With London 2012 set to be the first 'green’ Olympic Games, organisers are relying heavily on the sustainability commitments of the businesses supplying them. Michelle Ward reports on how SMEs are playing their part in delivering a the most sustainable Games ever.
They may be little known 'extras' at the moment, but between now and the kick-off of
London 2012, Wenlock and Mandeville – the official
2012 mascots – are expected to play a growing role in what is being 'touted’ as the first
green Olympic Games.
For
Golden Bear Toys, a small to medium-sized toy manufacturer based in Shropshire, that’s good news – not just because it has won the contract to supply the toy mascots for London 2012, but because the games are providing the company with the opportunity to put its
operations on a more sustainable footing.
Golden Bear is one of nearly 40 licensees the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) is so far working with.
Most of them are
SMEs and all are required to abide by LOCOG’s 'Sustainable Sourcing Code’ in order to be considered for a contract, according to a spokesperson for the organisation, who says many more contracts are due to be awarded between now and the launch of the Games in summer 2012.
"Over the next 12 months or so we will be awarding about £500 million worth of contracts as we seek to procure the goods and services we need to stage the Games," says the spokesperson for LOCOG. "There will also be a number of sub-contractor opportunities for some of the larger contracts."
Role of SMEs
With a significant percentage of the business opportunities associated with the Olympics being awarded to SMEs, these businesses are expected to do their part in supporting the sustainability of the Games, according Shaun McCarthy, chair of the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012.
"Small businesses are expected to contribute to sustainability objectives in the same way as large ones," says McCarthy. "If working for the Olympic Delivery Authority, they need to comply with a range of 12 very specific sustainability objectives. For LOCOG they need to comply with things like the Sustainable Sourcing Code and the Diversity and Inclusion business Charter."
A spokesperson for the ODA said that suppliers are chosen based on general cost as well as a strong consideration of their sustainability
policy.
"Everything we do is about sustainability," said the spokesperson. "This is a world class project so it attracted world class bidders. So we didn’t have a lot of trouble finding sustainable suppliers. We want to use this sustainable project to change the way the UK industry looks at projects such as this."
CompeteFor
Businesses have the opportunity to compete for London 2012 contract bids on CompeteFor. This procurement tool was designed by the London Development Agency in connection with the London Business Network and London 2012 to give small and medium-sized businesses the chance to go for contract opportunities arising from the London 2012 Olympics.
London Business Network, which provides support for the system, was created to help the capital’s business community engage in opportunities arising from the games.
"Our number one priority was to drive opportunities for business, in particular SMEs," says Brett Taylor, deputy chief executive at the London Business Network. "It’s not just for Tier 1 contracts. It’s also instrumental in driving the supply chain further down. One of the main drives in the bids for the games is maximizing benefit that London and the UK businesses get from the games."
The system has delivered 7,000 opportunities, according to Taylor, and 65 per cent of these opportunities have been awarded to SMEs. Currently, 37,000 London-based businesses are registered on the system and 1,000 buying organisations are now placing opportunities on the database.
CompeteFor has a pre-questionnaire built into the site, which includes questions about sustainability. Businesses who do not meet the sustainability requirements of the Olympics will not be allowed to compete for bids.
"We are certainly aware that some companies have totally rethought their sustainability policies as a result," said Taylor. "Some companies have changed their approach to sustainability and even completely changed their environmental policy. These requirements for robust sustainability have certainly had a profound effect on some businesses."
Golden Bear Toys
Golden Bear Toys, which employs 50 people and has a current turnover of £10 million, received a bid from LOCOG at the end of last year to supply mascot toys for the Games. The company supplied the mascots for TeamGB at the Beijing Olympics, but it was the commitment it showed to meeting the sustainability standards set down by LOCOG that helped clinch the deal, according to operations manager Phil Hancox.
"We had already begun a green policy and are members of the British Toy and Hobby Association, which promotes sustainability and the environment," he explains. "This helped us with our bid."
But Hancox admits the company is only at the start of its sustainability journey, with many obstacles to overcome. "It’s difficult because our manufacturing is done in China," he explains.
Hancox says the LOCOG bid is providing it with the framework to green its operations, though. For example, over the next year the company plans to complete lifecycle assessments of its mascot toys to measure the entire carbon footprint of them from production to end of use. This will provide it with a benchmark to make further reductions and find more sustainable materials to use in its toys.
The company, meanwhile, is committed to reducing packaging and making sure all the packaging used for the mascots is from
recycled material. Hancox says this policy has so far seen a reduction in packaging of 25 to 30 per cent.
The company is still a way off achieving an environmental certification, such as ISO14001, but is committed to getting there with the help of the LOCOG.
"The bid will provide us with a [green] legacy, which we will be able be roll out across all our products," says Hancox.
Sustainability of games
Despite fears that reductions in public spending would lead to reduced sustainability targets, McCarthy says the games are on track to fulfill their promise of being the most sustainable games in history.
"In fact there are many examples of sustainability saving money," he says. "Good examples of this would be the
design of the velodrome and the procurement of concrete, where the supplier who was offering the maximum reduction in carbon footprint was also the most sustainable. At the independent commission we constantly monitor the objectives and look for examples of spending constraints impacting sustainability."
These sustainability efforts are important in securing a future for the Olympics, McCarthy said, because future games will need to be even more sustainable than the 2012 games.
"The Olympic values are centered around the broad prospect of sustainability and this is one of the biggest events in the world, setting an example to billions of people," said McCarthy. "It could be argued that having an Olympics at all is an inherently unsustainable thing to do. The host cities have a fundamental responsibility to stage the event in the most sustainable way possible.
"Can we stage the most sustainable Games ever? Yes. Will all this contribute to a better world? The next two years will provide the answer and we will be following up all of these issues with the delivery bodies with professionalism, integrity and world class tenacity."
Additional reporting by Louise Bateman.
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Related links:
www.london2012.com/
www.london2012.com/publications/locog-sustainable-sourcing-code.php
www.competefor.com
