Getty Images
- Coca-Cola is longest-standing sponsor of Olympics
- Brad Ross says company is taking issues raised by athletes “seriously”
- Paris 2024 aiming to be greenest Games ever
Olympic TOP sponsor Coca-Cola says it is making “a concerted effort” to respond to concerns raised by athletes about the environmental impact caused by the sale of single-use plastics at major events.
The soft drinks giant is the longest-standing sponsor of the Games and is promoting brands such as Powerade, Smartwater and Fuze Tea during Paris 2024, which officially got underway on 26th July.
However, prior to the event, more than 100 current and former athletes – 22 of which are competing in Paris – put their name to a letter sent to the chief executives of Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, urging their companies to use their sponsorship of major events to promote reusable products.
While highlighting that the two rivals are among the world’s top polluters, the letter pinpointed Paris 2024 as an opportunity to ‘trigger a sea change’ in how consumers understand packaging and ‘light the torch for reuse’.
Speaking to SportsPro, Brad Ross, Coca-Cola’s vice president of global sports and entertainment marketing and partnerships, said those concerns have been heard.
“We do [understand their concerns],” he said. “And I think that’s why we’ve taken such steps in this Games and the future Games to come in trying to be as neutral as we can in this regard.”
While plastic bottles are still being sold at Paris 2024, Coca-Cola said in an official announcement in April that it would be providing packaging options in Paris ‘to help minimise waste and reduce carbon emissions’.
It has also installed beverage and water fountains with refill options and is selling returnable glass bottles and bottles made with recyclable materials.
“The offerings that we’re putting on the table, the recyclability that we’ve put together with all our packages, and then the bottles that will be reused, we’ve really made a concerted effort to hear and act on what some of those concerns are,” Ross added.
“So we have taken it seriously, we are actually working on it, and will continue to work on it and get better as we go.”
Sustainability has been a core focus of Paris 2024, which is using 95 per cent temporary or existing venues in an effort to stage what organisers hope will be the greenest Games ever.
From a food and beverage perspective, Paris 2024 has promised a 50 per cent reduction in single-use plastics and the reuse of all catering equipment and infrastructure after the Games, while spectators have also been allowed to bring refillable bottles into venues, which is an exception to French regulations.
The quotes in this article are taken from a wider interview with Brad Ross, Coca-Cola’s vice president of global sports and entertainment marketing and partnerships, which is exclusive to SportsPro+ subscribers. To access the full interview, click here. To find out more about SportsPro+ membership, click here.