New report examines sustainability of 2012 Olympics merchandising
According to a report published on 11 October 2011 by the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012, the next Olympics and Paralympics will be the most sustainable yet, but in terms of its merchandising efforts, more could be done.
The new report, ‘Sustainably Sourced?’, is a review of the sustainability of London 2012 merchandise. It examines the work done by the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) to implement sustainable merchandising policies, in line with the commitment to host the most sustainable Games ever held.
With total expected retail sales in the region of £1 billion and 10,000 individual products, merchandise is a significant part of LOCOG’s revenue generation.
“LOCOG has had success in making standard merchandise more sustainable, but not in making sustainable merchandise standard,” said Shaun McCarthy, the Commission’s chair. “London 2012 has been successful in changing the behaviour of the industry, but needs to seize the opportunity to change the behaviour of the consumer,” he added.
“We recognise that there are some sustainability issues which LOCOG can’t solve on its own; however, we believe that by fully engaging with LOCOG’s sustainable and ethical sourcing codes, London 2012 licensees can adopt more sustainable behaviour on a permanent basis. This will create a lasting legacy for UK and international brands and will have commercial as well as environmental and social benefits.
“We recognise that labour standards are an issue for the industry, and welcome LOCOG’s efforts to address this. However, more can be done by licensees, particularly in the area of public disclosure of factory locations.”
