7th World Conference on Sport and the Environment - International ...

Report
4.7.2. Green Olympics in China
David G. Brooks, Vice President and General Manager, Beijing 2008 Coca-Cola (China)
Beverages
A History of Support
The Coca-Cola Company is a <strong>World</strong>wide Olympic Partner and the longest continuous corporate
supporter of the Olympic Games. We are proud to have have been associated with the Olympic Games
since Amsterdam 1928.
We support the Olympic Games for numerous reasons – we share the values of Olympism, we share a
vision of a better and more-peaceful world, and we share a commitment to fair play and the pursuit of
excellence.
In 2005, we announced the renewal of our partnership with the IOC for an unprecedented 12 years,
lengthening the role of Coca-Cola as a <strong>World</strong>wide Olympic Partner from 2009 through 2020. With this
agreement, our support continues from the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games through the Vancouver 2010
Olympic Winter Games, the London 2012 Olympic Games, the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, and
the Olympic Games of 2016 (Summer), 2018 (Winter) and 2020 (Summer).
Our pact with the IOC through 2020 also extends the most-enduring partnership in the history of the
Olympic Games to 92 years without interruption.
Creating Consumer Experiences
The Coca-Cola Company has been dedicated to creating unique and memorable Olympic Games
experiences through our partnerships with the IOC, the NOCs and the local organizing committees in the
host countries for the Games of each Olympiad.
Our promotional and community programs in countries around the globe simultaneously help create
lasting, irreplaceable memories of the Games for local citizens.
Playing Our Role in “Greening the Games” – A History of Support
One of the ways we seek to connect with consumers and play our role as a responsible corporate citizen
is by stepping up support for environmental efforts in conjunction with the Olympic Games.
We bring this vision to life in a many different ways. I am pleased to announce that just two days ago, on
October 24th, The Coca-Cola Company and the Hellenic Olympic Committee announced that Coca-Cola
will be making a $ 2 million donation to help the HOC restore its site at Ancient Olympia, the cradle of the
Olympic Games and the ultimate symbol of Greek and international culture and sports.
Coca-Cola was one of the first sponsors to support the IOC’s environmental agenda. We did so by
providing 2,500 recycling boxes at Olympic venues in Nagano, Japan, during the 1998 Winter Olympic
Games. Since then, we have consistently used the Olympic Games to raise awareness of environmental
issues and showcase our latest eco-friendly practices, products and services.
In Salt Lake City (2002), we introduced the first completely closed-loop recycling programme for plastic
beverage bottles at an Olympic Games, as well as the first 100% biodegradable cold drink cups.
In Athens (2004), we worked along with McDonald’s Corporation and Unilever—to introduce
“Refrigerants, Naturally!”, a voluntary initiative to address global climate change through the promotion of
HFC-free alternative refrigeration technologies. The initiative has since earned the support of the United
Nations Environment Programme and Greenpeace. We also deployed more than 600 beverage machines
to Olympic Games venues in Athens. These machines were unique because they used carbon dioxide as
the refrigerant. This alternative refrigeration technology safeguards the climate by eliminating the use of
ozone-damaging chloroflurocarbons (CFCs) and hydroflurocarbons (HFCs). We deployed the HFC-free
refrigeration systems in all of the venues at the Torino Games (2006).
Playing Our Role in the “Green Olympics” – Beijing 2008
The Olympic Torch Relay has allowed millions of people in numerous countries – individuals who would
not otherwise have the opportunity to enjoy a real, up-close Olympic experience – to be exposed to
one of the most-powerful symbols in the world, the Olympic Flame, and witness or even take part in an
Olympic Games tradition. Our close involvement with the Olympic Torch Relay dates back to 1992, and
we are proud to be a sponsor of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Torch Relay.
<strong>7th</strong> <strong>World</strong> <strong>Conference</strong> on Sport and the Environment
International Cooperation and Development Dept.
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