The post-Games report, entitled London 2012 – From Vision to Reality, presents the final conclusions through key sustainability themes, with information based on first-hand observations and data gathered by the Commission during Games-time.

The report concludes that the London 2012 Games broadly delivered against its sustainability objectives, and highlights several examples of leading practice which the Commission urges future Olympic and Paralympic organisers to follow.

Using today’s release of its post-Games report, the Commission has called on the UK to lead the charge in ensuring London’s lessons are firmly embedded into the events industry.

Ambitious sustainability targets such as zero waste to landfill and 70% waste to be re-used, recycled or composted are on track thanks to efforts such as meticulous attention to packaging and the effective use of the colour coded three-bin system.

The transport system delivered an excellent service, and London 2012 should be praised for being the first Games to offer a fully comprehensive mobility service. Comprehensive public transport options and effective planning meant that the logistical operation for the Games was delivered with minimal disruption to Londoners.

Another success story was the food, with a wide variety of healthy, sustainably sourced, affordable meals available at most London 2012 venues, driven from the start by the development of the impressive London 2012 ‘Food Vision’ – a first for major event catering.

Shaun McCarthy, Chair of the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012, said:

“I have no hesitation in confirming that London 2012 has delivered the most sustainable Games ever, and we congratulate the delivery bodies and all those who contributed to this excellent achievement. But we mustn’t rest on our laurels – more could be achieved if London’s lessons, both the good and the challenging, are heeded by others.

“London 2012 has raised the bar on sustainability, not just for future Olympic and Paralympic Games but for industry, and for the organisers of major events the world over – from music festivals to football World Cups. By being open to learning from these successes as well as the missed opportunities, future major projects could even out-perform London 2012’s sustainability achievements.

“Minister for Sport Hugh Robertson has said that Government is now ‘focused on delivering the legacy from the Games’. The UK is hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2014, the Rugby World Cup in 2015, and the Olympic Stadium hosting the World Athletics Championships in 2017 – what better way to deliver the legacy than by embedding leading sustainability practice in these events? I call on the organisers to pick up the sustainability baton and carry it forward, demonstrating to the UK public that we can rely on them to meet the spirit of London’s sustainability achievements.”

However, the Commission’s findings also point to some areas during the London 2012 Games where further improvements could have been made.

The Live Sites provided an excellent opportunity for the public to soak up the Games atmosphere for free, but the Commission was disappointed that many of the Live Sites refused to allow the public to bring in their own food; compromising affordability and the principle of creating an event for all budgets.

Although Games-time carbon savings are on track to be achieved, the Commission remains disappointed with LOCOG’s slow development of a comprehensive energy plan, which meant opportunities were missed for even further carbon reductions.

The opening and closing ceremonies provided a showcase for messages about sustainability, and elements such as the method of waste management on the Olympic Park and use of green space offered spectators an opportunity to observe sustainability in practice. However, the lack of information available about the venues, village buildings and infrastructure was a missed opportunity for communicating their sustainability credentials to visitors.

The post-Games report can be downloaded in PDF format here.  

The full press release about the report is available here.  

They think the London 2012 Olympic Games are all over but from a sustainability point of view this is the end of the beginning. Today sees the release of our report entitled “London 2012 – From vision to reality“. It documents the fantastic effort made by my team to get to practically every Olympic venue with the exception of the football stadia. Not bad for a team of four people in a few short weeks. We also visited live sites, logistics hubs, waste transfer stations and numerous other “back of house” activities that would not normally be experienced by the public who just need to expect this stuff to be done well while they have a good time. Somebody has to check this and I would like to thank the team for doing such a great job in some of the less glamorous areas of the Games.

We can conclude from our assurance work that London 2012 has indeed delivered the most sustainable Games ever. Of course there are some things that could have been done better; energy conservation was pretty poor and inconsistency in delivery between LOCOG venues and government Live Sites did not help but the overall package of a great green space, food vision, a very visible waste strategy, great public transport and access for most disabled people proved to be a gold medal winning combination.

The Commission has one more piece of work to do before we shut up shop in March 2013; this is a review we call “Beyond 2012” where we will look for evidence of an “Olympic effect” on more sustainable practices. The ODA and LOCOG have demonstrated to the construction, event management and catering industries respectively that it is possible to deliver a step change in sustainable practice. The challenge is now with those industries and the people who commission services from them to demand these standards as a minimum and for the sectors to kick on and raise the bar even higher. My observations of these sectors to date make me optimistic, there is a growing band of people and organisations who understand the business opportunities presented through more sustainable solutions.

In other areas London 2012 has exposed weaknesses. The merchandise industry served up the same old tat in slightly more sustainable packaging here or containing a small percentage of organic cotton there. This is not step change and question marks remain about ethical standards in the supply chains of some suppliers and licensees. Global brand owners such as the IOC and FIFA have the power to demand more and should use it more effectively in the future. Transparency is important too. I have to question why no other event or major project has submitted itself to scrutiny by a body such as the Commission. Instead they rely on “advisory committees”, talking shops with no real influence, accountability or added value.

The party has left town but has London 2012 inspired a generation to be more respectful to the planet and the people on it? Maybe some future commentator starting a blog with “I was 8 years old when Mo Farrah won his second gold medal” will provide the answer.

Shaun McCarthy

November 2012

Cycling gives you the full experience of the city, all the sights, sounds and smells and is the quickest way to travel over short journeys, along with walking. Travelling by car, bus or taxi is like observing the city through a TV screen. The subterranean experience of the Tube does not give you an experience of the city at all but it remains the fastest and most efficient way to travel for longer journeys.

London 2012 has made a great effort to promote cycling as a way of getting to the Games as part of the Active Travel programme. A total of 7,200 secure bike parking places have been provided, along with web-based maps and guides, led cycle tours and free cycle maintenance at the Olympic Park and Brands Hatch, the new venue for Paralympic road cycling.

There will be a legacy for cycling too; the city has invested £10m enhancing 75km of East London’s cycle paths, helping to make this part of the city a magnet for people wanting to enjoy healthy, sustainable lifestyles.

Our observations during the Olympics suggested that cycling may not have been as popular as it could have been London can be a difficult city to cycle in if you are not used to it. One of our team, Jonathan Turner, found central London quite challenging despite being an experienced cyclist and some temporary bike parks were not particularly easy to find.

The Paralympics provide an opportunity to continue promoting cycling as a healthy, affordable and sustainable form of transport, not just for the Games but as an enduring lifestyle choice.  I hope LOCOG, the ODA and TfL are able to make a collective effort to ensure that any glitches in way-finding for cyclists are resolved and that it matches up to the excellent provision made for public transport users. If this can be achieved I am sure cyclists will enjoy a great day out at the Paralympics and that it will help to enhance London’s reputation as a bike-friendly city.  

Shaun McCarthy 

August 2012  

I recently cycled round Games-time London to see how feasible and popular this was, particularly in light of a recent tragic incident. I’m a fairly keen cyclist but have never cycled in central London before so this seemed a good test. Having had problems activating my key and using a credit card for the cycle hire scheme, I borrowed a colleague’s bike and took to the road.

The roads were busy as expected and I needed my wits about me to negotiate the complex web of obstacles and road provision for cyclists. There are cycle paths and super highways, albeit frequently blocked by delivery vehicles (even official Games suppliers!), and numerous buses, private hire vehicles and cars to contend with. I did learn a new “trick” from one vehicle – you pull up on a double yellow line, open your bonnet as if you have a problem, get your passenger out then nip off to run a few errands. Terrible! Navigating unfamiliar streets was also challenging but in Central London at least the legible London signs allowed me to check occasionally to ensure I was on track.

It was good to see so many people out cycling around London – and so many using the cycle hire scheme. Cycling or walking around the city also enables you to find things you would otherwise have missed. I went past two places where the Mayor of London Presents series had people performing gigs in public places.

I also cycled over to Hyde Park to find lots of people with bikes around the triathlon route. There are three secure cycling parking places at Hyde Park but unfortunately many people seemed unaware of these and had chained their bikes to any railings they could find. The cycle parking was still busy, but I’m told it was quiet when the Live Site was active – it seems the communication could have been a lot better there. I’ve seen the secure cycle parking at other venues being well used, for example over 400 on one day at the White Water Canoeing.

Towards the end of my trip, disaster struck as the chain on my bike broke leaving me with a bloodied knee and stranded in Central London. Unable to take a defunct bike on public transport, fortunately a visit to a cycle shop within walking distance got me going again.

So secure cycle provision is good, if not always as well communicated as it could be to casual visitors. Cycling around London continues to grow in popularity but it’s likely to take decades of good planning to overcome the challenges of London’s crowded streets and historic motorised-vehicle-focussed planning.

Finally, the risk of a chain coming off is ever present for even the best prepared of cyclists…but even the most ardent critic couldn’t blame London 2012 for that one!

Jonathan Turner

August 2012

We are satisfied that there are adequate plans for bike parking at the Olympic Park and that all reasonable efforts have been made to enable people to reach venues by walking and cycling wherever possible. The London 2012 Active Travel website adequately signposts people to other information sources including a map of private bike hire venues and to the Transport for London Active Travel website.

The Commission has previously noted that spectators travelling to the Games will be allocated free public transport and that this principle should be extended to spectators wishing to hire cycles.[i] We have now been advised that this would be logistically very costly and therefore is not a practical solution. 

However, we note that the Mayor’s cycle hire scheme is already free of charge for the first 30 minutes, after an initial fee is paid for access to the scheme of £1 per day. We understand that the majority of casual users of the bike scheme are currently using and returning bikes within the 30 minute period and therefore are paying the access fee but not a time-based rate for hire. 

Games-time visitors can therefore be confident that they will be able to access the bikes for short trips across London without paying a time based hire fee. While cross-London journeys would be difficult to complete within the free 30 minute period, we accept that casual users have the option of breaking their journey into more than one bike hire period.

The Commission has sought clarification from London 2012 delivery bodies on whether the Mayor’s Hire Scheme is being extended to enable spectators to cycle to the Games using these hire bikes, and what other measures are being considered to assist cyclists at Games-time.

We have been advised that planning permission is being sought to enhance the scheme to:

• provide additional bikes
• extend the scheme eastward and intensify the existing scheme
• install additional docking stations across the extension and as part of the intensification programme
• provide additional docking stations that are potentially within walking distance of the western side of the Olympic Park

We understand that this proposal is the subject of negotiations as part of the planning approval process. We have been assured that maps and guides will be updated as appropriate once the outcome of these negotiations is known and subsequent installation work has been completed.  We will look forward to reviewing these revisions in the spring of 2012.