The ‘green’ head of the organization celebrates that Spain is at the “avant-garde” after participating in a talk at the CEU in Elche
ELCHE (ALICANTE), Nov. 14 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The director of Marketing, Human Resources and Sustainability of the Spanish Olympic Committee (COE), Manuel Parga, stated that the organization chaired by Alejandro Blanco plays in the Sustainability Champions League and celebrated that the Paris Games will be “neutral” Olympic Games. in CO2 emissions.
“The COE is in the Champions of Sustainability, and we know that we are going to win the Cup,” he said in an interview with Europa Press after participating in the second session of the ‘Communicate Sustainability’ conference, organized by the CEU Cardenal Herrera University. in Elche (Alicante).
In the talk at the CEU, Manuel Parga reviewed how sport can be a communication channel for sustainable social and environmental development “in all the sectors it impacts”, and presented the sustainability strategy that the COE has implemented since 2017. ” “This is a journey of no return. Without a doubt, sustainability is profitable because you have financial and economic savings and it provides intangible value by positioning your brand,” he indicated.
Likewise, Manuel Parga said that it can provide a new source of income from European and national funds allocated to sustainability projects, such as the ‘Sustainable Sports Event’ initiatives or, together with its global collaborator Banco Santander, the ‘Olympic Forest’, promoted by the COE to offset the carbon footprint of the Spanish delegation at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Of the 32 municipalities that have submitted, five ‘Olympic forests’ have been selected in Pamplona, Rivas Vaciamadrid (Madrid), Camponaraya (León), Onda (Castellón) and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and some private companies also want to carry out reforestation actions.
“On the issue of the sustainable sporting event seal, it is a guide that gives credibility to public administrations that comply with the 2030 Agenda and also to sponsors. We still have to work more on the sustainable sporting entity, but we take other tools such as the carbon footprint calculator,” he noted.
THE ‘NEW’ SUSTAINABLE INDUSTRY
The head of Sustainability of the COE emphasized the ‘new’ and emerging sustainable industry in which the major textile, footwear and sports surfaces brands are working.
“Europe is already issuing a regulation by which you will not be able to sell a non-sustainable t-shirt. But also sports equipment, athletics tracks or the new regulation that has come out that prohibits artificial grass. There is a sustainable industry, and “not only in products but also in services. Sports organizations, brands, suppliers, everyone who works around sports needs consultants who know how to transform that business model towards a more sustainable environment and business model,” he announced.
On the other hand, he celebrated the recent recognition by the IOC of the COE’s sustainability strategy for the use of hybrid and electric vehicles and prioritizing train travel over the plane in national travel, and the plane with a reduction in CO2 emissions, in the international ones. “This has been a source of pride for the COE and for President Blanco, but above all it has confirmed to us that we are moving in the right direction,” he highlighted.
PARIS 2024: SUSTAINABLE AND SECURITY CHALLENGE
The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympic Games will be held outdoors, in the surrounding area and on the Seine River itself, which will be a “sustainable” and “safety” challenge for the millions of fans who will attend.
“The Paris Olympic Games are going to be neutral in CO2 emissions. A lot of work has been done on the construction issue and on the open-air opening ceremony along the Seine. That is undoubtedly a challenge at a security and organizational level. , but I trust that the Paris City Council and the Organizing Committee will comply satisfactorily,” he assured Europa Press.
“THE 2030 WORLD CUP WILL BE A MODEL OF INCLUSION”
The COE was appointed by the 2030 World Cup Bid Office as an advisor on sustainability, an aspect in which they work from an environmental point of view with the reduction and compensation of CO2 emissions; social because it will be a “model of inclusion” between the Portuguese, Moroccan and Spanish communities; and economic to generate a transformation of the territories that develops new industrial sectors.
“For example, on the issue of energy or water management, and sustainable agriculture. May it leave a legacy in the territories of Morocco, Spain and Portugal regardless of the economic impact,” Parga wished.
Looking to the future, the COE has also set the goal of reducing scope 1, 2 and 3 gases by 50 percent. “The COE is at the forefront of sustainability issues in the Olympic movement. In other words, if “We compare ourselves with Olympic committees from Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, which are leaders in sustainability issues, the Spanish Olympic Committee beats them. This has been recognized by the IOC,” he was proud.
The formula is that the COE is a small, more flexible, 100% private, faster entity that undertakes successful pilot projects to replicate them in other parts of the planet.
“We were the first Olympic committee in the world to sign the UN’s ‘Sport for Climate Action’ commitment, which commits us to reducing scope 1, 2 and 3 CO2 emissions by 50 percent in 2030, which is not easy. , but we know that we are going to achieve it, and be ‘Net Zero’ in 2040. Are we in the Champions of Sustainability? Yes, and we know that we are going to win the Cup,” he stated.