When it was announced that the 2022 Tour de France would visit Switzerland, host city Lausanne was already looking to the future.
Home to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and numerous International Sports Federations, the city on the shores of Lake Geneva welcomed the arrival of the eighth stage on Saturday 9 July. After a furious uphill sprint, Belgian Wout van Aert claimed victory atop Lausanne’s Côte du Stade Olympique. It was a memorable occasion for the tens of thousands of spectators, and a chance for the Swiss city to firmly position itself as an event host committed to sustainability.
Sustainable from the word go
With Lausanne-based sustainability agency The SHIFTon board, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) had integrated environmentally friendly initiatives into its operations from the outset, with a view to creating a sustainable event and developing a legacy for the city and all local sporting events.
Working in line with the UCI Sustainability Guidelines and in synergy with Tour de France organiser Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), the LOC set itself clear targets when it came to some of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The aim was to pilot a sustainability system, collect emissions data and benchmark targets:
The following are the efforts made and results achieved in its five main target areas:
Smart Mobility - SDG 9, Industry, innovation and infrastructure
As well as increased public transport capacity, there was targeted communication to promote smart mobility to the workforce and spectators, who benefited from special local public transport rates.
Target: 80% of travel made via active mobility and public transport.
Result: 90% of trips made via active mobility and public transport.
Waste management and maximisation of circular economy - SDG 12, Responsible consumption and production
Environmental volunteers raised awareness among the public about the importance of waste management. Local councils along the stage were implicated in environmental actions and an awareness campaign was conducted about the importance of the 4Rs (refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle).
Target: Half of waste reused and/or recycled.
Result: 40% of waste from activities was recycled and/or reused.
Healthy and local food - SDG 3, Good health and well-being
Target: a sustainable food offering thanks to 50% local food, 25% organic food, 25% of dishes sold vegetarian and/or vegan
Results: 41% sustainable food supply, including 80% local food, 25% organic and 8% of meals sold vegetarian and/or vegan.
In addition, tableware used at the public canteen was reusable, and suppliers were asked to adhere to a charter of sustainability commitments.
Accessibility and Inclusion - SDG 10, Reduced inequalities.
Target: At least two dedicated sites for people with disabilities, with 55 seats for people with reduced mobility and audio description.
Results: Two viewing platforms were provided and were used by 15 people who gave excellent feedback about the service. There was no demand for the audio description.
Energy, water, and climate - SDGs 7, Clean energy; 6, Clean water; and 13, Fight against climate change
Target: 100% of energy and water consumption controlled and optimised, 100% of renewable energy used by the Organising Committee with less than 1,000 tonnes of carbon emissions from activities under its direct control.
Results: water fountains were made available for spectators and public WCs were dry toilets. The LOC used 100% renewable energy , and the generator set installed by ASO ran on certified biofuel.
As well as these five specific target areas, the LOC ticked boxes when it came to:
The environment and biodiversity thanks to respect for natural parks along the route, special efforts to avoid waste and minimise the impact of the race’s presence in sensitive areas as well as limitation of VIP helicopter flyovers.
Accommodation with promotion of hotels holding the Swisstainable label, and easy-to-find information for people with disabilities.
Education such as school activities on the theme of the Tour and the Year of the Bicycle (in the Canton of Vaud).
A continuing commitment
Even before the planning of the Tour de France stage, Lausanne was already proactive in developing sustainable events through its KIT MANIF platform, a toolkit for organisers to help them deliver responsible and sustainable events.
For the Grand Tour, the City of Lausanne's commitments were reinforced by actions specific to the Tour de France, one of the founding members of the 15 eco-responsible commitments charter, under the leadership of the French Ministry of Sports and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) France.
To ensure efforts made are not a “one-off”, a post-event sustainability report was produced, and the City of Lausanne is putting its knowledge and experience to the benefit of other Tour de France host cities. In addition, as part of a new tourism and sport strategy in the city, funding for events will include clear requirements and guidelines for sustainability.
The City of Lausanne also has the future objective to certify its Sports Department or a major event in the region to the ISO 20121: 2012 standard.