"We have decided to make the Olympic Games the first major event without single-use plastic," announced Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo during a press conference at the International Forum of Mayors against Plastic Pollution.
To support this initiative, visitors to temporary Olympic competition sites in Paris will not be allowed to bring plastic bottles. Instead, Coca-Cola, the official sponsor, will distribute its products in reusable glass bottles and over 200 soda fountains, which will be redeployed after the games. Reusable cups will also be utilized for refreshments during the Olympic marathon.
"Plastic waste remains a major global issue: each year, 14,000 mammals and 1.4 million seabirds are killed due to the ingestion of plastic waste," Hidalgo's office stated in announcing the Olympic single-use plastic ban.
Organizers of the Paris Olympics aim to halve the carbon footprint compared to the previous Summer Games in Rio (2016) and London (2012). The Tokyo Olympics in 2021 were held behind closed doors due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) report issued on May 16 indicated that countries could reduce plastic pollution by 80% by 2040 using existing technologies and implementing major policy changes. This report was released two weeks before countries convene in Paris for the second round of negotiations to create a global treaty aimed at eliminating plastic waste.