings will be held annually until 2016 and will allow us to strengthen an effective post-Games transformation network.
• Sustainability round tables → The round tables originated from a requirement identified during dialogue with civil society in 2013. They began in 2014 and were aimed at examining six topics in depth: urban mobility, climate change, sustainability education, protection of children and teenagers, diversity and inclusion, and transparency.
• Rio Alimentação Sustentável → Since 2013, Rio 2016 has been working in partnership with this organisation that focuses on sustainable foods. This is a voluntary group for discussing ways in which government, public institutions, the private sector and civil society can build a legacy of healthy, sustainable food. It is proposed that the Games act as a driving force to improve this sector in Brazil.
Partnerships
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) → Rio 2016 has a partnership with UNEP in order to ensure that its sustainability activities are monitored. The cooperation agreement comprises: technical evaluation of the sustainability work carried out by Rio 2016, help with engaging civil society, and the ‘green passport’, which aims to raise awareness of sustainable tourism.
Sebrae − Micro and small businesses supplying Rio 2016 → ‘Sebrae on the Podium’ is a project aimed at qualifying micro and small businesses to be potential Rio 2016 suppliers. In addition to analysis, capacity-building and help with certification, if required, all the qualified micro and small businesses will receive UNSPSC international classification, sanctioned by the United Nations.
FSC − Certified timber → In partnership with FSC, Rio 2016 has created a favourable environment so that suppliers whose raw materials include timber can obtain chain of custody certification, ensuring that a sustainable process has been used from logging through production to product sale to the end customer.
MSC/ASC – Certified fish and seafood → Rio 2016 has entered into a partnership with MSC and ASC so that suppliers can obtain sustainability certification for fish and seafood. The committee, MSC and ASC have been working together to boost the number of certified producers and help develop small local producers.
Expo Milano 2015 − sustainable event management knowledge interchange → Expo is a large trade fair hosted in different cities throughout the world. In 2015, Expo will be held in Milan, Italy and one of its pillars will be sustainability. Rio 2016 has formed a partnership with Expo Milano to exchange information on sustainability best practices and knowledge on organising large events.