The Paris Olympics 2024 is all set to welcome the world from July 26th, 2024 to August 11th, 2024. This will be the first post-pandemic Summer Olympics, featuring 329 medal events across 32 sports.
This summer, the world’s top athletes will receive their gold medals at the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games while standing on podiums made from recycled food containers. This innovative approach marks the first time Olympic podiums have been created using 100 percent recycled plastic. The silver-colored podiums, currently being raised across France, were made by a start-up called Le Pavé in a small factory on the outskirts of Paris.
Le Pavé’s Journey
Founded by Marius Hamelot and Jim Pasquet, Le Pavé started with just three employees. An unexpected call from Olympic organizers led to a significant contract, expanding the company to a staff of 34 and two factories. Le Pavé’s success story exemplifies the Paris Olympic committee’s pledge to make these Games the greenest in history. The company also manufactured 11,000 bleacher seats for the Games, using recycled shampoo bottles and bottle caps.
Innovative Manufacturing
Mr. Hamelot, an architecture student at the University of Versailles, initially aimed to convert plastic waste into high-quality building materials. He began experimenting with discarded plastic from electronic waste. In 2018, he and Mr. Pasquet founded Le Pavé and developed a patented thermal compression molding technology. By 2019, they received a call from Solideo, the company overseeing infrastructure for the 2024 Games, leading to a contract for producing stadium chairs for the Olympic Aquatic Center and the Adidas Arena.
Local Impact and Community Involvement
Le Pavé collaborated with 50 local recycling companies to gather used plastic, hiring employees from Seine-Saint-Denis, including those who had been on long-term unemployment, asylum seekers, and former prisoners. The company also involved 1,700 schoolchildren in collecting bottle caps, adding an educational dimension to their efforts. Le Pavé used 100 metric tons of recycled bottles and bottle caps to create panels for the stadium seats and 18 metric tons for the Olympic victory podiums.
Expanding Horizons
The company is opening a second factory in Burgundy and plans to open two more in western and southern France. Le Pavé aims to create jobs and foster local manufacturing, moving away from the old model of mega factories. Recently, the Élysée Palace installed a decorative wall made by Le Pavé, and the company has projects in the pipeline for major French furniture retailers and parquet-style flooring for homes and buildings.
A Legacy for the Future
Le Pavé’s work for the Olympic Games represents a significant achievement. “We see that we have an opportunity to build something that will last for years and years,” said Mr. Hamelot. “This is about something that’s bigger than all of us.”
The Sportz Planet Desk,
Atharva Shetye
