Sochi 2014: An Impartial Look at its Sustainability Record

Contributed by Zeke Iddon

The Olympic Winter Games is nearly upon us, and the press machine has already been in full-force during the run up… but sadly, not in an altogether positive way.

The furore caused by the denigration of gay athletes and visitors by Sochi’s mayor (and the wider administration) is, as many have been quick to rightly criticize, counter to the spirit of diversity that any Olympic event should be all about. And really, it would be all to easy to point out that the anti-gay propaganda defies the very origins of the Games given that it began with buck-naked, muscular Grecians getting oiled up and wrestling with each other.

But since the silliness has now been busted wide open, hopefully this will mark a turning point for Russia. Either way, there’s currently not much more to say on the issue that hasn’t already been said, so let’s get on to another important topic that hasn’t received quite as many column inches: sustainability at the Sochi Games.

Going Green in a Land of White

Long before Sochi totally forgot what the word ‘budget’ meant (having overrun the original $12Bn budget to become the most expensive Olympics ever at $51Bn), the organizing committee made some heady claims about becoming the first ever carbon-neutral Games event. Sochi was not the first to pledge this aim; Vancouver (with its 2010 Winter Games) and London (at the 2012 Summer Olympics) also shot for total carbon-neutrality, but ultimately ended up falling short.

So is Sochi on track to achieve this goal?

It’s a tough call to make at this stage, but the prognosis is looking precarious. Numerous impressive green initiatives were announced shortly after the bid was awarded, and for the most part, these have been delivered upon; five saplings have been planted for every one tree felled, fishing populations have been replenished, eco-friendly sewage treatment and energy plants have been constructed, and further measures have been put in place to offset the carbon footprint caused by mass travel to the games.

The various initiatives have been instrumental in both improving economic prosperity to the region as well as offsetting the 160,000 tons of carbon dioxide expected to come as an indirect result of the games. In addition, the official Olympic partner for the games – Dow Chemical – is pledging direct construction offset measures as part of its “Sustainable Future” program. These are predominantly in the form of implementing low-carbon technology to help improve green industry and architecture across Russia.

Naturally, Dow Chemical has its own operating footprint to offset, which it plans to do by siphoning off methane gas from landfills (in Georgia) to power nearby plants. While generating power from disposed waste is not a new scheme – for instance, the Poly2Petro process can turn the kind of plastics discarded after an Olympic event into readily usable fuel – the scheme is one which is expected to offset the lion’s share of Sochi’s carbon footprint.

Of the initiatives, Sochi Organizing Committee president Dmitry Chernyschenko has stated: “One of our main inspirations is to take a significant step forward to help increase environmental awareness and inspire others to do the same in Russia.”

At surface level, this all sounds like good news but many commenters have expressed a lot of justifiable doubts as to whether it’ll all pay off in the end.

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back?

Numerous scientists and climate change experts were dismayed at Sochi’s bid to conduct mass construction efforts near the Caucasus Biosphere Reserve (a protected UNESCO heritage site), but plans went ahead regardless with seemingly disastrous results.

While it’s all well and good to use efficient landfill schemes to successfully offset the carbon dioxide generated from millions of people congregating in one place, this achievement is marred when an entirely new landfill is created in a protected water zone.

And that is exactly what is happening here: according to reports trickling down from the Associated Press, Russia’s government-controlled train monopoly has been dumping waste from its construction efforts en masse into the Mzymta River Valley.

Around 5,000 acres of forest have already been lost, which is already enough to irreparably alter the ecosystem of the national park. Russia’s blanket response to any protests raised is that ‘dumping has ceased’, despite no evidence to back this up.

It’s Not What You Know…

This raises the question as to whether there is more going on behind the scenes that we’re not aware of. More worrying still is that we may never know the full story, given that speculation about authorities silencing activism efforts are running rife.

It seems we’ll have to wait and see whether or not everything will balance out. In this regard, the eco-standing of the Sochi Winter Games is comparable to the mixed-messages it is putting out on the whole gay issue: everything is going ahead as planned, and everybody here is happy and on the same page…

… just pay no attention to the man behind the iron curtain.

Aspen/Snowmass releases their monthly sustainability newsletter

Aspen/Snowmass releases their monthly sustainability newsletter. I applaud Aspen Ski Company for leading the environmental charge among corporate ski resorts. http://www.aspensnowmass.com/environment/images/Greenletter.pdf

Bond Outerwear - Recycled PET & Carbon Neutral

If you aren't familiar with Bond Outerwear you should visit their site and check out their products as they are one of the most progressive if not the most progressive snowboard outerwear companies in terms of sustainability. All of their outer shells and inner liners utilize a blend of recycled PET (made from plastic bottles and containers), and virgin polyester that is completely recyclable. Both are materials that have been used before and can be used again for years to come. All snaps, zipper pulls, and buttons are made from discarded plastic pellets from heavy industry. Bond offsets all their carbon usage for everything from their office power to shipping through Carbonfund.org, and ship directly from their suppliers to their retailers which reduces and saves on fuel usage and unnecessary packaging waste. Bond holds their entire collection to high standards and work everyday to find new ways to innovate and make the most environmentally considered snowboard outerwear on the market.

Hudson Jacket - Sea Spray

The North Face Release Sustainability Report

North Face's sustainability report, introduced in a letter to the company by President, Todd Spaletto

In an effort to further their sustainability efforts, The North Face issued their first public sustainability report.

The report, outlining the company’s progress since 2010, focuses on using ‘bluesign’ approved and recycled fabrics, reducing greenhouse gases, and encouraging outdoor recreation. “Providing access to the outdoors, protecting the environment, and addressing the impacts of climate change are at the heart of our business,” said President Todd Spaletto in a letter to the company. The report also focuses on goals for the future, leading up to 2015.

Dear Friends and Partners,

For 45 years, The North Face has been empowering people to explore the outdoors. This focus on the natural world has opened our eyes to the many challenges facing our planet. It’s not just our responsibility to ensure our products and business practices have the smallest possible impact on the environment — we strive to be a leader in meeting those challenges.

Providing access to the outdoors, protecting the environment, and addressing the impacts of climate change are at the heart of our business. We are proud of the peaks we have reached on this expedition and know that many still lie ahead. As with any successful expedition, we are tackling these ascents with the support of a talented, motivated team.

What makes The North Face unique as a brand and as a place to work is the inherent personal connection our employees and consumers have with protecting the natural world they love to explore. Thanks to this passion, environmental responsibility is integrated into our company culture. The next challenge is to seamlessly embed our commitment to sustainability into every aspect of our business.

We have a philosophy we call the “virtuous cycle” that connects passion for the outdoors with environmental responsibility. It is a simple concept based on the idea that if you get people outdoors, they will love that experience. The more they interact with nature, the more they grow to care about conservation and protecting the environment. Our vision is to inspire the next generation of conservationists and create a demand for sustainable products.

We give our consumers the very best products we can create. Behind these products is a meticulous process for ensuring that our materials and supply chain manufacturing methods create minimal environmental impact. Over the past few years, we have made great progress on engaging our suppliers with the bluesign^® standard, an independent system for managing chemical input, resource efficiency and worker safety in the supply chain. Over 21% of our fabric met the bluesign^® standard in our 2010 product line and we have set a target of 65% by 2015. We plan to reevaluate our goals and progress periodically to ensure we are doing everything we can to reduce our environmental impacts.

We are sharing our commitment to sustainability through this report to encourage our employees, customers and partners to engage in a dialogue about the ways we can all be more responsible stewards of the natural world and our communities. Despite our success and dedication to sustainability, we know there are always areas for improvement. We are on track to meet our normalized greenhouse gas reduction goal and working hard to reduce our absolute emissions. As a global brand, we need to do a better job of expanding our sustainability strategy across the world. This report outlines our challenges in more detail and helps us continue our commitment to improving upon our goals moving forward.

Never Stop Exploring!

Todd Spaletto

President

The North Face, Americas

atreebutes - A Clothing Alteration Project By Nicolas Müller & Frederik Kalbermatten

atreebutes is a cool new "clothing alteration project" by Nicolas Müller & Frederik Kalbermatten. They have an interesting view on the sustainability that i like. See for yourself...

There is this word.

Sustainability.

It is all over the place. It has become so popular that some people use it without considering what great responsibility comes with it.
Even the petrol industry and major airlines like the sound of this word and dig out the 2 green percent in their companies to create a global marketing campaign out of them.

Although our main goal at atreebutes is to make clothes that are better and healthier for people and have little to no impact on the environment, we have to take it easy with the use of the s word.

Because we know that everything we do messes something up. Even if we try to be a good or „less bad“ brand, we still create problems that wouldn’t be there without us. If we wanted to live a sustainable life, we shouldn’t be doing a clothing brand. It’s as easy as that.

You can buy an organic apple at your local farmer’s shop and with some luck it is 99% organic because there is mainly water and sun involved in growing that apple. But there are so many steps involved in making a simple T-shirt that once it is finished, it has done some harm. We are aware of that.

But on the other hand you have to start at some point. Without being intimidated by what problems might lie ahead of you. That’s why we’re cool with the fact that the s word is so popular right now. It creates awareness for what’s going on in this world. And if it motivates people to make only a small step into the right direction, it means they make one step less into the wrong.

That is our mission. No steps into the wrong direction.

What you see here is our personal first step.

If you like parts of it and it maybe even gets you to change some of your old ways, we are on the right track.

And if you like it even quite a bit and you would like to become a part of it, drop us a line.

You’re always welcome@atreebutes.com.