Raising the bar? Can London 2012 set new standards for sustainability?

Annual Review 2009

May 2010

Tags: Annual review

The Commission published its third Annual Review on 25 May 2010. It looks at the governance arrangements of each of the delivery bodies for the London 2012 Games and reports progress in delivering a sustainable Games and legacy.

Key Findings

  • We have seen continued good performance by the ODA
  • Policies have been developed to deal with key controversial issues, such as PVC and HFC
  • LOCOG has developed impressive public strategies and will be updating its Sustainability Management System to enable people to develop innovative solutions based on stretching internal targets.
  • We have seen a significant contribution from a wide range of partners.
  • Our main areas of concern lie in wider commitments “to make the Olympic Park a blueprint for sustainable living” and “to be a catalyst for new waste management infrastructure in East London”
  • A co-ordinated and determined effort is required if the exemplary sustainability standards demonstrated by the ODA and planned by LOCOG are to become the norm and for the ambition to use the Gamesto inspire more sustainable behaviour to be fully realised.

Recommendations

  • That the London 2012 Sustainability Group establish a timely, clear, co-ordinated, funded, independent work programme to capture sustainability lessons learned and to set new standards of sustainability in the sectors identified by the senior executives in January 2009.
  • That GOE incorporate responses to the Commission’s recommendations into the overall view of programme risk managed by OPPO.
  • That LOCOG identify partner organisations with significant sustainability impacts and establish an engagement programme to ensure consistency.
  • That LOCOG develop a suite of targets through each governance committee to reflect the emerging development of their priority sustainability strategies and operational programmes. The governance committees should be accountable for delivery against these targets. This action should be substantially complete within six months.
  • That LOCOG continue to explore opportunities with the legacy owners and the sport community to ensure the optimum long term benefit is achieved in lease/buy decisions.
  • That the current London 2012 Sustainability Group be constituted as a formal legacy board or allocates clear responsibility for the promise to create a “blueprint for sustainable living”. It needs to review its terms of reference, membership and reporting relationships to ensure it is fit to fulfil the role.
  • That the London 2012 Sustainability Group, with input from relevant stakeholders, define the meaning of a “blueprint for sustainable living” and develop a work plan to deliver it.
  • That GOE work with the rest of DCMS to develop a consistent and effective approach to carbon management for major sporting events.
  • That GOE work with the rest of Government to ensure that the construction industry develops a consistent and effective approach to carbon management that includes embodied impacts.
  • That the OPLC work with partners in the local community to ensure the Olympic Park is able to deliver zero carbon energy by 2016.
  • That the cost of public transport to the Games, combined with car park pricing be structured to ensure that travelling to the Games from outside London is affordable and that people are incentivised to use sustainable forms of transport.
  • That there is greater co-ordination of the health agenda across Key Stakeholders, through existing groups, or possibly by establishing a Health Legacy board as part of the legacy governance structure.
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