Do synthetic kits undermine ‘the most sustainable Olympics ever’?

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Paris 2024 has a lofty target: to halve the carbon footprint of this summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games compared to the average of London 2012 and Rio 2016. The strategy to reduce emissions to 1.5 million CO2e runs the gamut from connecting venues with 415 km of cycle paths to serving twice as much plant-based food, while volunteers will wear multifunctional modular uniforms, over half of which have been produced locally.

“We had to look for ways of reducing impact pretty much everywhere throughout the organisation,” says Georgina Grenon, director of environmental excellence for Paris 2024.

But what about what the athletes wear throughout the games? They are the stars of the show, yet the uniforms they will compete in have few or no sustainability credentials to speak of, campaigners say — threatening to undermine the robust sustainability goals of the event. “Team uniform does not appear to be the major focus of sustainability innovations in the climate action plans of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) or National Olympic Committees (NOCs),” says Rhydian Cowley, Team Australia race walker and ambassador for campaign and advocacy group EcoAthletes. “In my experience, the primary focus of team uniforms is performance, especially for competition uniforms.”

This is despite the fact that the major sportswear brands all have ambitious sustainability commitments. Performance wear has become synonymous with synthetic fabrics such as polyester and nylon, which are favoured for qualities including streamlined fits that reduce drag and moisture-wicking to keep athletes cool and dry — but are made from petroleum, are not yet recyclable at scale and, once they’re discarded and even once they’re washed, leave a lasting microplastics footprint on ecosystems worldwide.

The heavy use of synthetic materials is a major contradiction with the new reality that climate change has forced on athletes, some competitors point out. Extreme heat is now one of the biggest threats they face. “The heat [at Tokyo 2020] was bordering on true risk — the type of risk that could potentially be fatal,” tennis player and bronze medallist Marcus Daniell said in a report by the British Association for Sustainable Sport. It describes Tokyo 2020 as the hottest games in history and lists increased likelihood of heat stress, reduced responsiveness, increased fatigue and slowed recovery among many other heat-related threats to performance. This year, Paris 2024 published a ‘Beat the Heat’ information leaflet to help athletes avoid heat stress.

There is a glaring conflict, therefore, between the reliance on fossil fuel-based fabrics to support athletic performance and the continued use of fossil fuels causing a performance-threatening shift in climate.

What the brands say

The production of fossil fuel-based fabrics requires 1.3 billion barrels of oil yearly (more than the annual consumption of Spain), according to climate campaign group Stand.earth, at a time when researchers warn that nearly 60 per cent of oil must remain unextracted by 2050 in order to keep warming below 1.5°C. Puma, Asics, Nike, Adidas and Lululemon — among Paris 2024’s most prolific sponsors — all scored a C+ or below in Stand.earth’s 2023 Fossil Free Fashion Scorecard, which listed a lack of commitment to phasing out fossil fuel-based materials among the lowest-scoring impact areas for each brand. (Other impact areas under consideration were climate commitments and transparency, renewable and energy-efficient manufacturing, renewable energy efficiency and greener shipping.)

In a statement, Adidas said: “All apparel products for Paris 2024 are made from more sustainable materials”, such as recycled polyester and cotton that is organic, recycled and third-party certified. The brand also said that, in 2023, it made a 24 per cent reduction in absolute greenhouse gas emissions — including supply chain — compared to the previous year, and an average of 3 per cent reduction per product. It is working with suppliers to phase out the use of coal and increase the use of renewable energy.

Puma said its race and distance kits will contain an average of 45 per cent recycled content. The brand says a 100 per cent replacement of all oil-based polymers is not currently realistic due to a lack of recycling capabilities globally, but says it is gradually transitioning to materials with a lower carbon footprint such as recycled polyester. Further steps in its climate action plan include engaging with suppliers to join industry-level energy efficiency and renewable energy programmes, and replacing coal-fired boilers at core suppliers.

Asics says it is making “necessary efforts to achieve net-zero by 2050 by setting targets and increasing the use of renewable energy. The brand also says it is “committed to replacing all virgin polyester materials used in apparel and footwear with recycled alternatives by 2030”. In April, it boasted a 34 per cent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for certain Team Japan styles in comparison to previous games and has included carbon labelling in its designs.

Environmental campaign group Action Speaks Louder (ASL) is calling upon Team Canada’s principal sponsor Lululemon to publicly disclose information about its supply chain, set renewable energy and absolute emissions reduction targets, and support suppliers in investing in the green transition. The campaign alleges that fossil fuels dominate the brand’s supply chain energy mix.

“Team Canada has committed to reach net-zero emissions by 2040… but Lululemon has not set an [absolute] emissions target for Scope 3, which is over 99 per cent of [its] emissions,” says ASL campaign manager Ruth MacGilp. “We believe that Team Canada’s partnership with Lululemon is out of alignment with its climate commitments.” Earlier this month, several Olympic athletes signed a joint letter to Lululemon CEO Calvin McDonald, asking him to set a measurable, public-facing target for increasing renewable energy in its supply chain.

A spokesperson for Lululemon says the company welcomes the dialogue and “is focused on driving innovations that help create a garment industry that is more sustainable and reduces supply chain greenhouse emissions”. According to the spokesperson, the brand aims to make 100 per cent of its products with “preferred materials and end-of-use solutions” by 2030, facilitated by multi-year partnerships to develop recycled nylon and polyester, and to scale the use of plant-based nylon; said fibres are incorporated into Team Canada kits, the brand says.

Nike did not respond to requests for comment or further sustainability information.

Looking in the wrong direction

Using recycled synthetics is a popular choice among Olympic sponsors as it reduces reliance on virgin fossil fuel sources, however the primary feedstock is generally plastic bottles, and some critics argue that using them for textiles removes them from a closed loop in plastic packaging and inserts them into a linear system instead. Critics also argue they don’t reduce overall dependence on fossil fuels — and, above all for some, a continued focus on recycled synthetics can ultimately be a distraction that risks usurping resources that could be spent on researching or adopting more holistic solutions.

Puma recently announced that for the 2024/2025 football season, millions of replica jerseys will be made from 75 per cent recycled textile waste under its RE:FIBRE innovation. This could provide an avenue for future Olympic kits, although, for now, it is focusing solely on football fan merchandise.

Swapping a recycled fibre for a virgin one fails to tackle another key issue, however. “The real challenge lies in addressing the culture of constant kit changes,” says Tess Howard, Team GB field hockey player and founder of non-profit Inclusive Sportswear. “This practice, while commercially driven, contradicts sustainability efforts. I believe we need a shift in mindset, where the longevity and versatility of kits are prioritised over frequent style changes.”

Like fashion influencers, some athletes have been posting hauls to showcase their sponsored Paris 2024 goods — from T-shirts to bathrobes — highlighting the sheer volume of items they receive. Team France alone will take delivery of approximately 150,000 items for its 840 athletes and 2,400 support staff for the Paris games.

This is the other implication of uniforms falling by the wayside of Paris 2024’s sustainability commitments: it’s not just about production, it’s also about what happens to clothes at the end of their life. Cowley says Olympic athletes are left with “ad hoc” circularity efforts for their kits — the burden is left solely to them to be proactive and partner post-games with external organisations to find responsible end-of-life solutions. Fellow EcoAthletes ambassador Howard says she has never been offered the opportunity to return kit to a brand or sports authority for end-of-life management and relies upon initiatives such as Grassboots and Preloved Sports to repurpose used kit.

To reduce the impact of the games, the Paris 2024 organising committee went as far as listing every single item necessary and developing a circular procurement strategy around them. “As of today, 90 per cent of the six million things we need to deliver the games have secured a second life. And that means no recycling, it is going to be used again,” Grenon says.

Still, there is a clear mismatch between the far-reaching actions of the Paris 2024 organising committee and what campaigners consider to be a lack of progress from kit sponsors — and the reason is simple, says Grenon. “We don’t have the power to tell [NOCs] yes or no. We can only provide recommendations. Since the early stages we have been sharing [sustainability strategies] with national committees… we expect everyone to play their part… but they are responsible for their own choices and gear,” she says.

Some NOCs are becoming cognisant of the impact of the never-ending glut of synthetic kit. The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC), for instance, says it has made a 20 per cent reduction in the quantity of team kits based on advice from the AOC Athletes’ Commission. The AOC also reports the use of recycled materials, natural foam rubber wetsuits and reduced packaging, among its sustainability efforts. But any progress in the right direction hinges on the values and ambitions of each NOC and brand.

Until there is a united, multinational shift away from fossil fuels and towards sustainable production levels, the message from campaigners remains clear: “Athletes no longer want to be dressed in fossil fuels,” says MacGilp.

Clarification: Updated to include responses from Asics and Adidas, which came in after publication. (26/07/24)

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