Full Document Text

                
 
London 2012
December 2012
L
ondon 2012 Post-Games Sustainability Report
A legacy of change

400,000
tonnes of carbon 
dioxide equivalent 
saved (against 
reference footprint)
100
per cent Games 
operations waste 
diverted from landfill
62
per cent out of a total of 
10,173 tonnes of Games 
operational waste 
actually reused, recycled 
or composted
99
per cent out of a total 
of 61,000 tonnes of 
waste from installing 
and decommissioning 
Games venues reused  
or recycled
86
per cent of Olympic Park 
visitors travelled by rail
70
per cent of LOCOG 
suppliers were 
SME’s contributing 
26 per cent by 
value of our 
programme
39
per cent of staff directly 
employed by LOCOG at 
the peak of the Games 
had been unemployed 
prior to their recruitment 
75 
number of event related  
papers published on Learning 
Legacy website
23.5
per cent of staff directly 
employed by LOCOG during 
the Games were resident in 
one of the six Host Boroughs
15.5
million sustainably  
sourced meals
29
per cent increase in number of 
cyclists in central London during 
the Olympic Games compared with 
same period the year before

Foreword from the Chair of the London 2012  
Sustainability Ambassadors Group 6
Statement from the Chief Executive of LOCOG 7
Our sustainability journey 10
Stakeholder priorities 17
− Low carbon Games 18
− Zero waste Games 25
− Sustainable and accessible transport 32
− Economic benefits of sustainability 40
− Promoting sustainable living 46
− Olympic Park legacy plan 52
LOCOG sustainability objectives at a glance 57
Assurance statement 68
Contents

4 Publication title
This is the final sustainability report from London 
2012. As it is less than a year since we published our 
Pre-Games Sustainability Report (‘Delivering Change’, 
April 2012), we are issuing this as a supplement 
to that report, rather than a full annual report in its 
own right. The focus of this supplement is on what 
we achieved in the delivery of the Games and the 
culmination of our sustainability programme.
The structure of the report closely mirrors the summary 
report we produced in April 2012. This was centred 
on six topics that our stakeholders said mattered most 
to them, which we have now updated with results 
and outcomes from the Games together with new 
information on legacy where available. The focus is 
primarily on the London Organising Committee of the 
Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) as 
the organisation responsible for staging the Games; 
we have provided a brief narrative on how our 
programme was developed over the seven years since 
winning the bid. We have also set out how we did 
against our corporate sustainability objectives.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Although it can be read in conjunction with our 
Pre-Games Sustainability Report this shorter report 
cannot possibly convey the full detail of the London 
2012 sustainability programme. However, we are 
pleased to be able to complement this with a number 
of standalone case studies, micro-reports, research 
summaries and champion product documents on 
the Learning Legacy website: http://learninglegacy.
independent.gov.uk/ 
As this is a supplement to our full report earlier this 
year, which was prepared using the Global Reporting 
Initiative’s (GRI’s) G3.1 Sustainability Reporting 
Guidelines and Event Organisers Sector Supplement 
which was checked by GRI and found to be consistent 
with an application level of A, we have provided an 
updated GRI index, which highlights all indicators 
and disclosures that have been changed. This report 
retains the ‘A’ application level by virtue of it being 
a supplement. This index can also be found on the 
Learning Legacy website. 
 
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank all our partners, suppliers, 
stakeholders, colleagues, Games Makers, team 
members and supporters for their valuable 
contributions to making our sustainability programme 
come alive during the Games and helping us achieve 
our objectives. Sustainability has many technical 
aspects but ultimately it is about people: we are 
deeply grateful to the wider public for the way they 
responded to the Games, created the atmosphere and 
appreciated the venues, the organisation and levels of 
service. Their recognition of our efforts has made it  
all worthwhile.
4A legacy of change
About this report

5A legacy of change
The Olympic Park during the Games

6A legacy of change
For most people, the “national high” that settled over the 
country during the Olympics and Paralympics lasted for 
many weeks – a “wellbeing afterglow” as a colleague 
of mine described it!  In a funny kind of way, people felt 
blessed by the intensity of feelings associated with the 
Games and by their indisputable success.  
For us, as Sustainability Ambassadors, that “afterglow” 
was strongly influenced by the sure knowledge that we 
all felt very comfortable talking about the 2012 Games 
as “the most sustainable Olympics and Paralympics of 
the modern era” – one must assume that all those naked 
Greeks really would have had a lower carbon footprint!
Our part in that story was very small indeed, and 
though the credit goes in the first instance to David 
Stubbs and his team, there were literally countless 
people who had a hand in this sustainability success 
story.  Meeting the challenge of securing a “net positive 
impact” from something with as humungous a social 
and environmental footprint as the Olympics could 
only be achieved by embedding both the principles of 
sustainability and operational responsibility across the 
entire operation.
The Host City Contract between London and the 
International Olympic Committee mandated much of that, 
but the leadership of both the ODA and LOCOG worked 
hard to get that “whole company” buy-in.
This report represents a “first cut” on the final story, with 
a particular focus on those issues which were seen by 
stakeholders as being of particular importance.  There’s 
a lot of detail here on waste (a “game-changing” 
exemplar for the whole of the construction industry), on 
the carbon footprint (and you have to celebrate the fact 
that one of the reasons the final outcome wasn’t quite as 
good as it might have been was the fact that there were 
so many more visitors than had been anticipated!) and 
on employment.
For me, this last element is of particular importance in the 
sustainability picture, and this is the first time I’ve seen the 
very impressive “local content” figures on page 42.
There will be more to be reported on in due course, 
including the final report from the Commission for a 
Sustainable London 2012 which acted throughout the 
last five years as the independent watchdog for the 
Games.  And much still has to be delivered through the 
London Legacy Development Corporation, which will 
now be expected not to fall short on what has already 
been achieved.
Physically, there’s no doubt that it’s the Olympic Park that 
will make the most significant “lasting impression” on the 
lives of many millions of people over the years to come.  
But there is so much else here that will contribute to the 
legacy of the 2012 Games, and the sustainability story is 
right up there as one of the most important aspects. 
 
 
 
Jonathon Porritt 
November 2012
Jonathon Porritt is Founder Director of Forum for the 
Future www.forumforthefuture.org
Foreword from the 
Chair of the London 
2012 Sustainability 
Ambassadors Group
The London 2012 Sustainability Ambassadors at the Velodrome: 
Left to Right; Jonathon Porritt ,Tim Smit, Deborah Meaden,  
Kevin McCloud, Saci Lloyd and Eugenie Harvey  
(absent James Cracknell)

7A legacy of change
The London 2012 Olympic and 
Paralympic Games were an enormous 
success on numerous fronts and that is 
testimony to the hard work and  
excellence of so many people in-
volved in the project. 
I am also hugely proud that we honoured our ambitious 
sustainability commitments and succeeded in raising the 
bar and setting new standards in so many areas. This 
wasn’t something extra; it was an integral part of what 
we did and helped us deliver such great Games. 
This report provides the final results of the key strands 
of our sustainability programme, many of which will 
set a benchmark for the future. But overall, how were 
the Games delivered in a sustainable way? When we 
published our Sustainability Guidelines for Corporate 
and Public Events (first issued in July 2008 and 
updated in May 2010 and February 2012), we set 
out a definition of what we meant by a sustainable 
event. This identified eight key attributes which I think 
are a good way of looking at how we performed. 
1. Provide an accessible and inclusive setting for all 
The detailed planning in the early years to ensure 
we designed our venues and services to be as 
accessible as possible really bore fruit during the 
Games, complemented by the highly successful 
Games Mobility service. Our food services provided 
sufficient options to cater for diverse dietary, 
ethnic, cultural and practical needs; we provided 
affordable options, access to free drinking water 
and people could bring their own food into LOCOG 
venues. Above all, the warm welcome provided 
our volunteer Games Makers from all walks of life 
helped to make everyone feel part of the Games.
2. Provide a safe and secure atmosphere 
Thankfully there were no major safety or security 
incidents during the Games. The screening of 
visitors into venues was efficient, friendly and even 
fun. This was due in large part to the marvellous 
professionalism of the armed forces and police and 
their positive engagement with the public. Behind 
the scenes, the work of the security and emergency 
services all contributed to the overwhelmingly 
relaxed and secure atmosphere at the Games.
3. Have minimal negative impacts on the environment 
The Games inevitably consume a large amount of 
resources, but through our planning, procurement 
and operational choices we have massively avoided 
waste, we have made substantial carbon savings, 
sourced environmentally friendly products and taken 
care to protect the natural and cultural heritage 
found on our venues. From the natural planting of the 
Olympic Park to the detailed surveys and ecological 
management at Greenwich Park and Box Hill, and 
the partnerships we initiated, we made important 
contributions to biodiversity conservation.
4. Encourage healthy living 
The inspirational power of sport clearly shone 
through during the Games. Since then, clubs up 
and down the country have reported a surge in 
participation in so many different sports. For the 
Games we instigated the Active Travel Programme, 
which not only enabled spectators and workforce 
to cycle or walk to venues, but it formed a huge 
Statement from the 
Chief Executive of 
LOCOG
Paul Deighton 
Chief Executive 
The London Organising Committee 
of the Olympic Games and  
Paralympic Games Limited

8A legacy of change
part of managing the background travel demand 
across London. We addressed air quality concerns 
by ensuring we had a low-emission vehicle fleet, 
maximising use of public transport modes and fitting 
particulate filters to several of our temporary power 
generators. Finally, let’s not forget the health and 
wellbeing benefits of creating a major new parkland 
in east London, providing vital open space for 
recreation and enjoyment of the natural environment.
5. Promote responsible sourcing 
Staging the Games required a vast amount of goods 
and services, more than £1 billion-worth in value, 
all of which had to be sourced sustainably. We 
put huge effort into our procurement programme, 
in which sustainability was an integral part of our 
definition of value for money. This gave us a diverse 
supplier base, of which 70 per cent of companies 
were small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) 
and represented all nations and regions of the UK. In 
2011, we were certified to the globally recognised 
standard of the Chartered Institute of Purchasing 
and Supply for our effective processes, strategies, 
policies and procedures. 
 
We always knew there would be challenges, 
particularly in the area of labour standards, which 
is why our ground-breaking Sustainable Sourcing 
Code introduced the innovative concept of a 
Complaints and Dispute Resolution Mechanism, 
something we understand other companies are 
looking to emulate.
6. Deliver excellent customer experience 
When people feel valued they appreciate what 
you have done. All our client groups, from athletes 
to spectators, gave us excellent feedback on their 
Games experience. Their appreciation of the quality 
of service, of the venues and landscaping, of the 
transport and security services and the friendliness of 
the volunteer Games Makers made for an especially 
memorable occasion. Attention to detail had been a 
vital factor in achieving this, and sustainability was a 
key component.
7. Encourage more sustainable behaviour 
One thing that came through loud and clear from 
the Games was that people respected the quality of 
the venues. So many remarked on how clean and 
litter-free they were, and how easy it was for them 
to recycle their waste. Respect for place was also 
important, whether at the newly created Olympic 
Park, on the sensitive chalk grasslands of Box Hill 
(part of the Road Cycling route), or on the grassy 
cliffs overlooking Weymouth Bay (our Sailing venue). 
Through many of the Inspire projects, our Get 
Set education programme and the local initiative 
Changing Places, we engaged thousands of people 
in sustainability projects and activities which we 
hope will continue for a long time to come.
8. Leave a positive legacy 
Although ultimately legacy is a long-term 
perspective, we can already see numerous examples 
where our work is being carried forward: among 
our partners, BT and Coca-Cola have adopted and 
adapted our carbon footprint methodology to look 
at their business areas; the Food Legacy Pledge 
(managed by Sustain) is attracting widespread 
support; the Waste and Resources Action 
Programme (WRAP ) is taking forward many of the 
learnings from our zero waste Games vision; and 
we have been instrumental in the development of the 
new international management system standard for 
sustainable events, ISO 20121.
There is a lot to pass on to future Games and the 
wider world of events and businesses generally. We 
are enormously proud of what we have managed to 
do but we know this has only been a start. 
Sustainability does not have an end point and we 
hope that what we have learnt and reported here 
will provide future events and major projects with 
a solid foundation for improving their sustainability 
performance. 
 
 
Paul Deighton 
Chief Executive 
The London Organising Committee of the Olympic 
Games and Paralympic Games Limited

9A legacy of change
The natural landscaping of the Olympic Park provided an 
impressive backdrop for the Games experience

10A legacy of change
By all popular yardsticks the London 
2012 Olympic and Paralympic 
Games were a huge success. For 
many it was just about the few  
magical weeks when all the years 
of planning and predictions and talk 
finally culminated in an amazing 
festival of human endeavour. 
But the London 2012 story is about much more than 
just the period of the Games and sustainability has 
been central to this wider story. In part this was about 
fulfilling promises: when we bid for the 2012 Games, 
we made a radical proposal to the International 
Olympic Committee. We weren’t just going to put 
on the biggest sporting event in the world; we were 
going to hold the world’s first sustainable Olympic and 
Paralympic Games.
We said that no Games should ever pass through a 
city without leaving a lasting impression. For us this 
meant the design and build of the Olympic parkland 
and venues, new transport and utilities infrastructure 
and a blueprint for a sustainable new community in 
east London based on the principles of ‘One Planet 
Living
®
’. We also wanted to have a lasting influence 
on the way people think and behave. 
Delivering sustainability at scale
The Games was a huge undertaking: the largest 
peacetime logistical exercise in the world. It involved 
staging 26 simultaneous world championships, taking 
a two-week break then staging another 20, bringing 
together in excess of 200 competing nations – more 
than there are members of the UN – and providing for 
more than 15,000 Olympic and Paralympic athletes. 
They in turn were outnumbered two to one by media 
and supported by a workforce comprising almost 
200,000 paid staff, volunteers and contractors, not 
to mention the holders of more than 11 million tickets. 
The Olympic Opening Ceremony was watched by 
28.7m people in the UK, and billions worldwide. 
Many people might blanch at the idea of so much one-
off resource use and disruption alongside the notion 
of sustainability. There is something paradoxical about 
it. But that is before one considers the power of the 
Games to stimulate an enormous amount of positive 
and lasting change. Provided the latter can outweigh 
the former then it is worth doing. Our job was to make 
that balance work.
We saw London 2012 as a unique opportunity to 
demonstrate sustainability on an unprecedented 
scale. For a start it was a one-off chance to display 
the UK’s leadership on sustainability to a global 
audience. Secondly, it was an opportunity to reach 
vast numbers of people who wouldn’t otherwise be 
engaged by conventional sustainability campaigns; 
and finally, there is something about sport’s values 
that make an outstanding platform for promoting 
sustainable behaviour. 
Our 
sustainability 
journey
London 2012 was gold winner in the Environment and 
Sustainability category of the 6th International Sports Event 
Management Awards, November 2012

11A legacy of change
After (2012): new wetland bowl in the north of the Olympic 
Park during the Games. This area provides valuable new 
habitats, amenity and flood relief.
Before (2004):  derelict buildings on the future Olympic Park 
So this was a unique chance to lead the way to show 
how, through sport, we could deliver lasting change 
– not just the obvious physical change in how a 
neglected part of east London was being transformed 
into a thriving community – massive though that was – 
but also...
 – Change in the way large scale construction projects 
are planned and built. 
 – Change in the way we manage events.
 – Change in the way the Olympic and Paralympic 
Movements view sustainability.
Nobody had previously looked at these issues at such 
a scale or for such a high-profile event. While we 
learnt from green initiatives of previous Host Cities, 
there was no real baseline for us to start from. And we 
had always said we would look at sustainability in its 
fuller, holistic sense – more than just ‘green Games’.
Starting from scratch
The emphasis on sustainability and legacy in the 
London 2012 bid clearly struck a chord with the 
International Olympic Committee; it was also right 
in terms of timing and stakeholder opinion and 
expectations in the UK. 
But for all that, it was still very much a novelty in 
terms of how you actually make the Games more 
sustainable in a meaningful way. LOCOG and the 
Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) were literally start-
up organisations, with few people, no history and no 
systems and processes in place. Yes, there were certain 
milestones, clear deliverables and an immovable 
deadline to meet, but the route map was sketchy at 
best, and for sustainability pretty well non-existent.
In many ways, however, the start-up environment was 
ideal as there were no entrenched misconceptions 
about sustainability that can so often hold back 
progress in established organisations. We were also 
aided by the fact that sustainability had been a key 
element of the bid and as such was enshrined in the 
Host City Contract.
It was also a potentially fragile beginning. Cynics in 
those early days asked how long it would be before 
we started watering down our commitments. Much of 
that had been born of bitter experience of previous 
grand projects that had fallen short of early rhetoric on 
sustainability. London 2012 was going to be different 
– those inside knew it, but it would take a while for 
wider stakeholders to recognise the seriousness of the 
endeavour and the extent of our ambition.
We certainly didn’t always get it right, and along the 
way we learnt from our mistakes. But by continually 
being there from the beginning, asking the questions 
and seeking better ways of doing things, we gave 
ourselves the opportunity to choose. 
London 2012 has been the result of all these choices. 
Every one that we and our suppliers and partners made 
had an impact on the success of the Games as well as 
on the environment, the community and our legacy.

12A legacy of change
The architecture of sustainable Games
While this report is primarily about what we achieved 
at the Games, it all stems from the early work at the 
beginning of the project which set the foundations for 
future success.
The overarching framework for the London 2012 
sustainability programme was the London 2012 
Sustainability Policy (July 2006) and the London 2012 
Sustainability Plan, ‘Towards a One Planet 2012’ 
(November 2007). These were issued by the Olympic 
Board, representing the Government, the Mayor of 
London, the British Olympic Association and London 
2012. Both documents were revised and reissued in 
December 2009. 
The London 2012 Sustainability Plan took a 
programme-wide approach covering all three of the 
key phases: preparation, Games and legacy, and 
built on the commitments set out in the London 2012 
Candidature File and related bid documents. These 
were grouped into five priority themes:
 – Climate change
 – Waste
 – Biodiversity
 – Inclusion
 – Healthy living
Many specific projects and workstreams were 
developed to address key aspects of each of  
these themes. 
Underpinning all this are three key strands that ran 
through our programme and which have significant 
legacy potential: 
 – Sustainability management system
 – Independent assurance
 – Sustainability reporting
London 2012 was the inspiration for the development 
of BS 8901, which in turn led to ISO 20121, the first 
fully certifiable international Sustainability Management 
System standard. By 2011 both LOCOG and the 
ODA were third-party certified to BS 8901 (2009) and 
they both transitioned to ISO 20121 shortly after its 
launch in June 2012.  The London Legacy Development 
Corporation is also committed to achieving this standard, 
while the Greater London Authority achieved BS 8901 
certification in April 2012 for its city operations work.
The second strand was assurance. During the bid we 
recognised the potential value of having an independent 
voice to keep track of our programme and, indeed, to 
keep us on track. The Commission for a Sustainable 
London 2012 was set up in early 2007 specifically for 
this purpose. Over the last five years it has built up a 
strong portfolio of general and thematic reviews across 
the whole London 2012 programme. It was a step into 
the unknown when the Commission was set up, but it is 
certain that its continual presence and scrutiny across 
the programme has helped all the delivery bodies raise 
their game. 
Aerial view of Olympic Park during the Games

13A legacy of change
Our third strand was reporting. In collaboration 
with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and a 
number of international partners, including the 
International Olympic Committee (IOC), we supported 
the development of an Event Organisers Sector 
Supplement of the GRI sustainability reporting 
guidelines. We applied this internationally recognised 
framework to our annual sustainability reports issued 
in spring 2011 and 2012, the latter receiving a GRI 
check to level ‘A’ based on the new Event Organisers 
Sector Supplement.
Key challenges and choices
While our greatest advantage had been our presence 
from the start of the project, ensuring that sustainability 
became an integral part of policies and processes, our 
greatest challenge was to stay with the pace as the 
organisation grew and the programme intensified.
LOCOG started in 2005 with fewer than 50 people 
transitioning from the bid team. We were an SME 
and effectively remained so for the next four years. 
It was only in 2010 that we expanded beyond 500 
employees, rising to over 8,000 by Games time. It 
was relatively simple creating a culture of sustainability 
among a few dozen peers; quite another among 
hundreds and then thousands.
Five key tactical choices enabled us to keep the 
sustainability programme on track through this 
environment of constant change, while always 
remaining a small core team:
 – The Sustainability team was placed within the central 
strategy and planning department, which gave us 
good access to what was going on.
 – We focused our efforts on procurement and workforce 
training as two key areas where our influence would 
have maximum effect across the organisation.
 – We leveraged partnerships with sponsors and 
external organisations to bolster the strength of the 
team.
 – Operational functions – such as catering, transport, 
logistics and technology – were empowered to deliver 
key sustainability objectives.
 – As the organisation grew, Sustainability team 
members were embedded in other departments, 
notably in Venues and Infrastructure, Ceremonies 
and Communications to provide hands-on support 
where it could be most effective.
Even with all these elements it was still a massive 
undertaking and we had to focus on priorities while 
taking account of risks and opportunities. The targets set 
out in LOCOG’s Sustainability Strategy, coupled with 
the disciplines of a sustainability management system, 
continual assurance by CSL and effective partnership 
working, were essential to our eventual success.
Sustainability teams in other London 2012 delivery 
bodies had also worked hard to manage the challenges 
of rapidly increasing scale and intensity over the course 
of the project.
Women’s Road Cycle race at Box Hill, Surrey, 29 July.   
Local conservationists applauded LOCOG’s efforts to protect  
the ecologically sensitive chalk grasslands on this site.
Putting final touches to safeguarding protected wildlife habitat at 
Hadleigh Farm, Essex, Mountain Bike venue.

14A legacy of change
Sustainability at the Games
In the final few months leading up to and during the 
Games, the Sustainability team had two primary 
roles: first to ensure compliance with regulatory 
environmental obligations, as well as our own 
sustainability requirements, and second to promote the 
London 2012 sustainability story. At our peak during 
the Olympic Games we had a team of 21 staff and 
14 volunteer Games Makers (most of whom were 
sustainability professionals). This was split roughly 
25 for compliance monitoring and 10 for stakeholder 
engagement and communications support.
The compliance monitoring team operated on a 
roving basis across clusters of venues to ensure we 
had an active presence at all LOCOG venues, with 
special focus on priority sites such as Greenwich 
Park, Weymouth and Portland, Box Hill, Eton Dorney, 
Hadleigh Farm and the Olympic Park. The team 
also had a key role in managing the relationship 
with statutory agencies and assurance bodies. Staff 
from the Environment Agency, Natural England, 
the National Trust and Royal Parks also played a 
complementary role in supporting our work.
The engagement team was based in the Main Press 
Centre on the Olympic Park and focused on managing 
a programme of media and stakeholder tours of the 
Park. They were also responsible for the sustainability 
sessions of the official Olympic and Paralympic 
Observer Programmes run by the IOC and IPC 
respectively for future Host Cities and Candidate Cities 
as part of the Transfer of Knowledge Programme.
An initiative to engage athletes in sustainability 
operated out of the One Planet Centre in the Olympic 
and Paralympic Village. This was managed by 
BioRegional in partnership with Coca-Cola and 
LOCOG, with funding from Defra.
Several London 2012 commercial partners were 
actively engaged in promoting sustainability on 
the Olympic Park during the Games: BP and Cisco 
with their interactive pods as part of the ‘Walk in 
the Olympic Park’ project; BP, BMW and EDF with 
their main showcases highlighting their sustainability 
initiatives and products; and Coca-Cola’s roving team 
of ‘Recycling Ambassadors’. 
LOCOG Sustainability team, July 2012

15A legacy of change
Beyond London 2012
After the Games, a small core of the Sustainability 
team worked on the decommissioning of temporary 
venues and structures, reinstatement of sites, asset 
disposal and reuse programmes, data gathering, 
reporting and knowledge transfer. The last included 
a full session at the London Debrief in Rio de Janeiro 
(the Host City for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic 
Games) as well as formal document transfers to the 
IOC’s Olympic Games Knowledge Management 
Programme.
LOCOG is also contributing a series of case studies 
and other papers to the Learning Legacy website, 
which will provide a long-term resource for the 
event sector and wider industry in addition to the 
construction-focused material provided by the ODA.
Many of the partnerships and activities inspired by 
London 2012 will continue into the legacy phase. 
Examples include the Food Legacy Pledge and several 
of the Changing Places projects such as Transform 
while WRAP will be developing programmes  
based on key learnings from the Games waste 
management work.
Other key legacies are in the standards and 
methodologies developed as a result of our work. The 
new sustainability management system standard ISO 
20121 and the Global Reporting Initiative’s Event 
Organisers Sector Supplement are practical tools 
applicable to the event sector worldwide. Our carbon 
footprint methodology, temporary materials guidelines, 
event guidelines and zero waste events protocol are 
all available on the Learning Legacy website for others 
to take forward, adapt and improve.
The LOCOG Sustainability team disbanded on 14 
December 2012, three months after the close of the 
Paralympic Games.
Reflections on the Mirror Bridge over Carpenters Lock

16A legacy of change
Beach volleyball venue at Horse Guards Parade

17A legacy of change
Since the development of the bid,  
we have been working with our 
stakeholders to define and test our 
approach to sustainability. As we got 
closer to the Games, we wanted to 
know what they cared most about. 
In 2011, we identified their priority issues through 
a materiality review process. We consulted 
representatives from each of our 12 stakeholder 
groups through an online survey, in-depth interviews 
and a series of workshops carried out by Futerra. For 
more information on the materiality review and how 
we have applied the outcomes to our reporting and 
communications, please see ‘About this report’  
on pages 16-19 of our main Pre-Games  
Sustainability Report. 
The issues of most interest to our stakeholders mapped 
closely with our themes, but have a slightly different 
emphasis. 
Stakeholder priority issues
 – Carbon management to deliver a low carbon Games
 – Delivering a zero waste Games
 – Providing sustainable and accessible transport 
solutions
 – Using the Games to showcase the economic benefits 
of sustainability
 – Promoting sustainable living by making sustainability 
a visible part of the Games
 – Ensuring the Olympic Park legacy contributes to the 
regeneration of communities in east London
The following sections provide an update on each of 
these priority areas.
Stakeholder 
priorities
The London 2012 Gardens flanking the restored Waterworks river

18A legacy of change
Our approach
Delivering a low carbon Games was one of our 
flagship sustainability commitments. In part this was 
framed by the strategic choices to use existing venues 
wherever practical, to build new permanent venues 
only where there was a strong legacy case and, 
finally, to use temporary structures for all other needs. 
This approach, coupled with the compact nature of 
the Olympic Park and commitment to investing in and 
utilising public transport systems and a new utilities 
infrastructure, provided a strong foundation for our 
low carbon plans.
Unlike the process of accounting for the carbon 
emissions of an average organisation, measuring 
carbon for an event the size of the Games presents 
many challenges: there are no standards to provide 
guidance, there are many unpredictable elements, 
and the whole production evolves, with decisions 
taken dynamically, right up to the end. There was little 
available information upon which to base an effective 
and measurable carbon management strategy. 
To overcome this knowledge gap, we developed a new 
methodology that gave us a forward-looking, predictive 
model of our likely carbon emissions, which we called a 
reference footprint.
When we first started this exercise in late 2007, we 
inevitably had a limited understanding of the full scale of 
the project, significant data gaps, or simply poor quality 
data, which meant we had to make many assumptions. 
Despite these limitations, we have been able to use the 
carbon footprinting as a valuable tool, allowing us to 
prioritise the areas where we were best positioned to 
avoid and minimise carbon emissions.
As we have progressed, we have been able to 
refine the original reference footprint (first published 
in December 2009) and map this against a more 
accurate reduction scenario based on projected 
carbon savings from revised operational plans. 
Without an initial baseline it is hard to evidence 
reductions, so the focus has been firmly on avoiding 
emissions in the first place. 
Early on we took a number of key decisions: first, to 
account for all Games-related emissions covering the 
seven years from winning the bid to the end of the 
Games – we have not amortised them over the lifetime 
of the permanent venues. Second, we have included 
embodied carbon, not simply emissions from energy 
in use. Third, we defined a hierarchy to minimise 
the footprint through emission avoidance, reduction, 
substitution measures and compensation. 
‘The innovative approach to 
minimising the carbon footprint 
of the Games, coupled with 
the transparent honesty in 
confronting head-on those areas 
where performance is difficult to 
measure give us for the first time 
a benchmark which all other 
projects can use and aspire to 
improve upon.‘
Tim Smit 
Chief Executive an Co-Founder of the Eden Project and 
London 2012 Sustainability Ambassador
Low carbon 
Games

19A legacy of change
We recognised that the final, actual footprint 
would nevertheless be a substantial figure. We 
therefore developed a broad approach to carbon 
compensation, embracing knowledge transfer, asset 
disposal, local retro-fitting projects, behavioural 
change initiatives and conventional carbon offsetting. 
The legacy of these initiatives will be significant but we 
do not make any claims about being ‘carbon neutral’ 
as the measurability and boundary definition of many 
of these initiatives is imprecise.
Our carbon management highlights
London 2012 carbon footprint
Early estimates put London 2012’s total carbon 
footprint at 3.4m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents 
(tCO
2
e). This figure encompassed all construction 
works (of which the Olympic Park was the most 
significant) and all new transport infrastructure 
(primarily rail extensions) as well as the impacts of 
spectators and, of course, the staging of the Olympic 
and Paralympic Games themselves. 
This overall figure was split into ‘owned’, ‘shared’ 
and ‘associated’ emissions. The last are essentially 
consequential impacts of hosting the Games – 
primarily spectator travel and accommodation – over 
which organisers may have some influence but no 
real control. In contrast, the ‘owned’ emissions are a 
result of direct decisions by the London 2012 delivery 
bodies, and it is in these areas where we have 
focused our carbon reduction efforts.
Across the programme we are able to report savings of 
approximately 400 ktCO
2
e against the reference footprint. 
These were achieved across both construction and staging 
of the Games, principally through design modifications, 
materials selection, procurement policies and operational 
interventions during the Games. However, given the huge 
Figure 1: Original London 2012 reference 
footprint – ktCO
2
e (2009)
Figure 2: Actual measured London 2012 carbon 
footprint –ktCO
2
e (2012)
1,728400
730
Total 
3.4MtCO
2
e
988
311
1,442
Total 
3.3MtCO
2
e
Construction (ODA owned) 
Transport infrastructure (ODA owned) 
Transport infrastructure (non-ODA) 
Operations (LOCOG owned) 
Spectators (and other associated emissions)
429
161
429
159

20A legacy of change
popular success of the London Games, which included 
15m people lining the route of the Olympic Torch Relay 
and full venues throughout the Games, the component of 
associated spectator-related emissions was inevitably larger 
than originally estimated. This translates into a final overall 
carbon footprint of 3.3m tCO
2
e.
The reductions in the construction and transport 
infrastructure segments were achieved pre-Games. The 
two particular areas to consider here are the spectator 
and operations footprints which have both been 
updated using actual consumption data collected during 
and after the Games.
Carbon footprint of the Games
Prior to the Games, the greatest uncertainty was in the 
LOCOG-owned emissions. These are primarily linked 
to activities which peak during, or near to, Games 
time: venue energy use, transport services, the supply 
and use of temporary materials and so on. A full list of 
those LOCOG-owned emissions sources identified and 
estimated in previous sustainability reports is given in 
Table 1 along with pre-Games estimates from 2009, 
2011 and 2012. 
In the pre-Games sustainability report, published in April 
2012, the LOCOG reference footprint was estimated at 
420 ktCO
2
e. This was based on best estimates available 
up to the end of 2011. It was predicted that the actual 
footprint could be as low as 326 ktCO
2
e (a fall of 22 per 
cent) if all reduction commitments were implemented. 
A final pre-Games reference footprint for LOCOG is 
shown below to be 434 ktCO
2
e. This includes two 
additional elements (extra hotel accommodation and two 
hotel ships) that had not been anticipated in the 2011 
iteration of the reference footprint.  
Temporary shooting venue at Royal Artillery Barracks - reducing 
the embodied impacts of construction materials was one of the 
priorities of our carbon management strategy

21A legacy of change
Taking all these elements into account, our final post-
Games estimated footprint of 311 ktCO
2
e shows an actual 
reduction of 28 per cent from the revised reference case. 
Significant changes are summarised below. For further 
details see the Learning Legacy website.
The continual oscillation of the reference footprint is a 
reflection on the original lack of high-quality data and 
knowledge of the scope of the project in the early days. 
The importance of this exercise is therefore more in the 
benchmarking value of the final actual footprint, rather 
than the notional reductions.Areas where the carbon 
footprinting information did lead to changes in our plans 
and operations principally related to our hiring strategy 
for overlay, which was also extended to FF&E and sports 
equipment. In terms of overlay alone this ‘saved’ 64 per 
cent of the potential impact of this element because all 
the hired materials and equipment can be used for their 
lifetime in the marketplace rather than being customised 
for one use only.
Venue energy use shows a drop of 31 ktCO
2
e (34 
per cent) from the reference footprint. This massively 
exceeds the 6 ktCO
2
e savings target we had set 
in lieu of the use of on-site renewables, as detailed 
in our previous sustainability reports. We know 
that a significant proportion of this is due to over-
specification and safety margins, rather than real 
savings, but given the order of magnitude we are 
confident that we did implement sufficient measures to 
exceed our target. 
Smaller savings were realised in other areas. Transport 
services showed some savings; anecdotal evidence 
suggests that many officials, media and teams opted 
to use existing public transport services instead. The 
Torch Relay was kept within the UK, avoiding the long 
international flights of previous Relays. In IT services, 
some equipment hiring late in the pre-Games period 
provided small savings.
429
0
100
200
300
400
500
Revised (2012) 
reference footprint
Actual footprint 
2012
Figure 3: LOCOG owned GHG emissions
Other smaller items
Ceremonies and culture 
Games workforce and athletes
Travel grants
Transport services
IT services
Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment (FF&E)
Overlay
Venue energy use
Additional accommodation

22A legacy of change
There was an increase in travel grants (LOCOG 
funding for athletes and team officials travelling to the 
Games). The number of grants was 43 per cent higher 
than the 2009 forecast, though most of the additional 
trips were in short-haul range. 11 per cent of grants 
were taken on Eurostar instead of air, providing some 
carbon savings.
Spectator carbon footprint
The original reference footprint used the best available 
estimates of spectator numbers, points of origin and 
travel modes that were available in 2009. Spectator 
numbers substantially exceeded expectations leading 
to an increased ‘actual’ footprint for spectators from 
670 to 913 ktCO
2
e. This increase was mainly due to 
the impact of travel, but also includes revised estimates 
for accommodation, catering, merchandise and waste.
429
 
 
LOCOG owned
Original 
(2009) 
reference 
footprint 
(ktCO
2
)
Revised 
(2011) 
reference 
footprint 
(ktCO
2
e)
Revised 
(2012) 
reference 
footprint 
(ktCO
2
e)
Actual 
footprint 
2012 
(ktCO
2
e)
Venue energy use 15 95 91 60
Overlay 152 131 131 47
Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment (FF&E) 47 40 40 38
IT services 50 39 39 37
Transport services 34 11 13 11
Travel grants 29 29 29 31
Games workforce and athletes 16 16 16 15
Ceremonies and culture 8 8 8 5
of which Torch Relay 3.5 3.9 3.5 1.0
Other smaller items 51 51 51 51
Subtotal 400 420 418 296
Additional accommodation - - 12 12
Hotel ships - - 4 4
Total 400 420 434 311
Table 1: LOCOG owned Greenhouse Gas emissions
1. The data in this table is presented in thousands of tonnes of carbon dioxide 
equivalents (ktCO
2
e) and is therefore subject to rounding.
Notes

23A legacy of change
Following the publication of the second edition of the 
London 2012 Transport Plan (May 2011), we looked 
in more detail at the potential carbon footprint of 
spectator transport journeys to and from the Games 
(by road, rail and air). This was updated using actual 
travel data following the Games.
To provide a realistic assessment of the impact of the 
Transport Plan, the calculated emissions from domestic 
spectator travel have been compared to a ‘business as 
usual’ reference case based on existing travel patterns 
within the UK for which data is readily available. 
This comparison shows a 30 per cent reduction in the 
carbon footprint for 2012 actual travel (see Figure 4). 
Overall this translates into a six per cent reduction 
when spectator travel outside of the UK is included. 
In other words, the Transport Plan had succeeded 
in changing travel patterns, shifting people to more 
sustainable forms of transport at Games time.
There is little that London 2012 could have done 
to impact directly on the majority of the spectator 
travel footprint as it was largely made up of air travel 
by overseas visitors. To try and compensate for the 
carbon arising from these journeys and increase 
awareness of the carbon impact of travel, London 
2012 sustainability partner BP Target Neutral initiated 
free carbon offsetting to spectators and teams. This 
captured more than 500,000 individual return 
journeys, offsetting more than 99,000 tonnes of CO
2
e 
arising from travel.
Figure 4: Spectator travel within the UK -  
'Business as usual' reference case compared to 2012 actual travel (tonnes CO
2
e)
Air
Coach
Car
P&R Coach
UK train
Underground
DLR
Taxi
0
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
140,000
160,000
Business as usual
2012 Actual

24A legacy of change
Lessons for the future
By carbon footprinting the event we were able from 
the early stages to provide a predictive impact 
assessment, and thereby inform decisions to minimise 
these impacts. The methodology we have pioneered, 
along with the detailed information we have gathered 
on energy and resource use, quantities and types of 
materials and scope of Games activities, have now 
been banked as vital knowledge for the benefit of 
future major projects and events.
Our approach was also able to highlight the 
importance of embodied impacts and the different life 
cycle considerations to take account for temporary 
structures and materials. The importance of post-event 
reuse of equipment, materials and other assets must 
not be underestimated and this is where huge savings 
can be achieved (or costs incurred). 
 
The footprinting work helped us optimise venue 
designs, procurement strategies and material 
specifications. Through this we achieved the most 
significant carbon savings. However, more opportunities 
were identified late in the procurement process, such as 
the use of hired IT equipment, which could have yielded 
greater savings if implemented earlier.
Care should be taken, however, as it also meant 
we underplayed the significance of direct energy 
consumption and other resource use until late in the 
programme. Our initial 2009 work showed a low 
footprint for this area. The priority of LOCOG’s energy 
team had to be to ensure sufficient energy supply, 
both from mains electricity and temporary power 
generators, to meet the anticipated demand. Their 
work relied on designing for the energy demand 
requests from the different operational areas.  
Without a remit for energy conservation, this resulted 
in cautiously high forecasts of energy use (shown as 
the 2012 reference case). The major users were field 
of play lighting, broadcasting and technology.
The actual electricity use from grid and generators was 
considerably lower than these forecasts, as shown in 
Table 1, and a portion of this apparent saving was 
due to efficiency measures and energy management 
over the whole period; the remainder represents safety 
margins. Inevitably, there will always be an element 
of over-scoping to ensure adequate safety margins, 
but this has provided future events with a much clearer 
benchmark of real energy demands that will help them 
configure their power solutions in a more optimal way. 
We know these figures could have been driven down 
further with an earlier and more concentrated focus on 
energy conservation.
In terms of carbon compensation, the potential benefits 
from the wider uptake of our footprinting methodology 
and more optimal energy demand and generator 
configurations based on our learnings should lead to 
further major savings. The asset disposal and reuse 
programme has also been a major factor in our 
compensation strategy (see ‘Zero waste Games’ chapter).
There are significant carbon emissions associated with 
major events and these should remain a key area of 
focus for future organisers.
One of seven micro-wind turbines on the Olympic Park that 
provided a visible dimension to the low carbon Games, while 
the low embodied carbon of the materials used in venue 
construction achieved some of our biggest wins.

25A legacy of change
Our approach
The management of resources at a major global event 
like the Games is absolutely vital to the successful 
operation of venues and official facilities. Waste 
and resource management is undoubtedly one of 
the more visible elements of the Games sustainability 
performance. 
London 2012, and its partners, aimed to ensure that 
waste was minimised throughout the programme, from 
planning to legacy. A development on the scale of the 
Olympic Park and an event on the scale of the Games 
provided the opportunity to create a micro-economy of 
resource efficiency, putting in place the infrastructure 
and processes to minimise waste and to maximise 
reuse and recycling.
The Olympic Delivery Authority more than delivered 
on its challenging reuse and recycling targets and 
its sustainability performance has been described as 
‘game-changing for the construction industry’ by the 
Commission for a Sustainable London 2012. 
LOCOG’s commitment to deliver the first zero waste to 
landfill Games was no less challenging and is regarded 
as one of its flagship sustainability targets. If that was 
not enough, we also set ourselves unprecedented reuse, 
recycling and composting targets for the Games. To get 
anywhere close to these targets on an operation on the 
scale of the Games would represent a significant step 
change in waste performance at major events in the 
UK, and perhaps for wider industry too.   
Key Games targets
 – Ensure that no waste arising within ‘closed venues’ (sites 
managed by LOCOG where access is restricted) during 
the operational period will be sent directly to landfill.
 – Ensure that at least 70 per cent, by weight, of 
operational waste is reused, recycled or composted.
 – Take reasonable endeavours to reuse or recycle at 
least 90 per cent, by weight, of the material arising 
from the installation and decommissioning of our 
venues (stretch target)
2
 .
Events are high pace and high intensity activities in 
compressed, fixed timescales. These challenges are 
compounded by complexities of the supply chain, 
diverse and inconsistent packaging specifications, 
inconsistent waste and recycling collection systems, and 
inconsistent messaging and communications at venues 
regionally and nationally. Perhaps the biggest challenge 
of all was to predict how people would behave on 
the day in an environment where recycling would not 
necessarily be front of mind. These complex challenges 
required a unique approach. 
After several years of research, analysis and 
consultations with industry and sustainability experts, 
advisory groups and key partners, we published our 
Zero Waste Games Vision in February 2012. This 
detailed the steps that we, and our partners, intended 
to take to deliver our zero waste Games commitment. 
It also complemented our overarching commitment to 
stage a low carbon Games. 
Zero waste Games 
‘The ambitious target to make 
London 2012 the first Zero 
Waste Games has been 
achieved through LOCOG’s 
detailed planning, innovation 
and partnership approach.  
This is something other events 
can and should aspire to do‘.
Dr Liz Goodwin 
Chief Executive 
Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP)
2
Temporary construction works and facilities (otherwise known as ‘overlay’) supplemented to venues that are required to run the event (for example, portable buildings, 
tents, security screening areas, furniture, fences, sports surfaces, banners, and flags).

26A legacy of change
We were able to take a centrally managed approach 
to delivering on our waste and resource management 
obligations. We identified areas up front that had the 
potential to create waste and then employed strategies 
which avoided waste in the first place, or we targeted 
solutions for reuse or recycling. 
Securing the right delivery partners and robust 
contracts was also essential. We established strict 
requirements on zero landfill, reporting, supporting 
reuse objectives, provision for revenue sharing and 
the need for approval before any facilities (recycling, 
composting, and so on) could be used.
We took action across 10 critical success factors
3
  
that we identified as being crucial to delivering our 
targets. The Zero Waste Games Vision set out these 
actions in more detail and we are pleased to report 
that we made excellent progress against each of them. 
We recognise the opportunity for the principles and 
practices we have developed to be used more widely. 
There is a suite of documents prepared by LOCOG 
and our partners covering more detail on a range of 
topics of relevance to our Zero Waste Games Vision 
on the Learning Legacy website
4
.  WRAP has also 
commissioned additional pieces of evaluation work 
connected with the Games. At the time of writing 
(November 2012) much of this work has yet to be 
completed and will be reported as part of WRAP’s 
wider work on the Event Industry Roadmap
5
 in 
spring 2013.  
Our zero waste highlights
We are the first Organising Committee to publish an 
all embracing Zero Waste Games Vision. Where 
our activities had the potential to generate waste in 
the periods leading up to the Games, we aimed to 
manage it in a manner that was as consistent with 
our zero waste Games commitment as possible. We 
developed strategies to divert waste from landfill and 
have tracked our performance since 2010 – the year 
we started to become operational. We estimated that 
we diverted 92 per cent of operational waste from 
landfill in 2010, and diverted 96 per cent in 2011. 
Earlier this year we also separately reported on 
waste which was generated from our installation and 
decommissioning activities during 2011 and estimated 
that in excess of 99 per cent was reused or recycled. 
During 2012 we continued to track our waste 
performance to enable us to learn and improve on 
our monitoring and reporting arrangements. For 
operational activities, including test events, in the 
period from January to the end of June 2012, we 
estimate that we recycled in the region of 56 per cent 
and diverted 99.7 per cent of waste from landfill. 
A set of the brightly coloured three-stream waste bins used 
across London 2012 venues
3
Refer to the London 2012 Zero Waste Games Vision for detail.
 
4
Coca-Cola published its own London 2012 sustainability report in October 2012 which is available at http://www.coca-cola.co.uk/olympic-games/sustainable-games/ 
5
WRAP is building on its work with LOCOG by working with others in the industry to develop a roadmap to reduce waste, energy consumption and deliver social benefits 
across the entire event sector.

27A legacy of change
Games reuse, recycling and composting performance
During the Games period  we diverted 100 per cent of 
event operations waste from landfill.
Our initial figure for reuse, recycling and composting 
amounted to 82 per cent, significantly exceeding our 
70 per cent target. This was calculated in the same way 
that most businesses in the UK report on their waste 
performance: by measuring the proportion of different 
streams leaving their sites or venues.
However, our experience from following up the fate of 
waste leaving venues suggests that reporting on this 
basis is misleading and does not clarify the true end fate 
of the waste. The bulk of commercial waste is normally 
comingled with waste from other producers at an 
intermediary site such as a transfer station or Materials 
Recovery Facility (MRF), so there is no way of knowing 
how much is truly recycled. Levels of contamination in 
the streams and efficiencies of treatment facilities are 
therefore not generally taken into account. 
In contrast, we were uniquely able to dig deeper into 
these figures as we had exclusive use of SITA UK’s MRF in 
Barking for 78 days from 1 July 2012 and a contractual 
requirement to track all waste to its end processes – which 
many businesses in the UK do not do. 93 per cent of all 
waste collected from London 2012 venues was taken to 
this site. This tracking showed the true reuse, recycling and 
composting rate was 62 per cent.  
Our reuse data contributed to the overall 70 per cent 
target. Reuse is likely to be under-reported with several 
items such as surplus uniforms, medical consumables 
and tools in the process of being sold or donated to 
charitable causes at the time of writing.  Table 2 provides 
a summary of event operations waste performance 
during the Games. 
Method Tonnes Percentage of total
Re-use 1,716 17
Recycling 2,908 29
Composting 1,706 17
Recovery
–   Energy recovery 3,795 37
–   Other recovery 48 0.5
–   Treatment (Hazardous) 0.003 0
Incineration 0.3 0
Landfill 0 0
Total 10,173
% of total waste re-used, recycled and composted 62%
% of total waste diverted from landfill 100%
Table 2: Waste generated in connection with operational activities during the Games
6
We said in our Zero Waste Games Vision that we would report on our targets 
in a way that was relevant to our venues. The reporting period for event 
operations is 1 July  to 31 October 2012, to allow for the fact that some items 
took longer to be collected for reuse or recycling (for example, many surplus 
event-related items such as office paper, sports equipment, and so on were first 
returned to our logistics depots). The bulk of the waste, however, was generated 
in the period from 1 July to 12 September 2012.
1. The data in this table is subject to rounding.
2. Supporting footnotes are available in a case study on the Learning Legacy 
website.
3. Does not include discrete data associated with London 2012 Ceremonies (this 
is available in a separate case study on the Learning Legacy website) or waste 
collected via pedestrian and vehicle screening areas as this was outside the 
scope of our targets (around 200 tonnes was collected and 50 per cent was 
recycled). Although again outside the scope of our targets, data from ODA 
managed transport hubs and park-and-ride facilities was not available at the 
time of writing.
Notes

28A legacy of change
Performance in connection with installation and 
decommissioning of Games venues
We established a separate reuse and recycling stretch 
target to cover our installation and decommissioning 
activities. This accounts for the unique nature of 
activities during this period which are more akin to 
construction than event operations. This was a stretch 
target because we did not know what was achievable 
as no information of this nature had been passed on 
from previous Games. 
We achieved way in excess of our stretch target for 
waste generated in connection with the installation 
and decommissioning of our venues. We estimate that 
in excess of 99 per cent was reused and recycled. 
This includes waste and surplus items generated 
in connection with our ‘overlay’ (or temporary 
construction) activities, bump in/out activities
7
, surplus 
infrastructure assets such as furniture and technology 
items, and ‘look’ materials. Again, reuse data is likely 
to be under-reported as several surplus items, such 
as equipment and machinery, are in the process of 
being sold or donated at the time of writing. Table 3 
provides a summary of waste generated in connection 
with the installation and decommissioning of our 
venues during 2012.
Method Tonnes Percentage of total
Re-use 27,220 45
Recycling 32,963 54
Recovery
   Energy recovery 461 0.8
   Treatment (Hazardous) 25 0.04
Landfill 0 0
Total 60,669
% of total waste re-used, recycled 99%
% of total waste diverted from landfill 100%
Table 3: Waste generated in connection with the installation and decommissioning of our venues between  
1 January and 31 October 2012
1. The data in this table is subject to rounding.
2. Supporting footnotes are available in a case study on the Learning Legacy 
website.
3. Does not include discrete data associated with London 2012 Ceremonies 
which also achieved zero waste to landfill – this is available in a separate case 
study on the Learning Legacy website.
7
Bump in/out period when items such as furniture, fixtures and equipment, and 
technology assets are installed and removed from venue spaces.
Notes

29A legacy of change
Engaging client groups
During the Games, the bulk of event waste (primarily 
food waste and associated packaging) was channelled 
into three primary streams: recycling; food and 
compostable packaging; and non-recyclables. These 
were colour coded and complemented by simple and 
consistent iconography. Colour-coded icons were 
on much of the food and drink packaging that was 
available in venues and corresponded to the waste 
bins themselves , which also had colour coordinated 
bin liners. We required our caterers to source the 
majority of their packaging from a single framework 
supply arrangement. This was to ensure that materials 
were streamlined and ideally compatible with either 
our recycling or compostables waste streams. While 
significant effort was made to integrate messaging into 
the design of collection systems and packaging we 
still needed to build awareness ahead of the Games 
to encourage our client groups (spectators, workforce, 
athletes, and so on) to recycle. We therefore developed 
and implemented a recycling communications strategy 
and campaign in partnership with WRAP. 
The recycling communications campaign was aimed 
at the key waste producing audiences identified in a 
waste review conducted before the Games: spectators; 
workforce; press and broadcast; and athletes and 
officials. Communications materials including social 
media, spectator guides, workforce training materials 
and on-site newsletters were used to engage these 
audiences in recycling both before and during the 
Games. The major challenge of this campaign was to 
identify and successfully access communications channels 
within the timeframe of the project. The importance of 
early engagement of contractor staff was perhaps the 
biggest learning from the campaign. Top-down support 
for sustainability objectives throughout the Organising 
Committee meant that weight was given to recycling 
messaging. However, the necessity for vital operational 
messages to be communicated during the Games limited 
the opportunity for recycling communications.
A similar pattern was evident within all key audiences. 
Some individuals, by far the majority, would make an 
obvious choice – whether right or wrong – as to which 
bin they put their waste in. Others would simply put their 
waste in the most convenient bin. During a spectator 
experience survey when asked to rate the ease of 
recycling during the Olympic Games, spectators scored 
it eight out of 10. 73 per cent of spectators surveyed 
during the Paralympic Games said that the waste stream 
logos on packaging made it clear which bin to put their 
waste in. However, around one in five of the spectators 
at the Paralympic Games were not aware of this 
recycling system .
Although contamination did occur in every stream, we 
believe arrangements worked relatively well for the bins 
in key areas such as the public realm, athlete dining 
areas and workforce break areas. Most individuals 
seemed to take notice and attempted to deposit items 
in the right bin – although they did not always make 
the right decision. We felt the quality of streaming in 
these areas was better than expected. These areas 
were typically better managed with less contamination 
than those under the responsibility of our caterers and 
broadcasters. 
Colour-coded icons were used on food and drink packaging

30A legacy of change
Encouraging alignment of waste management 
practices at ‘open’ sites
Waste also occurred outside Games venues – for 
example, in the final approaches to venues, along 
Road Event and Torch Relay routes, and at events 
and Live Sites across London and the UK. Waste 
management at open sites like these presents different 
challenges and we continued to promote the Zero 
Waste Events Protocol as a practical guide for local 
authorities and other event organisers to understand 
the issues and implement consistent approaches. 
Separate case studies giving lessons learned have 
been prepared, highlighting how waste was managed 
on the Olympic Torch Relay; in the look, wayfinding 
and signage programmes; and as part of the London 
City Operations programme. These are available on 
the Learning Legacy website. 
Lessons for the future
Overall we are confident that we have demonstrated 
a system of event waste management that works and 
we have worked closely with WRAP to ensure the 
learnings are captured and taken forward. A summary 
of key lessons learned is below – but for more detail 
please refer to the Learning Legacy website.
Zero waste is a commendable and achievable aim. 
However, those wishing to achieve it must establish 
a clear vision and strategy for waste and resource 
management early on so that there is a common goal 
for everyone to work towards. The vision and strategy 
should consider specific opportunities and constraints 
and set key policies, objectives and targets that are 
challenging yet feasible. Key operational staff involved 
in its delivery need to be fully supportive and have the 
appropriate skills and competencies. It is important to 
establish a positive partnership working relationship 
with your waste contractor early on. They also need 
to be fully supportive of your vision, in order to ensure 
continuity with what was proposed during their bid 
and with those involved in operational delivery, and 
must bring in the appropriate level of operational and 
technical expertise from the outset. 
Materials are a resource and should not be wasted. 
100 per cent diversion from landfill is relatively easy if 
the right contracting strategy is adopted. While energy 
recovery or other treatment technologies have a role 
to play for the foreseeable future greater emphasis 
should be put on targets, processes and infrastructure 
to deliver the highest levels of the waste hierarchy and 
optimise resource efficiency: first minimising waste and 
then maximising reuse opportunities. However, waste 
prevention is much harder to quantify than other aspects 
of the waste hierarchy. While we have attempted to 
quantify this we are likely to have significantly under-
reported on our waste prevention efforts. There needs to 
be much greater guidance available to help businesses 
account for this more robustly.
We believe the 10 critical success factors that we 
identified as being crucial to delivering our targets 
were correct. There is some debate to be had 
over what is an appropriate number of streams for 
consumers to cope with. This needs to be considered 
in the context of the event/business and will very 
much depend on how much control you can exert over 
suppliers, the materials that are bought in and used 
and access to appropriate recycling facilities. 
Recycling messaging over front-of-house bins

31A legacy of change
We believe that we would not have achieved the 
levels of recycling and composting we did with only 
two primary streams being in place, particularly in 
public realm and client group dining areas. Consistent 
and simple messaging, through which to engage all 
audiences, should be developed at an early stage. 
Messaging should communicate both the motivation 
for recycling and information required to recycle 
correctly. We believe that to avoid a continual 
‘reinventing of the wheel’ there needs to be greater 
consistency (or streamlining) of materials used by 
contract caterers at a sectoral level; a move to a 
more consistent approach nationally to recycling 
communications (particularly in an ‘on the go’ 
context); and a proper consumer campaign around the 
On Pack Recycling Label scheme.  
Strong contract management and support to 
contractors, particularly in areas where suppliers 
and contractors are responsible for significant waste 
production and disposal (for example, in kitchens) is 
vital to ensure recycling systems are communicated, 
understood and enforced at an operational level. This 
issue will be compounded where a significant number 
of temporary staff is used. 
Processes for regularly monitoring and reporting waste 
arisings should be put in place so that performance 
can be analysed, benchmarked and/or improved. 
Again, we believe that an industry-wide reporting 
protocol needs to be developed, ideally by WRAP, to 
ensure businesses that wish to report and make claims 
about their waste performance do so accurately and 
transparently. 
More than 85 per cent of spectators highly rated the cleanliness 
and absence of litter at Games venues

32A legacy of change
Our approach
More than 11m spectators attended the Games, along 
with a workforce of around 200,000, and tens of 
thousands of athletes, officials and dignitaries. This 
huge influx of people transformed London and proved 
an unprecedented test of the transport networks in the 
city as well as around the rest of the UK. 
In addition to meeting the Games-time transport 
challenge, our aim was to maximise the long-term 
transport legacy benefits for London and the UK as a 
whole. These include the lasting physical improvement 
to transport infrastructure and the educational and 
inspirational role that the Games played in changing 
visitors’ behaviours towards using more sustainable 
modes of transport in the future. 
Transport for the Olympic Games and Paralympic 
Games was delivered through a partnership between 
LOCOG’s Transport team, the ODA’s Transport team 
and Transport for London (TfL), who worked closely 
with a number of delivery partners including:
 – Department for Transport
 – Highways Agency
 – Network Rail
 – Train Operating Companies
 – London and Continental Railways (LCR) including 
HS1 Ltd
 – Other transport providers, including London 
boroughs and local authorities and transport 
operators across the UK
Below is a summary of sustainable and accessible 
transport achievements. For more detail please see the 
case study on the Learning Legacy website. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sustainable and accessible transport highlights 
Public transport Games 
More than 9m Games Travelcards were issued for use 
on public transport within London (zones 1 to 9) and 
discounted fares were negotiated with train operating 
companies and national coach operators for travel 
within the UK. The Games Family were also provided 
with free public transport during the Games. 
Sustainable and  
accessible 
transport  
Commitments at a glance
The London 2012 Transport Plan (www.
london2012.com/transportplan) successfully 
delivered against its five key transport objectives:
 – To provide safe, secure, inclusive, fast and 
reliable transport for the Games Family client 
groups.
 – To provide frequent, reliable, friendly, inclusive, 
accessible, environmentally friendly and simple 
transport for spectators and visitors from around 
the UK and overseas.
 – To leave positive lasting benefits and facilitate the 
regeneration of east London.
 – To keep London and the rest of the UK moving 
during the Games and thus make it a positive 
experience to host the Games.
 – To achieve maximum value for money for every 
pound spent on transport.
London 2012 won the Sustainable Transport at the 
Sustainability leaders Awards, December 2012

33A legacy of change
Transport modes
A breakdown of spectator transport by mode for 
London venues is below.
Travelling to and from Europe
International rail was an important component of 
the transport provision and Eurostar carried many 
spectators from mainland Europe to and from the 
Games. Eurostar passenger numbers increased by 
four per cent during the Games compared to the same 
period in 2011. 
The French, Belgian and Dutch Olympic teams and 
French and Belgian Paralympic teams travelled 
to London by Eurostar (with connections where 
applicable). Over the course of the Olympic Games 
Eurostar carried athletes and officials from more than 
15 countries including New Zealand, Sri Lanka, USA 
and Canada. 
Bus and coach 
Buses and coaches were the most suitable and 
sustainable transport solution for many journeys to the 
Games from towns and cities throughout the UK.  
 
 
 
 
Services on offer included: 
 – Direct coach services to the Olympic Park,  ExCeL, 
Greenwich Park, and Weymouth and Portland venues 
 – Strategic park-and-ride to the Olympic Park
 – Venue local park-and-ride to minimise congestion
 – Venue accessible shuttle services, including to nearby 
rail stations
 – Enhanced local bus services
To ensure spectator bus and coach services were a 
lower carbon journey option, a significant majority 
of the combined fleet was less than five years old. All 
buses and coaches were required to meet the Euro IV 
standard or better for particulate (PM10) emissions. 
Mid-life vehicles underwent a thorough refurbishment 
and where necessary were retro-fitted with diesel 
particulate filters (DPFs) to minimise air pollution during 
Games time and in legacy. 
Modes of arrival Olympic 
Park
Eton Dorney Lee Valley White 
Water Centre
Hadleigh 
Farm
Rail 86 49 49 34
Park-and-ride 3 38 20 30
Private coach 3 3 2 2
Walk/cycle 3 5 8 13
Other 5 5 21 21
Table 4: Olympic Games: spectator transport by mode for selected London 2012 venues (%)
The high speed Javelin Service between St Pancras 
International, Stratford International and Ebbsfleet was a key 
element of the rail network serving the Olympic Park

34A legacy of change
Other transport modes
Taxis and private hire vehicles (PHV) provided a 
level of flexibility not offered by other transport 
modes. In particular, they provided an accessible 
travel alternative for those with special needs and 
impairments. TfL and the ODA worked closely with 
the trade and licensing authorities to integrate taxis 
and PHVs into Games transport operations, providing 
drop-off and pick-up locations at all Games venues.
Transport by water was a small but important element 
of Games transport. Greenwich Park, North Greenwich 
Arena and The Royal Artillery Barracks were all served 
by river services. The ODA contributed to TfL pier 
enhancements at Tower Pier for central London venues 
and Greenwich Pier for Greenwich Park. 
The cable car installed by TfL ahead of the Games 
became a highlight for many spectators travelling 
across the Thames between North Greenwich Arena 
and ExCeL. 
Accessibility and public transport
Accessibility was integrated throughout all transport 
planning, demand forecasting, infrastructure 
improvements and venue transport operations. 
To facilitate the increase in demand and to meet 
accessibility requirements, significant capacity 
enhancement work was undertaken at key transport 
nodes. Access improvement works at more than 90 
national rail stations were completed by Games 
time. Some of these were completed by the ODA 
in partnership with train operating companies and 
the Department for Transport’s ‘Access for All’ 
programme, including access ramps, platform seating, 
lifts and accessible toilets.
A number of London Underground key stations 
were also identified as potential hotspots ahead 
of the Games, and further demand assessments 
were undertaken at these locations. Consequently, 
appropriate mitigations were identified to cope 
with wheelchair demand and people with restricted 
mobility at these locations. In addition, to complement 
existing public transport, all park-and-ride sites 
provided pre-booked accessible parking spaces and 
shuttle services were suitable for disabled spectators. 
These services were free for blue badge holders or 
members of a national equivalent scheme.
Improvements were also made to information for 
disabled users, including the delivery of an Accessible 
Spectator Journey Planner, ensuring call centres and 
booking websites had the right information, targeted 
emails and information on the Get Ahead of the 
Games website. 
Approximately 40,000 wheelchair users  
attended ticketed events during the Olympic and 
Paralympic Games. 
Travel management
Travel Demand Management (TDM) was a key part 
of the transport success story during the Games. The 
ODA initiated a TDM programme for London 2012, 
for which TfL took responsibility in 2011, to encourage 
key groups of travellers during the Games, including 
commuters, visitors to London, businesses and the 
freight industry, to change their travel behaviours. 
Spectators arriving at Stratford

35A legacy of change
The TDM programme included Travel Advice for 
Businesses, and Traveller Information Services. 
Walking and cycling also played an important role 
in the transport of Games visitors and also for non-
Games related journeys. Further information was 
provided on the London 2012 website and detailed 
travel information and ‘hotspot’ maps were made 
publicly available on the Get Ahead of the  
Games website.
The Spectator Journey Planner (SJP) enabled spectators 
to plan their journeys on the London 2012 website. 
The site allowed spectators to select their preferred 
travel options, including accessible travel, and directed 
users to booking facilities for the selected journey.  
As a result, the public transport system was able 
to carry more people than ever before, with more 
than 62m journeys made on the Tube during the 
Olympic Games (up 35 per cent on normal levels), 
6.9m journeys on the DLR (up by more than 100 per 
cent on normal levels) and 6.4m journeys on London 
Overground (up 26 per cent on normal 2012 levels). 
Traffic flows in central and inner London were down 
by 16.3 per cent in the morning peak and 9.4 per 
cent in the late afternoon/evening peak on normal 
levels during the Olympic Games, and down by 10.4 
per cent in the morning peak and 2.3 per cent in the 
late afternoon/evening peak during the Paralympic 
Games. Serious and severe disruption was also down, 
by 20 per cent during the Olympic Games, helping to 
keep the capital’s roads running smoothly. 
London 2012 Active Travel programme
The London 2012 Active Travel programme (ATP) was 
developed to encourage more walking and cycling in the 
lead up to the Games, during the Games and in legacy. 
Below is a summary of ATP achievements; for more 
details please see the case study on the Learning  
Legacy website. 
The programme was managed and delivered by TfL and 
London 2012 but drew together and promoted activity 
linked to the Games from a variety of stakeholders 
around the UK. London 2012 was the first Games to run 
a walking and cycling programme on this scale.
Hosting the Games was a fantastic opportunity to 
encourage those who wouldn’t usually consider walking 
or cycling to give it a go, particularly as public transport 
in London was busier than usual. The following incentives 
were provided:
 – Secure cycle parking at every venue – more than 
18,800 spaces were provided and operated by a 
range of organisations including LOCOG, TfL and  
the ODA.
 – Free cycle maintenance service at selected venues over 
the Games period for spectators and staff.
 – Guided walks and led cycle rides to many venues. 
These were led by trained staff and mainly aimed at 
inexperienced cyclists and families.
 – Games-time messaging through spectator guides, 
workforce handbooks, spectator travel web pages, 
the SJP and activities on the Olympic Park promoting 
Inspire projects.
Secure cycle parking was provided at all competition venues
A fleet of shuttle buses transported spectators and workforce 
from railway stations and park and ride sites to Games venue

36A legacy of change
 – New London cycle guide for the Olympic Park which 
highlighted cycle routes around the Park, temporary 
route diversions and spectator cycle parking.
 – Easy to use cycle journey planner which offered spectators 
the choice of direct, quiet or recreational routes. 
Businesses were supported to ensure resilience and enable 
staff and suppliers to alter their travel patterns. Walking 
and cycling were encouraged through promoting cycle 
training, cycle stands, guides, maps and cycle hire via 
seminars, workshops and online self-help materials. 
Key achievements of the ATP were:
 – More than 90 new walking and cycling projects were 
awarded the London 2012 Inspire mark. 
 – More than 2,500 spectators used the free cycle 
maintenance service over the Games period.
 – Cycle parking usage varied between venues and events 
from 10 to 100 per cent. Feedback on the spectator 
cycle parking was very positive.
 – More than 1,200 bicycles were security marked by the 
Metropolitan Police Cycle Task Force at the Olympic Park.
 – Three per cent of spectators walked or cycled for part of 
their journey to the Olympic Park, rising to 17 per cent at 
Box Hill (Source: LOCOG spectator experience survey, 
October 2012).
 – Measurements on bridges over the Thames during the 
Olympic Games indicated 20 per cent more cyclists 
and 22 per cent more people on foot, compared to the 
previous fortnight.
 – Central London had 29 per cent more cyclists during 
the Olympic Games. In east London there were 58 per 
cent more cyclists and 158 per cent more pedestrians, 
indicating large increases in the areas most affected by 
the Games.
 – At sites across London, the number of pedestrians counted 
was seven per cent higher during the Olympic Games 
and 18 per cent higher during the Paralympic Games 
compared to the same period last year. 
Spectators walking to Eton Dorney

37A legacy of change
Games Family transport
LOCOG was responsible for the safe, secure and 
reliable transportation of the Games Family, including 
bus and coach services for athletes and team officials, 
broadcasters and press, and technical officials, and 
for managing the deployment of 3,890 vehicles 
provided by BMW Group, the Official Automotive 
Partner.
The Games Family were encouraged to use public 
transport and all accredited clients also had free 
access to the London public transport network 
during the Games. Uptake by the Games Family 
was excellent with many quickly recognising that 
public transport was the best option for many of 
their journeys. As a result, demand for Games 
Family transport services was significantly lower than 
anticipated. For example, for the Games Family bus 
and coach fleet alone, 45 per cent less fuel was used 
than budgeted for over the course of the Games. All 
vehicles operated on BP ultimate fuels (including ultra 
low sulphur diesel) for cleaner emissions and improved 
fuel efficiency.
Average emissions across BMW Group UK’s supplied 
M1  vehicle fleet for London 2012 was 114g CO
2
/
km (below the 120g CO
2
/km we stipulated). This 
average CO
2
 was achieved by including within the 
fleet a range of the latest BMW Group clean diesel, 
hybrid and electric vehicle technologies. More than 
40 per cent of the fleet was also compliant with 
the forthcoming Euro 6 standards around nitrogen 
oxides (NOx) emissions. An additional 627 Multi 
Purpose Vehicles (MPVs) and minibuses were hired 
to meet additional client group demand which was 
not anticipated when the BMW Group deal was 
negotiated. This resulted in the overall M1 fleet 
average increasing to 123g CO
2
/km which is still an 
unprecedented achievement given the size and nature 
of the fleet. 
Our directly contracted bus and coach fleet comprised 
1,297 vehicles in London, Weymouth, Eton Dorney 
and the five co-Host Cities. In addition there were 
approximately 450 midi-coaches and coaches 
contracted by our Coach Charter Programme for 
Marketing Partners, Ticketing Partners and Rate Card 
clients. All vehicles met the Euro IV standard or better 
for particulate (PM10) emissions as a minimum.  
The number of vehicles per Euro rating is shown in  
Table 5. The increase in pre Euro 4/IV was due to 
late changes, but overall we had a big swing to Euro 
5/V, especially for buses in London which were the 
workhorses and did the most mileage.
A network of electric vehicle charging points is a significant 
legacy from the Games

38A legacy of change
All London 2012 venues operated according to 
our Low Emission Venue Policy. This set out specific 
criteria for emissions standards for all vehicles 
entering and operating within venues; that is, all 
Games Family vehicles and other client groups and 
service vehicles accredited to enter venues. Emissions 
standards are contained within Appendix B of the 
LOCOG Sustainable Sourcing Code (3rd edition). 
The standards complemented the Greater London 
Low Emission Zone but applied to all London 2012 
venues across the UK. Compliance was determined 
from using vehicle age from flagged data supplied 
centrally by the Transport team. More than 93 per cent 
of the 22,100 accredited vehicles were determined 
to be in compliance with the policy. In addition, all 
golf buggies for logistics, event services and Games 
Mobility services were in compliance with the policy.  
Lessons for the future
Public transport, walking and cycling should be 
strongly promoted for all future events, in the UK 
and more widely. The measures chosen will depend 
on the scale of the event and the characteristics of 
the location. However, the principles of inspiring 
more active forms of travel through the staging of a 
major event and promoting as many travel options 
as possible, both for those travelling to the event and 
those that are temporarily impacted, can be applied 
easily elsewhere. 
Initiating the programme as early as possible will help 
ensure this is embedded from the outset.  
This is particularly important in relation to infrastructure 
improvements but also to ensure prominent messaging. 
Spectators leaving the Olympic Park for the Greenway  
walking route
Table 5: Number of vehicles per Euro rating
Number of vehicles Percentage of Games 
Family bus and coach fleet 
contracted by LOCOG
Euro 2/3/II/III upgraded with traps to meet Euro 4/IV LEZ 189 15
Euro 4/IV 404 31
Euro 5/V 704 54
Total 1,297
Walking to the Greenway
1. Table does not include a breakdown of CCP vehicles – all were a minimum of Euro IV.
Notes

39A legacy of change
Key lessons of relevance to accessibility include:
 – Providing as much honest and consistent accessible 
transport information as possible for disabled 
spectators ahead of their journey to enable an 
informed travel choice to meet individual requirements.
 – Most disabled people, as with other spectators, 
booked their travel arrangements relatively late in the 
process, making it challenging to anticipate and plan 
for expected transport network demand.
 – A lot of spectators who experienced mobility difficulties 
at a venue because of the distances involved will not 
necessarily perceive themselves as having a disability.
 – The physical presence of staff to provide assistance 
and advice on the public transport network gave 
reassurance and confidence to disabled people.
 – Asking a few additional accessibility questions at 
the ticketing stage will enable earlier planning of the 
expected accessible transport provisions.
It is vital that walking and cycling are communicated as 
viable transport options alongside other modes, rather 
than added on as ‘nice extras’. As we have seen, the 
numbers of people using these modes can be significant 
and they can be vital in managing demand. They should 
therefore be strongly promoted. 
The London 2012 Transport Plan demonstrated that 
through providing a clear vision, information and 
infrastructure it is possible to deliver increased use of 
public transport and high levels of walking and cycling 
over a relatively short period of time but still keep 
London moving during some of the busiest days the 
city has ever seen.
The Games Mobility Service was an important part of delivering 
accessible Games 

40A legacy of change
Our approach
The London 2012 Games was an opportunity to 
demonstrate that sustainability is both deliverable and 
cost-effective. 
Our sustainability ambitions with respect to the 
social and economic regeneration of east London 
were set out in the bid and received full cross-party 
political support as well as backing from the business 
community. To deliver sustainability as a net benefit, 
we knew our partners must seriously share our 
commitment. This provided an enabling context but the 
next critical step was to embed this thinking into our 
procurement and employment policies and procedures 
and establish appropriate support structures.
Highlights of economic benefits
Sponsorship
LOCOG’s domestic sponsorship programme raised 
approximately £750m in cash and value in kind from 
more than 50 Partner companies. Sustainability was 
an integral component of the process of recruiting 
commercial Marketing Partners. This worked two 
ways: we ensured that sustainability was a visible 
part of the offer and included in contract (just like for 
conventional supplier deals through our procurement 
programme), while for many of the prospective 
Partners it was an important part of their pitch to 
become a London 2012 sponsor. One Partner 
to our knowledge commissioned an independent 
sustainability audit of LOCOG before they committed 
to the deal. It was clear in this case (and we suspect 
a number of others) that the strong sustainability 
credentials of the London 2012 programme were a 
determining factor in securing the sponsorship deal. 
Overall, this additional value from sustainability 
probably accounted for several tens of millions of 
pounds’ worth of sponsorship revenue for the Games, 
although it is impossible to tease this out separately 
from other considerations.
More specifically, LOCOG created a bespoke 
designation and activation programme for a group 
of six Sustainability Partners, which delivered an 
additional £15m.
Many London 2012 Partners devoted significant 
marketing budgets to sustainability promotions (that 
is, on top of their core sponsorship deal). Among the 
Sustainability Partners, BP, EDF Energy and BMW 
Group incorporated strong sustainability messaging 
into their Olympic Park showcases and across broader 
advertising platforms; BP and Cisco participated in 
the ‘Walk in the Olympic Park’ activation (see p49); 
EDF Energy and GE invested in and promoted the 
sustainability of lighting on Tower Bridge and Electric 
Vehicle Charge Points across London (also with BMW 
Group, TfL and the Mayor’s Office); and BT invested 
in long-term telecommunications infrastructure for the 
Olympic Park and adopted the London 2012 Carbon 
Footprint methodology across its wider business. 
Other examples include Thames Water, who delivered 
the black water treatment plant on the Olympic Park; 
Dow Chemical’s sustainable solutions for the Stadium 
wrap; UPS’s sustainable logistics programme; and 
Coca-Cola’s investment in a new PET reprocessing 
plant in Lincolnshire. Overall, many London 2012 
sponsors engaged in the sustainability programme and 
provided significant input in terms of innovative goods 
Economic benefits  
of sustainability
Six major brands signed up as London 2012 
Sustainability Partners

41A legacy of change
and services, modified or updated processes and 
packaging solutions, and contribution of knowledge 
and expertise. All this contributed to a significant 
economic boost to the London 2012 programme and 
in the wider economy.
Procurement
Sustainability was an essential part of LOCOG’s 
definition of value for money. We recognised this had 
to be a central consideration at all times alongside 
commercial, legal and quality criteria. Real value 
embraces risk mitigation, reputation enhancement, 
forward thinking and recognition that sustainability 
will not lead to significant cost increases if the 
requirements are made clear at the outset. Our 
procurement methods and processes were also set 
up as a means to deliver in excess of £75m savings 
against budget.
There have been many achievements as a result of 
the procurement methods and processes put in place, 
including certification by the Chartered Institute of 
Purchasing and Supply. Fundamentally, procurement 
was critical to the delivery of most of LOCOG’s 
sustainability objectives and targets. High-level 
achievements can be summarised as follows:
 – More than 70 per cent of our individual suppliers 
were micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, 
providing 26 per cent by value of our programme.
 – More than 95 per cent of our total spend was within 
the UK.
 – We posted more than 350 opportunities on 
CompeteFor and received more than 15,000 
responses. 
 – About 20 per cent of our suppliers employed fewer 
than 10 people.
 – Companies in every nation and region of the UK 
were awarded contracts (in part due to CompeteFor 
but also to the efforts of our Nations and Regions 
team).
 – Just under half of our UK suppliers were outside 
London and the south-east.
Table 6: Examples of cost savings against projected resource use during the Games
Item Scoped amount Actual 
consumption
Cost saving 
(percentage)
Electricity 104.5m kWh 78.6m kWh £2.6m (25%)
Diesel fuel for generators 6.4m litres 3.8m litres £1.7m (40%)
Diesel fuel for bus/coach fleet 5.5m litres 2.5m litres £3.7m (54%)
Diesel (80%) and petrol (20%) for car fleet 2.0m litres 1.1m litres £1.1m
Water supply (via tankers) 16,600m
3
6,600m
3
£0 (40%)*
*The water supplied via tankers had been pre-purchased on the basis of estimated demand. This is an example where more rigorous testing of 
assumptions would have achieved significant cost savings. In resource terms the surplus water was not wasted as it was not brought to site.

42A legacy of change
Nineteen per cent of volunteer Games Makers from London 
were from the Host Boroughs and 34 per cent of all Games 
Makers were from Greater London
Resource efficiencies
One of the most tangible examples of cost efficiency is 
in power, fuel and water use during the Games,  
as illustrated in Table 6.
One of the greatest difficulties facing LOCOG was 
estimating quantities of power, fuel and water required 
for the Games given the lack of benchmark data. In 
addition, each Games is a different configuration 
from the previous ones and the scale of the operation 
run across multiple venues means that minor shifts 
magnify considerably. While it is impossible to 
separate out exactly the amount of savings due simply 
to unused contingency (or over-estimation) from those 
achieved through management interventions, these 
figures clearly show the enormous scope for resource 
conservation at major events.
Employment
The LOCOG Employment and Skills Strategy aimed 
to use the opportunity of the Games to help workless 
people gain valuable experience to enhance their 
personal and professional lives. 
At the peak of the Games workforce, 39 per cent 
of staff directly employed by LOCOG had been 
unemployed prior to their recruitment, and 34 per cent 
of contractors newly employed for the Games were 
unemployed prior to their recruitment. We had also 
provided guaranteed Games Maker interviews to any 
graduate of Personal Best, a scheme which used the 
attraction of volunteering at the Games to help those 
furthest from work. More than 1,100 Personal Best 
graduates were interviewed and we believe that the 
vast majority of these became Games Makers.
We have always been committed to helping those 
furthest from the job market to secure jobs during the 
Games and we worked intensely with the six Host 
Boroughs (Barking and Dagenham, Greenwich, 
Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets and Waltham 
Forest)and contractors to find opportunities and 
fill them with qualified people. We set a target 
of recruiting seven to 12 per cent of our Games 
workforce (staff, contractors and volunteers) from 
those who were unemployed. Until the run-up to the 
Games, we consistently achieved this target, either 
at the top end of the target range or exceeding it. 
At Games time, our figures were far in excess of the 
target, as our short-term jobs recruited in the final 
months before the Games attracted a high volume of 
those previously unemployed.
We also set a target of 15-20 per cent of our Games 
workforce (staff, contractors and volunteers) to be 
resident within the six Host Boroughs:
 – 23.5 per cent of staff directly employed by LOCOG 
were resident in one of the six Host Boroughs (59 
per cent were resident in Greater London).
 – 21 per cent of contractors employed for Games-time 
roles were resident in one of the six Host Boroughs 
(49 per cent were resident in Greater London).
 – 6.5 per cent of total Games Makers recruited from 
across the UK were resident in one of the six Host 
Boroughs. This accounts for 19 per cent of London 
Games Makers (34 per cent of all Games Makers 
were resident in Greater London).

43A legacy of change
Asset redeployment
Post-Games reuse of equipment and materials was a 
primary consideration. This is especially important in 
the context of events which have short-term, temporary 
requirements. Asset redeployment strategies can 
significantly contribute to waste prevention and 
carbon compensation objectives as well as provide 
considerable cost savings. 
Much of the equipment was hired in the first place, 
which is a key waste prevention measure as it is 
used again in the market. This strategy minimised the 
quantity of equipment that needed to be redeployed. 
Some of the equipment was given to local charities, 
schools in the Get Set network and to sport National 
Governing Bodies. The Procurement and Logistics 
teams have been reselling the remaining equipment 
and items have been auctioned online to staff and the 
general public. We believe we are on track to achieve 
around £8m from the resale of these items.
The temporary infrastructure of the venues also 
creates a large amount of reuse opportunities as long 
as careful deconstruction rather than demolition is 
undertaken. Wood, plasterboard, lighting and doors 
have all been redeployed at local charities, building 
projects and community programmes. However, more 
could have been achieved through earlier planning 
and identification of reuse at the outset.  
The Learning Legacy website includes several  
reuse-related micro-reports.    
Lessons for the future
As with the construction programme described in 
previous London 2012 sustainability reports, LOCOG 
delivered the Games on time, to a very high standard 
and within its £2bn budget. Sustainability was an 
integral part of this delivery and, as highlighted 
above, has demonstrated considerable added value. 
Direct financial benefits included:
 – Enhanced commercial sponsorship programme
 – Significant cost savings through resource 
conservation measures
 – Significant cost benefits through asset disposal and 
the reuse and recycling of waste materials
Indirect benefits have accrued through:
 – Diversity and reach of the supply chain
 – Employment and skills opportunities
 – Redeployment of assets for the benefit of other 
businesses and the community
 – Creation of new standards and knowledge transfer
 – Enhanced reputational value
This has been achieved by making sustainability 
in its full sense an integral part of our commercial, 
procurement and employment programmes from the 
start. This has allowed us to make informed choices on 
goods and services to achieve value for money.
Hockey pitch rolled up for reuse at Sheffield Hallam University  

44A legacy of change
It is not simply about finding the least costly solutions. 
Several times we decided to buy items that had a 
higher financial cost but which overall best met our 
value criteria. Sometimes we didn’t fully apply this 
approach and as a result incurred unnecessary costs 
elsewhere in the business (for example, not fitting 
switches to tents and cabins, which saved some 
overlay budget but cost more in energy use). Such 
missed opportunities were typically due to having to 
make rapid decisions in the run up to the Games; 
lack of good baseline data leading to over-specifying 
requirements; or simply a failure of nerve to change 
standard industry practice. In delivery-critical, time-
pressured and high-profile projects such as the Games, 
nobody wants to be responsible for something going 
wrong because of undercutting or running out of 
supplies. What we have been able to measure and 
report will enable future events to be more accurate in 
scoping their resource requirements.
Where we were bold in our thinking, we made some 
choices that were strongly beneficial in environmental 
and social terms as well as being significantly 
cheaper. The most striking example was the integrated 
planning of the Paralympic Games. Not only was it 
a fundamentally more inclusive approach to manage 
the Olympic and Paralympic Games as one project 
(traditionally they have had different management 
teams and different branding), but there were huge 
savings achieved by reducing the duplication of 
materials required, the economy of scale of a unified 
look programme and through waste minimisation.
Many departments achieved cost-effective solutions 
through intelligent use of technology, efficient logistics 
or reuse of materials. Two examples of the last were 
Games Maker uniforms (the design optimised the 
amount of material required and minimised the 
transition from Olympic to Paralympic style) and 
ceremonies, where costumes and other materials and 
props were used across all four of the big productions. 
All these may seem obvious but had not been done 
before in a Games context.
The key lesson is that upfront commitment and 
investment in sustainability will pay major dividends 
over the lifetime of a project, both in direct cost 
savings and wider socio-economic benefits. It is also 
clear that in some areas London 2012 only scratched 
the surface of potential efficiencies and waste 
avoidance. Future events can build on these learnings 
by ensuring they factor sustainability fully into both 
procurement and contract management processes.
The emphasis on diversity and inclusion, both in the 
supply chain and workforce, achieved demonstrable 
benefits in terms of employment and skills development 
in the London 2012 Host Boroughs, and business 
benefits across all nations and regions of the UK.
The integrated Olympic and Paralympic ‘Look’ achieved huge 
savings through minimising transition between the Games

45A legacy of change
The temporary equestrian arena in the historic setting  
of Greenwich Park

46A legacy of change
Our approach
One of the continual challenges for London 2012 
was how to communicate the sustainability story. The 
Games had always been seen as a major opportunity 
to make sustainability visible and meaningful to vast 
audiences, while recognising that the primary focus 
of the media and people attending or watching the 
Games would be sport.
Most of the pre-Games sustainability communications 
were of a technical nature, aimed at knowledgeable 
stakeholders. These included the publication of formal 
sustainability reports, launches of strategies and 
announcements on achieving certification to specific 
standards, conference presentations and our own 
annual sustainability conference for stakeholders and 
partners. 
This approach was aimed at building trust and 
confidence among Non-Governmental Organisations 
(NGOs) and specialist organisations and individuals 
to establish a level of credibility for the claim of 
delivering ‘truly sustainable Games’. While this was 
fine for professional audiences, it was essential to 
broaden the appeal in time for the Games, so that the 
larger, non-specialist audiences were reached.
The approaches taken can be classified as:
 – Embedding sustainability messaging into mainstream 
Games communication channels
 – Emphasising key touch points relevant to spectators
 – Active media engagement immediately before and 
during the Games
 – Specific sustainability activities
 – Letting the quality shine through
Highlights of promoting sustainable living
The embedded approach
Sustainability messaging was integrated into several 
mainstream channels. The spectator guides sent 
to each ticket holder referenced sustainable travel 
modes, recycling and accessibility options. Each 
ticket wallet had a luggage tag bearing information 
on the BP Target Neutral carbon offset scheme, while 
at-venue and in-store messaging ranged from specific 
signage to PA announcements. All retail carrier bags 
highlighted reuse and recycling.
Sustainability pages were included in the London 
2012 Games-time website and spectator app. 
Promoting 
sustainable living
‘The sheer beauty of the 
Olympic Park enjoyed by so 
many was a great triumph  
and gave sustainability the 
joyful quality of culture, not 
simply virtue.‘
Tim Smit 
Chief Executive an Co-Founder of the Eden Project 
and London 2012 Sustainability Ambassador

47A legacy of change
Key touch points: travel, food and waste
Everyone coming to the Games had to travel; they 
would need to eat and drink at some point during 
their visit; and they would have rubbish to dispose 
of. These are normal daily activities, so by offering 
and highlighting a more sustainable approach, it 
was hoped people would both notice and think about 
behaving more sustainably in general.
Initiatives in relation to these three areas were:
Travel:
 – Fully public transport Games
 – Active Travel Programme to encourage cycling and 
walking to venues
 – Games Mobility Service for improved accessibility
Food:
 – Diverse and affordable choice of food options at 
catering concessions 
 – Messaging on all menu boards emphasising 
‘Greener, tastier, healthier’, supported by assurance 
marks for Fairtrade, Red Tractor Farm Assured and 
Marine Stewardship Council certified fish
 – Provision of free drinking water
Waste:
 – Strikingly visible and prominent coloured waste bins: 
green for recyclables, orange for compostables and 
black for non-recyclables
 – Colour-coded marks on food packaging to match the 
waste bin colours
London 2012 Market Research Partner, Nielsen, 
supported LOCOG in a large-scale online spectator 
experience survey before, during and after the 
Games. This confirmed the popular impression of 
highly successful Games, with the post-Games sample 
showing that 96 per cent of UK ticket purchasers said 
their overall experience of the Games met or exceeded 
their expectations.
In specific areas respondents were asked to rate 
questions on a scale of 1 (extremely poor) to 10 
(extremely good). In general the results were strongly 
positive. These have been summarised for Olympic 
Park venues below.
Question/topic Top three scores (8,9 or 10 
out of 10)
Bottom three scores (1,2 or 
3 out of 10)
Ease and efficiency of public transport in London 91.0% 0.4%
Quality and choice of food 36.4% 8.75%
Clarity of recycling symbols 65.5% 12.6%
Ease of recycling at the Games 77.4% 1.6%
Litter/unclean surroundings 85.8% 1.1%
Source: Nielsen/LOCOG spectator experience research 
July-September 2012
An unprecedented variety of quality food was served at the Games
Table 7: Spectator experience research results

48A legacy of change
The weakest score related to food but, interestingly, 
experience scores (during and after the Games) were 
considerably better than expectation scores (pre-
Games). This is probably a reflection on people’s 
experience of event catering generally; the quality  
and choice of Games catering was appreciated  
by a sizeable proportion of spectators, albeit not  
the majority.
Active media engagement
Achieving strong, positive media coverage on the 
sustainability story was intended to raise wider 
awareness of London 2012’s efforts and reinforce the 
elements experienced by visitors to the Games.
LOCOG operated a Sustainability Office in the Main 
Media Centre from the beginning of July (around three 
weeks before the Olympic Games) to the end of the 
Paralympic Games. Many interviews were held here 
and it was a starting point for taking journalists on tours 
of the Olympic Park. A Sustainability Communications 
Manager was hired from April to September 2012 to 
work alongside the LOCOG Press team.
Special media briefings on sustainability were held 
on the occasions of VIP visits to the Olympic Park 
(for example, by the Director General of the United 
Nations Environment Programme, the UK Secretary of 
State for Environment and London 2012 Sustainability 
Ambassadors).
The tone of media coverage became increasingly 
positive over this period:
 – Daily Telegraph, 6 July: London’s 2012 Olympics 
wins my green gold medal
 – CNN, 10 July: Olympic Park sets gold standard for 
sustainability
 – Reuters, 10 July: London raises bar on greening the 
Games
 – Our Future Planet, 23 July: The most sustainable 
Summer Olympics of modern times
 – United Nations Environment Programme press 
release, 26 July: London 2012 will leave a lasting 
legacy for the UK and the Olympic Movement
 – The Times, 28 July: Beijing had a Bird’s Nest. We 
have real bird life
 – The Guardian, 10 August: London 2012 – helping 
set sustainability standards
 – BBC News, 11 August: London 2012: Olympic 
Games ‘greenest ever’
Kevin McCloud, Deborah Meaden and Tim Smit talking to media 
in the Olympic Park, July 2012
Some of the Sustainability Ambassadors with members of the 
LOCOG Sustainability team in their office in the Main Press Centre

49A legacy of change
Specific sustainability activities
‘Walk in the Olympic Park’ was a guided trail through 
the Parklands to narrate the story of transformation 
and legacy. This was waymarked by a series of 
butterfly logos on trees, posts and walls, and by 
specially commissioned restored telephone boxes 
located at vantage points. These iconic, bright red 
features attracted much passing interest from visitors 
and were popular photo points. The telephone boxes 
framed particular views and within the frames were 
etched brief descriptions of the story from that point. 
Most visitors experienced ‘Walk in the Olympic Park‘ 
by chance but it was marked on maps and had its 
own section within the London 2012 spectator app. 
Letting the quality shine through
People responded very positively to the quality of 
the venues and the landscaping. The flower gardens 
and Parklands in the Olympic Park were hugely 
appreciated by visitors. These attributes contributed 
strongly to the positive ambience and experience cited 
by so many survey respondents. The naturalness of 
the planting, the waterways and wetlands imparted a 
special quality to the site. 
In this passive way, many people recognised the 
sustainability efforts of London 2012, even if not 
specifically articulated as such. Similar reactions at 
other venues (for example, Weymouth and Portland, 
Eton Dorney, Greenwich Park and Box Hill) reinforced 
this impression.
Lessons for the future
Conventional advice has been that sustainability 
has to be communicated pre-Games and will be 
overshadowed by sport during the event. The London 
2012 experience suggests otherwise. 
Data from our monthly tracker poll of the UK 
population shows that belief in the sustainability of 
London 2012 grew during the Games, peaking at 
39 per cent in September 2012, up from 26 per cent 
in June 2010 (Table 8). Only 11 per cent disagreed 
that the Games were sustainable, down from 28 per 
cent in June 2010. Olympic ticket holders and young 
people (under 16 years) were found to believe more 
in the sustainability of the Games (48 per cent and 43 
per cent agreeing respectively).
Question June 2010 July 2011 July 2012 
(pre–games)
Sept 2012
The Games will be sustainable and environmentally 
friendly (% agree)
26 25 21 39
Had information on sustainability initiatives  
(% yes)
11 16 22 38
More will lead a healthier lifestyle  
(% agree)
21 15 14 28
Source: Nielsen/LOCOG State of the Nation, monthly tracker poll
Table 8: Public opinion tracking on sustainability of the London 2012 Games

50A legacy of change
These improvements in public recognition of London 
2012’s sustainability only occurred during the 
Games. The figures had been largely consistent 
in every monthly survey from June 2010 up to the 
Games. Indeed, the figures suggest that belief in the 
sustainability of the Games was declining right up 
to Games time. This may be a reflection of negative 
campaigns and media coverage in the early months 
of 2012, and a general nervousness in the population 
about whether the Games would be a success.
This strongly suggests that the pre-Games efforts 
to communicate the sustainability story had not cut 
through to popular opinion but the actual experience 
of the Games and the visibility of sustainability in its 
overt and passive forms clearly did make a significant 
difference. While it is not possible to attribute this 
to any one of the approaches outlined above, it is 
reasonable to assume that each played some part and 
the combination of all, along with the wider appeal 
of the Games experience, created the critical mass to 
impact public opinion.
‘A Walk in the Olympic Park’ featured iconic telephone boxes 
inscribed with information about the transformation of the site
Spectators discovering ‘A Walk in the Olympic Park’

51A legacy of changeVisitors admiring the stunning flower beds in the London 2012 Gardens

52A legacy of change
In October 2012 the London Legacy Development 
Corporation started work to transform the Olympic 
Park into Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park –  
a new destination to live, work and enjoy. 
This is a huge, 18-month, £300m construction 
programme known as Clear, Connect and Complete. 
The Legacy Corporation will clear temporary sporting 
venues like the Basketball Arena, the Water Polo 
Arena and the Hockey pitches in the Riverside Arena; 
connect the Park by installing bridges, paths and 
cycleways; and complete the permanent venues like 
the Velodrome and the Aquatics Centre, making them 
suitable for everyday use.
The aim is to reopen the Park as soon as possible. The 
north of the Park will open a year after the Olympic 
Games Opening Ceremony, on 27 July 2013. The 
remainder of the Park will be open by spring 2014. 
A timeline of these phased openings is available at 
http://noordinarypark.co.uk/when
Key commitments during this phase include:
 – Securing a BREEAM ‘excellent’ rating for the 
permanent venues including the two new hub 
buildings.
 – Continuing to transport 50 per cent (by weight) of 
construction materials to the Olympic Park by rail or 
water.
 – Parklands to double in size including the planting 
of 4,300 semi-mature trees, more than one million 
plants and 675 bird and bat boxes.
 – 50 per cent of all deconstruction materials and arisings 
from the works, excluding general fill, to be reused.
 – At least 90 per cent of all deconstruction materials 
and arisings (by weight) from the works, excluding 
general fill, to be reused or recycled.
The Legacy Corporation has been working closely with 
colleagues at the Olympic Delivery Authority to share 
knowledge from the build phase of the project to help 
inform the future development of the Park. Since the 
launch of its corporate environmental sustainability 
policy (published April 2012), the Legacy Corporation 
has been working with its partners and operators to 
embed the policy’s commitments in all workstreams. 
Key activities include:
 – Working with the development partner for 
Chobham Manor, the first neighbourhood to be 
built on the Park, to design and deliver an exemplar 
neighbourhood which is zero carbon and achieves a 
significant reduction in potable water usage. 
 – The production of an energy masterplan to create an 
efficient, low carbon, affordable energy supply to the 
Park and surrounding area.
 – Development of sustainability guidelines for all events 
on the Park, both large and small, including the 
implementation of a sustainable event management 
system for the Park to ISO 20121 standard.
 – Development of a waste strategy to deliver our 
recycling and reuse ambitions for the Park.
 – Development of a wayfinding and signage strategy 
which will help support sustainable behaviours within 
the Park.
Olympic Park 
legacy
‘The Olympic Park is a dazzling 
kick-start to the redevelopment 
of a new, sustainable East 
London; it is of course about the 
Games but after that it will be 
an extraordinary piece of urban 
regeneration’
Kevin McCloud 
Broadcaster and London 2012 Sustainability 
Ambassador

53A legacy of change
Future view of Southern end of the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in 2015

54A legacy of change
 – Revisions to the Olympic Park Biodiversity Action Plan 
from 2009 to reflect changes in the Park plans and 
aspirations to use volunteers in monitoring work.
 – Supporting the delivery of a visitor centre within the 
Energy Centre to promote measures that people can 
implement themselves.
The Legacy Corporationis drawing on experience from 
LOCOG to understand what worked during the Games, 
in particular looking at energy demand management, 
waste management and also how people used the Park.
Recent legacy highlights
Legacy Communities Scheme: full planning consent 
has been granted for a major mixed use development 
of the Park that will change the lives of thousands 
of Londoners with new schools, transport and 
infrastructure improvements, housing commitments and 
local employment and training programmes. Work is 
underway on the detailed designs and the development 
of the first neighbourhood, Chobham Manor. 
Annual RideLondon event: a two-day world-class 
festival of cycling was unveiled in August 2012. The 
weekend festival will be known as RideLondon and 
will feature a series of events for amateur, club and 
world elite cyclists. RideLondon will open with a family 
fun ride for up to 70,000 cyclists on an eight-mile loop 
of closed roads around London’s iconic landmarks on 
3 August 2013. The following day a 100-mile road 
ride for up to 20,000 amateur, club and world-class 
elite cyclists will take place, beginning in Queen 
Elizabeth Olympic Park and based on much of the 
route of the Olympic Games Cycling Road Race. 
Wild Kingdom, Three Mills Green in Stratford: 
a unique and distinctive new play area at Three 
Mills Green was opened in September 2012. Wild 
Kingdom has been designed to allow children of all 
ages to create their own playground from the natural 
surroundings. 
Legacy Corporation becomes the planning authority: 
from 1 October 2012 the Legacy Corporation became 
the planning authority for the Park and the immediate 
surrounding area. The Legacy Corporation will also 
be responsible for producing a Local Plan including 
sustainability requirements for new developments in 
the area.
South Park Plaza: permission has been granted for 
a new plaza in the south of the Park in the area 
between the ArcelorMittal Orbit, the Aquatics Centre 
and the Olympic Stadium. The plans will see this 
area transformed into beautiful new parkland with a 
12m-wide tree-lined promenade, contributing to the 
Legacy Corporation’s plans to double the open space 
inside the Park in comparison to Games time. 
North Park Hub: permission has been granted for a 
community hub in the north of the Park. The community 
building and play space will become a centre for visitors 
and themed on the local ecology. It will boast some of 
the most imaginative play facilities in the UK as children 
will be able to build dens, grow plants and investigate 
insects, or climb trees and play on a series of platform 
walkways, slides and bridges connected to trees. 
There will also be sand and water play activities where 
budding engineers can create dams and locks to mimic 
the changes made to the River Lea after the Games.
Future view of North Park Hub

55A legacy of change
The White Building: July saw the opening of the White 
Building, a new cultural venue in Hackney Wick funded 
by the Legacy Corporation. The centre focuses on 
innovation and creative practice at the intersection of art, 
technology and sustainability, and is part of our wider 
regeneration programme to improve the surrounding areas.
Delivering employment and skills benefits
Through its socio-economic policy, the Legacy 
Corporation has developed an approach to 
employment and skills that:
 – Uses its procurement process to assess bidders’ 
track record and proposals for securing local socio-
economic benefits. 
 – Embeds those commitments contractually and works 
in partnership with its contractors, operators, tenants 
and developer partners to deliver them.
 – Develops and delivers interventions with borough partners, 
Job Centre Plus and the Greater London Authority to embed 
best practice and partnership working.
 – Adds value and avoids duplication with existing 
employment and skills provision in the Host Boroughs 
by using existing infrastructure and targeting and 
coordinating delivery according to the demands of 
Park employers.
 – Tailors the approach to the specific needs of the 
sector, job volumes and contract. 
Work is currently well underway to deliver against the 
construction minimum local employment target of 25 
per cent for Host Borough residents and a three per cent 
local apprenticeship target. The Legacy Corporation 
has commissioned Reds10, an apprenticeship training 
agency, to support its transformation contractors to 
deliver community benefits and successfully place the 
first four apprentices on site in October. We continue to 
work with training providers and skills funding agencies 
to deliver training programmes to ensure that potential 
job applicants have the necessary skills to access 
employment and apprenticeship opportunities on t 
he Park. 
The Legacy Corporation will seek to replicate 
this delivery model to support contractors and 
subcontractors engaged in subsequent construction 
phases on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park 
including end-uses, Chobham Manor, and the 
transformation of the Main Press Centre, International 
Broadcast Centre and Olympic Stadium. 
Future view of canal side along Lea Navigation
Future view of canal side in shadow of the Olympic Stadium

56A legacy of change
Future view of south Park from Carpenters Lock Balcony

57A legacy of change
LOCOG adopted 10 sustainability objectives that 
were identified as being most material to the delivery 
of our overall aim of setting new standards of 
sustainability for the Games and creating a powerful 
knowledge legacy. We have progressively worked 
towards a series of target areas and progress has 
been reported in our previous two reports. 
The following tables set out the final status of each of 
these target areas and, where appropriate, signposts 
to further sources of information. These sources 
include earlier sections of this report, the Pre-Games 
Sustainability Report and the London 2012 Learning 
Legacy website.
LOCOG 
sustainability 
objectives at a 
glance
Ref Target area Status More detail
1.1 Achieve and maintain third-party 
certification to BS 8901:2009
Target achieved Pre-Games Sustainability Report  
(pages 100-101) 
Refer to the London 2012 Learning Legacy 
website for additional material
1.2 Work with relevant Functional Areas 
to embed sustainability into Games 
Readiness and C3 workstreams
Target achieved Pre-Games Sustainability Report  
(page 106) 
Refer to the London 2012 Learning Legacy 
website for additional material
1.3 Work with relevant Functional 
Areas to embed sustainability into 
Games Workforce and Volunteering 
workstreams
Target achieved Pre-Games Sustainability Report  
(pages 108-111)
1.4 Work with relevant Functional Areas 
to ensure sustainability issues are 
adequately addressed as part of post-
Games dissolution activities
Target achieved Pre-Games Sustainability Report  
(page 111)
1.5 No significant issues identified as a 
result of thematic and annual reviews 
undertaken by the Commission for a 
Sustainable London 2012 – no red or 
amber ratings
Target achieved Post-Games Sustainability Report  
(page 68)
Objective 1: To operate an effective sustainability management system
Sustainability management

58A legacy of change
Ref Target area Status More detail
2.1 Define and measure the carbon footprint of the Games Target achieved Post-Games Sustainability Report (pages 18-23)  
Refer to the London 2012 Learning Legacy website for additional material
2.2 Reduce the footprint through avoiding, reducing and substituting 
carbon emissions and quantify achievements through specific 
case studies (at least one case study from every ‘big hitter’)
Target achieved Post-Games Sustainability Report (pages 19-23)  
Refer to the London 2012 Learning Legacy website for additional material
2.3 Reduce projected venue energy use by at least 6,000 tonnes CO
2
e 
(updated as a result of energy demand increases at venue level)
(Replaces: Supply 20 per cent of Olympic Park electricity 
requirements at Games time from new local renewable energy 
sources)
Target achieved Post-Games Sustainability Report (page 21)  
Refer to the London 2012 Learning Legacy website for additional material
2.4 Mitigate unavoidable carbon emissions of the Games through 
influencing the uptake of best practices and innovative 
approaches developed by London 2012, behavioural change 
initiatives and other forms of compensation, and quantify 
achievements through specific case studies
Target achieved Post-Games Sustainability Report (pages 23 and 43)  
Refer to the London 2012 Learning Legacy website for additional material
Objective 2: To deliver a low carbon Games and showcase how we are adapting to a world increasingly affected by climate change
Low carbon Games

59A legacy of change
Ref Target area Status More detail
3.1 Ensure that no waste arising during the 77-day Games 
period is sent directly to landfill from closed venues
Target achieved Post-Games Sustainability Report (page 27)  
Refer to the London 2012 Learning Legacy website for additional material
3.2 Treat all waste as a potential resource and ensure that at 
least 70 per cent of Games-time waste from closed venues is 
reused, recycled or composted
Close to target Post-Games Sustainability Report (page 27)  
Refer to the London 2012 Learning Legacy website for additional material
3.3 Take reasonable endeavours to reuse or recycle at least 
90 per cent, by weight, of the material arising from the 
installation and deconstruction of LOCOG temporary venues 
and overlay (stretch target)
Target achieved Post-Games Sustainability Report (page 28)  
Refer to the London 2012 Learning Legacy website for additional material
3.4 Work with suppliers, partners and local authorities to 
encourage alignment of waste management practices at 
open sites with those adopted for closed venues
Target achieved Post-Games Sustainability Report (page 30)  
Pre-Games Sustainability Report (pages 140-142) 
Refer to the London 2012 Learning Legacy website for additional material
3.5 Work with partners to develop tools, public education and 
outreach initiatives to promote low-waste lifestyles
Target achieved Pre-Games Sustainability Report (pages 142-143
Objective 3: To deliver a zero waste Games, demonstrate exemplary resource management practices and promote long-term behavioural change
Zero waste Games

60A legacy of change
Ref Target area Status More detail
4.1 Ensure Games food and beverage services are delivered in 
accordance with the London 2012 Food Vision commitments
Target achieved Pre-Games Sustainability Report (pages 146-150)  
Refer to the London 2012 Learning Legacy website for additional material
4.2 Encourage organisations throughout the events, catering and 
hospitality sector to commit to supporting and implementing 
London 2012 standards across the industry
Target achieved Pre-Games Sustainability Report (pages 150-152)  
Refer to the London 2012 Learning Legacy website for additional material
Objective 4: To deliver the London 2012 Food Vision and leave a strong, sustainable legacy for London and the UK by nurturing commercial and educational partnerships
Food Vision

61A legacy of change
Ref Target area Status More detail
5.1 Ensure all Priority Spend Area contracts are procured and 
monitored in accordance with the LOCOG Sustainable 
Sourcing Code and applicable supporting strategies and 
guidelines
Close to target Contracts were continually prioritised and the majority were delivered in 
accordance with sustainability requirements
Refer to the London 2012 Learning Legacy website for additional material
5.2 Ensure all official LOCOG licensees adhere to the 
sustainability approvals process
Close to target The majority of licensees followed the sustainability approvals process
A small number of licensees went into production without  
LOCOG approval
Refer to the London 2012 Learning Legacy website for additional material
5.3 Ensure all materials are sourced in accordance with LOCOG 
policies
Target achieved Trackers established for key materials and a review of compliance 
undertaken and policies adhered to in all cases
Refer to the London 2012 Learning Legacy website for additional material
5.4 Ensure all timber and timber products are sourced in 
accordance with LOCOG policies
Target achieved Review of timber compliance undertaken and policies adhered to in  
all cases 
5.5 Ensure all contracting organisations where the London Living 
Wage is appropriate and applicable to their contract commit 
to paying this as a minimum
Target achieved Pre-Games Sustainability Report (page 170)
5.6 Ensure all legitimate complaints relating to sustainability are 
handled appropriately
Target achieved In total, nine separate complaints, all related to labour standards with most 
involving multiple and sometimes complex issues, were accepted as falling 
within the scope of the mechanism and managed accordingly
A total of 74 identifiable remedial actions resulted as well as other 
collateral benefits, including negotiations between employers and trade 
unions
Refer to the London 2012 Learning Legacy website for additional material
Objective 5: To optimise sustainability through procurement, licensing and sponsorship deals
Procurement, sponsorship and licensing

62A legacy of change
Ref Target area Status More detail
6.1 Ensure LOCOG venues and infrastructure are delivered 
in accordance with the LOCOG Venues and Infrastructure 
Sustainability Strategy
Target achieved Priority targets not otherwise covered within this report:
 – Hiring 85 per cent of commodities – achieved 86 per cent
 – Reduce planned footprint of LOCOG venues by 25 per cent – 
achieved 47 per cent
 – Reduce non-essential comfort cooling (HVAC) by 70 per cent – 
achieved 82 per cent
Refer to the London 2012 Learning Legacy website for additional material
6.2 Ensure Village operations are delivered in accordance with 
the LOCOG Villages Sustainability Strategy
Target achieved Through implementation of the strategy the following were achieved: 
 – Education and engagement of sustainability through training of 
contractors, facilities and residents managers, village publications and 
notices, and residence centre posters and messages
 – Management of responsible decommissioning of the Village
 – Facilitation of the One Planet Centre
6.3 Ensure Games technology is delivered in accordance with 
the LOCOG Technology Sustainability Strategy
Target achieved Pre-Games Sustainability Report (pages 183-185) 
Refer to the London 2012 Learning Legacy website for additional material
6.4 Ensure Games logistics is delivered in accordance with the 
LOCOG Logistics Sustainability Strategy
Target achieved Pre-Games Sustainability Report (pages 186-189) 
Refer to the London 2012 Learning Legacy website for additional material
6.5 Optimise composition of Games Family vehicle fleet Target achieved Overall demand for vehicles was lower than predicted as many client 
groups opted to use public transport 
See also Post-Games Sustainability Report (pages 32 and 37)
6.6 Achieve an average of 120 g per km or less of CO
2
 
emissions across the fleet of M1 passenger vehicles required 
for the Games
Close to target Post-Games Sustainability Report (pages 37)
Objective 6: To embed sustainability in the planning and delivery of LOCOG venues and operations
Embed sustainability in planning and delivery

63A legacy of change
Ref Target area Status More detail
6.7 100 per cent of Games Family buses and coaches to achieve 
at least Euro IV standard
Target achieved Post-Games Sustainability Report (pages 37 and 38)
6.8 100 per cent of vehicles entering LOCOG accredited venues 
to be compliant with the LOCOG Low Emission Venues Policy
Close to target Post-Games Sustainability Report (page 38)
6.9 Encourage long distance domestic visitors and visitors from 
nearby countries (including teams and officials) to use rail 
rather than air transport
Close to target Post-Games Sustainability Report (pages 22and 33)
6.10 Encourage members of the Games Family to travel on 
London's public transport wherever possible
Target achieved Overall demand for vehicles was lower than predicted as many client 
groups opted to use public transport
See also Post-Games Sustainability Report (pages 32 and 37)
6.11 Ensure press operations are delivered in a manner which is 
consistent with LOCOG’s sustainability objectives
Target achieved Pre-Games Sustainability Report (pages 190-191)
Refer to the London 2012 Learning Legacy website for additional material
6.12 Work with broadcasters, including Olympic Broadcasting 
Services, to minimise their sustainability impacts and support 
the communication of the London 2012 sustainability story
Close to target Key achievements include:
 – Employed and trained more than 1,250 university students to work in 
different facets as broadcast professionals
 – Achieved 90 per cent reuse and recycling as part of the International 
Broadcast Centre build and decommissioning works
A sustainability guidance document for broadcasters is available on the 
Learning Legacy website
6.13 All cleaning services to be delivered in accordance with a BS 
8901:2009 certified management system and a supporting 
sustainability management plan
Target achieved Pre-Games Sustainability Report (page 191)
6.14 Work with partners to ensure that look and wayfinding 
solutions are delivered in accordance with LOCOG’s 
sustainability objectives
Target achieved Refer to the London 2012 Learning Legacy website for additional material
Objective 6: To embed sustainability in the planning and delivery of LOCOG venues and operations (continued)

64A legacy of change
Ref Target area Status More detail
6.15 Work with partners to ensure that the Opening and Closing 
Ceremonies are staged in a manner that is respectful to 
LOCOG sustainability objectives
Target achieved Refer to the London 2012 Learning Legacy website for additional material
6.16 Work with partners to ensure that Torch Relay operations 
respect LOCOG’s sustainability objectives
Target achieved Refer to the London 2012 Learning Legacy website for additional material
6.17 Determine whether other operational Functional Areas 
require specific sustainability objectives to be established by 
the end of 2011
Target achieved Pre-Games Sustainability Report (page 174)
Objective 6: To embed sustainability in the planning and delivery of LOCOG venues and operations (continued)

65A legacy of change
Ref Target area Status More detail
7.1 Monitor and report on delivery of the LOCOG Diversity 
and Inclusion Strategy’s priority themes and associated 
performance indicators
Target achieved A separate post-Games Diversity and Inclusion report will be published 
during the first quarter of 2013
Refer to the London 2012 Learning Legacy website for additional material
7.2 Monitor and report on the delivery of the LOCOG Diversity 
and Inclusion Charter
Close to target A separate post-Games Diversity and Inclusion report will be published 
during the first quarter of 2013
Refer to the London 2012 Learning Legacy website for additional material 
Objective 7: To deliver the LOCOG Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and host the most inclusive Games possible by promoting access and celebrating diversity
Ref Target area Status More detail
8.1 Monitor and report on delivery of the LOCOG Employment 
and Skills Strategy’s priority areas and associated indicators
Target achieved Pre-Games Sustainability Report (pages 207-213)
Post-Games Sustainability Report (page 42)
Refer to the London 2012 Learning Legacy website for additional material
8.2 Monitor and report on supplier uptake of the LOCOG 
Employment and Skills Charter
Target achieved Pre-Games Sustainability Report (pages 207-213)
Refer to the London 2012 Learning Legacy website for additional material
Objective 8: To deliver the LOCOG Employment and Skills Strategy and provide individuals with work and life experience that they can use to enhance their personal and 
professional lives once the Games are over
Diversity and inclusion
Employment and skills

66A legacy of change
Ref Target area Status More detail
9.1 Develop and deliver the initiatives set out in the LOCOG 
Sustainability Communications and Stakeholder Engagement 
Plan
Target achieved Pre-Games Sustainability Report (pages 214-216)
Post-Games Sustainability Report (pages 46-50)
9.2 Deliver the objectives of the Changing Places programme Target achieved Refer to the London 2012 Learning Legacy website for additional material
9.3 Deliver the objectives of the Active Travel programme Target achieved Post-Games Sustainability Report (pages 35-36)
Refer to the London 2012 Learning Legacy website for additional material
9.4 Embed sustainability messages into all major internal- and 
external-facing LOCOG controlled programmes
Target achieved Pre-Games Sustainability Report (pages 221-223)
Post-Games Sustainability Report (pages 46-50)
9.5 All major LOCOG events and relevant Cultural Olympiad 
projects to adhere to the London 2012 Sustainability 
Guidelines for Corporate and Public Events
On track Sustainability is included as part of London 2012 Festival evaluation work 
that has been commissioned. Results of this evaluation were not available 
in time for the preparation of this report
See also Pre-Games Sustainability Report (pages 223-224).
9.6 Work with partners to develop and promote new standards 
of sustainability in event management
Target achieved Pre-Games Sustainability Report (pages 224-225)
9.7 Develop an engagement programme for athletes and 
Olympic and Paralympic Movements
Target achieved Pre-Games Sustainability Report (page 224) 
Post-Games Sustainability Report (page 14)
Objective 9: To influence behaviour change and promote sustainable living through outreach initiatives and leveraging the power of commercial partnerships
Promote sustainable living

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Ref Target area Status More detail
10.1 Prepare London 2012 sustainability reports in compliance 
with Global Reporting Initiative guidelines
Target achieved All reports have been prepared in accordance with GRI sustainability 
reporting guidelines
10.2 Prepare Learning Legacy case studies from every corporate 
sustainability objective (at least one from every objective)
Target achieved More than 70 documents have been prepared covering all 10  
corporate sustainability objectives and are available from the Learning 
Legacy website 
10.3 Complete Olympic Games Impact (OGI) study and 
knowledge transfer obligations to the IOC
On track OGI study due to be completed in 2015
Final phase is being carried out by University of East London with funding 
from the Economic and Social Research Council and overseen by the 
British Olympic Association
Objective 10: To create a knowledge legacy for sustainability in event management through comprehensive knowledge management transfer and transparent sustainability reporting
Create knowledge legacy

68A legacy of change
Assurance Statement by the Commission for a Sustainable London 2012
This final sustainability report of London 2012 presents an unprecedented opportunity to consider how London 2012  
performed against its stated sustainability commitments.  It has been the role of the Commission for a Sustainable London 
2012 to hold each of the London 2012 bodies formally to account throughout the life of the 2012 programme and, in this 
final sustainability report for London 2012, we provide here a summary of our view on the programme’s performance.
Over its life, the Commission has undertaken an extensive number of planned and responsive thematic and annual reviews, resulting in 235 recommendations.  Progress 
against these along with full reports can be found on the Commission’s website at www.cslondon.org. At the time of writing, over 70 per cent have been achieved or 
satisfactorily closed, while just 10 per cent have either not been achieved, show no progress yet, or are at significant risk of having not been achieved.  This demonstrates 
that London 2012 has been largely responsive to criticism to ensure that it remained on course in meeting its sustainability commitments.
This final report highlights in a commendably transparent manner London 2012’s successes and learnings from hosting the Games themselves.  The report is focussed on 
what lessons can be learnt by future Games organisers and associated industry players across themes most important to stakeholders.  It is supplemented by summary 
reporting against all sustainability related Games-time targets.
While we are not in a position to comment on the veracity of the data presented in this report, there is nothing that contradicts our own observations from the Games 
period which we reported in our post-Games report ‘London 2012 – From Vision to Reality’.
London 2012’s sustainability achievements surpass any other Games and have in many cases set new world best practice across development and events related sectors.  
As the world economy struggles in a climate of austerity, it would be easy for governments and industry players alike to view London’s performance as an unrepeatable 
high-point, domestically and abroad.  This would be a mistake in our view.
The sustainability team within London 2012 ceases in mid December 2012, and our own Commission ends on 31 March 2013.  There is a limited window to ensure 
that London’s legacy is best applied and not simply a fond memory. The Commission has one final review to undertake before we close, entitled ‘Beyond 2012’. We will 
focus this review on the many ways in which London’s performance can be embedded into wider industry practice.  
A key question in our final review will be how the UK government can keep London’s legacy alive. We are heartened by the creation of a legacy unit within the Cabinet 
Office and under the leadership of Lord Coe and we look forward to seeing plans that set out how London’s legacy will live on.
Shaun McCarthy 
Chair

69A legacy of change
Olympic Games at Greenwich Park

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