Tokyo 2020 reveals plans for sustainable and minimal impact Games
On 29 January, the Tokyo 2020 Organising Committee confirmed its readiness to deliver a minimal impact and sustainable Games when it unveiled its High-level Sustainability Plan and Fundamental Principles for the Sustainable Sourcing Code.
“Among the recommendations adopted in the Olympic Agenda 2020 is the important theme of sustainability. Tokyo 2020 has also made sustainability one of its overriding priorities and will include sustainability in all aspects of the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games,” noted Takeo Tanaka, Senior Director of the Tokyo 2020 Sustainability Department. “Moreover we have incorporated several Japanese values into our plans including the concept of Mottainai, or the sense of avoiding waste.”
The High-level Sustainability Plan is the framework outlining the basic approach for ensuring sustainability in Games preparations and operations. Tokyo 2020 aims to finalise its sustainability plan by the end of 2016, and to obtain the ISO 20121 international standard for event sustainability management.
The Fundamental Principles for the Sustainable Sourcing Code will ensure the sustainable sourcing of products and services deemed vital to the successful delivery of the Tokyo 2020 Games with full consideration given to of economic rationality, fairness and equity.
These two documents together provide a framework for ensuring sustainability from the planning stage onwards, but there is also plenty of scope for further development through the collection of ideas, opinions and information from various delivery partners, such as the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the national government, private entities, and NGOs/NPOs.