Skip to content
  • About
  • Partner with Us
  • Indonesia
  • Subscribe
  • Log In
Primary Menu
  • Home
  • Latest
  • Topics
  • News
  • Brief
  • Interview
  • Opinion
  • Figure
  • Infographic
  • Video
  • Community
  • Partner
  • Press Release
  • Youth
  • Global
  • Featured
  • Soft News

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics Bubble (1): Sustainability in Design

Japan has set the sustainability concept of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics as "Be better, together—For the planet and the people".
by Nazalea Kusuma August 4, 2021

Photo: France Olympique

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics is happening, and it claims to be the most sustainable Olympics so far. This massive sporting event is happening despite polling in May that revealed that 83% of the Japanese population were against the Olympics happening this summer. The Tokyo 2020 Olympics seems to be happening inside a very green, very safe bubble.

Japan has set the sustainability concept of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics as “Be better, together—For the planet and the people”. They will take the initiative to meet its responsibility to deliver sustainable games and showcase solution models of global sustainability challenges to people in Japan and around the world.

With five main sustainability themes and the addition of the Tokyo 2020 Sustainable Sourcing Code to ensure sustainability throughout the supply chains, Tokyo 2020 shows a start to a more sustainable Olympics.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Tokyo 2020 (@tokyo2020)

On the zero-waste front, key elements of the Games are made from recycled materials. The single beds within the Olympics Village are made from cardboard. Everything is to be recycled afterward, including the mattresses.

The uniforms for the torchbearers were designed by Daisuke Obana and made from recycled plastic bottles of Coca-Cola. The medals are made using recovered precious metals from e-waste. The podiums athletes will stand on are made from recycled plastic waste and will be repurposed afterward, produced by Procter & Gamble, the No. 7 plastic polluter of 2020, according to Green Matters.

Fom left to right: Silver,Gold, and Coppermedals of Tokyo 2020 Olympics
The medals of Tokyo 2020 Olympics | Photo: Olympics

The Olympic torches, designed by Tokujin Yoshioka, were made from recycled construction waste from temporary housing used in the aftermath of the 2011 Fukushima earthquake and tsunami. The relay torches and cauldrons holding the Olympic and Paralympic flames are fueled by clean hydrogen from the Fukushima solar plant, which is also used to run the Olympic Village.

Instead of building all brand-new venues to facilitate the Games, the Tokyo 2020 Olympics uses only eight newly built venues from scratch using sustainably sourced timber, ten temporary structures, and 25 already-existing venues. These structures will later be repurposed into Japan’s first hydrogen-powered town with schools, apartments, shops, and other facilities.

The Games is using as much renewable energy as possible. Transport within the Olympic Village is taken care of using a fleet of mostly electric or hybrid emission-free vehicles by Toyota. The Olympic Committee has plans for an “Olympic Forest”, consisting of 355,000 native trees in Mali and Senegal to protect the area from desertification.

Masako Konishi, a member of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics sustainability committee and the climate and energy project leader at World Wildlife Fund Japan, has told NPR that the Olympic organizers have collected 150% of the carbon credits needed to offset the Games’ greenhouse gas emissions, making the Olympics carbon negative.

Editor: Marlis Afridah

Read the follow-up article on the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Bubble (2): Sustainability Criticisms and COVID-19.


Subscribe to Green Network Asia
Strengthen your personal and professional development with cross-sectoral insights on sustainability-related issues and sustainable development across the Asia Pacific and beyond.
Select Your Subscription Plan
Nazalea Kusuma
Editor at Green Network Asia | Website |  + postsBio

Naz is the Manager for International Digital Publications at Green Network Asia. She once studied Urban and Regional Planning and has lived in multiple cities across Southeast Asia. This personal experience has exposed her to diverse peoples & cultures and enriched her perspectives. Naz is an experienced and passionate writer, editor, translator, and creative designer with a decade worth of portfolio.

  • Nazalea Kusuma
    https://greennetwork.asia/author/nazalea/
    Living with Less: Does TikTok’s Underconsumption Core promote sustainable living?
  • Nazalea Kusuma
    https://greennetwork.asia/author/nazalea/
    Brain Rot and Its Impacts on Mental Health and Cognitive Abilities
  • Nazalea Kusuma
    https://greennetwork.asia/author/nazalea/
    Addressing the Challenges in Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) Implementation
  • Nazalea Kusuma
    https://greennetwork.asia/author/nazalea/
    Dark Side of the Light: How light pollution affects people and the planet

Continue Reading

Previous: Maginhawa Community Pantry in the Philippines: A New Hope
Next: The Tokyo 2020 Olympics Bubble (2): Sustainability Criticisms and COVID-19

Related Stories

Close-up of seedlings growing in pots How India’s National Agroforestry Policy Helps Tackle Land Degradation and More
  • Exclusive
  • Featured
  • Soft News

How India’s National Agroforestry Policy Helps Tackle Land Degradation and More

by Attiatul Noor June 20, 2025
The rapid development in AI technologies must be supported with AI regulation to ensure responsible usage. Establishing AI Regulation to Support Responsible Tech Usage
  • Featured
  • Soft News

Establishing AI Regulation to Support Responsible Tech Usage

by Ayu Nabilah June 19, 2025
a wilted sunflower Comprehensive and Participatory Drought Monitoring for Improved Disaster Mitigation
  • Exclusive
  • Featured
  • Soft News

Comprehensive and Participatory Drought Monitoring for Improved Disaster Mitigation

by Kresentia Madina June 18, 2025
multiple megaphones attached on a pillar The Role of Risk Communication for Better Disaster Preparedness
  • Exclusive
  • Featured
  • Soft News

The Role of Risk Communication for Better Disaster Preparedness

by Kresentia Madina June 17, 2025
two hands joining puzzle pieces Indonesia-UN Collaboration to Support Job Creation and Social Protection
  • Exclusive
  • Featured
  • Soft News

Indonesia-UN Collaboration to Support Job Creation and Social Protection

by Abul Muamar June 16, 2025
a photo of Umea town landscape. How the City of Umeå Addresses Gender Inequality in Urban Areas
  • Exclusive
  • Featured
  • Soft News

How the City of Umeå Addresses Gender Inequality in Urban Areas

by Ayu Nabilah and Kresentia Madina June 13, 2025

About Us

  • GNA Founder’s Letter
  • GNA In-House Team
  • GNA Author Network
  • GNA Press Release Guidelines
  • GNA Op-ed Article Guidelines
  • GNA Community Content Guidelines
  • GNA Internship
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
© 2021-2025 Green Network Asia