The real winner of Paris 2024 was…
While the city of Paris stole the limelight and the athletes took the accolades, the real winner at the Paris 2024 Olympics was one that is not so well known… social enterprise.
The Paris Games showed in practice how a large organisation – in this case the Paris 2024 Olympics with its projected spend of €5 billion - can contribute to a more sustainable and equitable world by being purposeful with how they direct their spend.
Paris approached the Games with a clear purpose to not only put on a spectacular sporting event but to also have both a sustainable and social impact.
The focus on sustainability was well reported (cardboard beds anyone?) with the organising committee having an ambitious goal to be the “greenest-ever games” and reduce carbon emissions by 50% compared to London 2012 and Rio 2016. But behind the scenes, a major social procurement revolution was also underway.
To guide its spend, Paris 2024 developed purpose-led criteria that aligned to its overall environmental and social goals. It specifically looked to purchase from organisations that were creating value beyond goods and services in one of five core areas:
- Circular economy
- Carbon neutrality
- Social innovation
- Inclusion of people with disabilities
- Local value creation
Two purpose-built platforms - ESS2024.org and Entreprises2024.fr - were created to inform and engage small and medium businesses and social enterprises about the procurement opportunities. The results? Over 10,000 companies signed up, providing a valuable source of sustainable and social suppliers, not just for the Games, but for years to come. From a social impact standpoint, 25% of technical maintenance staff were employed despite having a disability and at least 10% of the working hours were allocated to individuals excluded from the labour market.
The athlete village got most headlines for the cardboard beds and lack of air conditioning, but it also shows the impact that can come from a purposeful approach to social procurement and sustainability.
The €1.6m laundry service contract for the 24,000 residents of the village was awarded to a group of nine social enterprises; the 11,000 chairs for the Aquatic Centre and the La Chappelle Arena are all made with sustainable materials developed and produced as part of Le Pavé project, created by three young entrepreneurs. Post Olympics, the village will be transformed into 2,800 affordable housing units and the entire village operated within a circular economy - targeting zero food waste, zero plastic, eco-friendly furniture.
What a wonderful model this is, where we do good by spending good. Buying from social enterprises should be the norm for all sporting bodies, businesses and economies. And perhaps a blueprint to the Brisbane Olympics in 2032, as we continue positive discussions with the Queensland Government.
Social Traders 160 business and government members have spent $843 million with certified social enterprises over the last six years. By 2030, this is expected to grow to 460 business and government members spending $5.5 billion with 2,000 certified social enterprises nationally. This could support 44,000 jobs, 6 million training hours for marginalised job seekers and $128 million invested into community services and the charity sector.
Excitingly social procurement is already taking off in the world of sport in Australia, used as a lever to deliver on ESG goals.
Richmond Football Club recently partnered with certified social enterprise, SisterWorks, to reduce environmental waste by upcycling unwanted materials from around the club and in doing so, is helping migrant refugee women achieve economic independence through employment. St Kilda Football Club has long procured corporate services from Wallara Logistics, a certified social enterprise providing meaningful employment for people with disabilities – supporting diversity and inclusion in the workforce.
These are just two of many examples, but we encourage all sporting associations to take a look at their supply chain and consider where it can partner with social enterprises to deliver on their social and sustainability goals.
Social procurement is centred on having community impact through the goods and services you purchase. Sport and community share a powerful connection; bringing diverse people together, strengthening connections and fostering a sense of equality and belonging. So further strengthening this connection by prioritising spend with social enterprises that make an impact in their local community makes perfect sense.
Paris 2024 shows both the benefits and possibilities for our sporting events and organisations to make a difference by taking a purposeful approach to how they spend – procurement with impact.
Get in touch today to learn how we can help with your social procurement strategy.