Paris 2024 opens up to sustainable business with almost 500 social and solidarity companies on board
Some 460 local businesses from the social and solidarity economy (ESS) – small- and medium-sized companies that balance economic, social and environmental objectives – have been contracted by Paris 2024 so far, actively contributing to the organisation of the Games in areas such as construction, catering, furniture or laundry services.
Joining forces with the Yunus Centre for Social Business and the not-for-profit organisation Les Canaux, the Paris 2024 Organising Committee developed an ESS 2024 programme to facilitate access to the Olympic and Paralympic Games-related contracts for such entrepreneurs, as well as guidance, training and relevant resources. So far, this has included 2.6 million hours of work or training provided to people who were previously unemployed. Their number is expected to rise as we approach the Games.
“The Olympic and Paralympic Games are a magnificent international sporting event, but one that is even more meaningful if it helps find solutions for a world with 3 zeros: 0 poverty, 0 unemployment, 0 net carbon emissions,” said Professor Muhammad Yunus, 2006 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Founder of Grameen Bank and spokesperson for the programme. “The Paris 2024 Games have developed a unique programme to allow the social businesses and local entrepreneurs to benefit from this great opportunity. The whole world will be able to discover, through the Games, these entrepreneurs who are on a mission to solve our society's most pressing issues through their economic activity.”
“With a vision of Games ‘wide open’, Paris 2024 organisers are making the Games as inclusive as possible,” said Marie Sallois, IOC Director for Sustainability.
This includes opening Games-related contracts to those who need them most, as well as small- and medium-sized and social businesses. It also involves taking into account accessibility issues, strengthening the place of women and celebrating diversity, and creating professional and training opportunities for all.
Many of those benefitting from the ESS 2024 programme were on full display last week at an event hosted by the Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo, in cooperation with Paris 2024 and Les Canaux. A photo exhibition by Yann Arthus Bertrand – a French environmentalist and photographer, and President of Les Canaux – accompanied the event, showcasing the diverse faces and human stories of those who are contributing to the Games as part of the ESS 2024 project.
For example, a group of nine social businesses have won contracts worth EUR 1.6 million for the cleaning and laundry services for the 24,000 residents of the Olympic and Paralympic Village.
The 11,000 chairs for the Aquatic Centre and the La Chappelle Arena are all made with sustainable materials developed and produced as part of Le Pavé project, created by three young entrepreneurs. Their business – which started off as a student project – specialises in transforming plastic waste into innovative, sustainable materials that are able to substitute cement and virgin plastic.
Halage, an association that specialises in training people who are far from employment to reintegrate nature into the city’s polluted areas, is responsible for developing green areas in the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Village.
Finally, women experiencing life difficulties, supported by H.A.W.A AU FÉMININ – a company which offers training in fashion-related activities – have created souvenirs from used textile materials from the Arena Porte de la Chapelle construction site.
Paris 2024 has been set to deliver socially, environmentally and economically responsible Games – the first aligned with Olympic Agenda 2020 – from the earliest stages of the bid process. The Paris 2024 Social Charter – the first ever in Olympic history – outlines 16 promises, including exemplary working conditions, a commitment to social inclusion, and a focus on small- and medium-sized businesses.
The Games are expected to have employed more than 181,000 people. Between 2018 and 2022, some 90 per cent of suppliers to Paris 2024 were French, while 75 per cent were small- and medium-sized businesses.
The Yann-Arthus Bertrand photo exhibition will be displayed across Paris going forward. From 1 July onwards, they will be featured at La Maison des Canaux, Les Canaux offices, which will showcase Paris 2024 legacy and impact stories to the general public during the Games.