France & the Netherlands: Creating a sustainable future together
This digital mission aims to bring together French and Dutch companies active in the sectors sustainable construction, sport infrastructure and environmental technology leading up to the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. We share the common ambition to future-proof cities, both environmentally and socially, and therefore want to invite you to join us during this mission to create fruitful partnerships and be inspired by like-minded partners.
For Paris in particular, striving for a sustainable, socially inclusive, accessible and CO2-neutral city is key to the realisation of its 2050 Climate Plan. Not only will newly build structures function as Olympic venues, they will also serve as centres for the local communities after the Games. Without a doubt, these facilities help with the promotion of tolerance and respect, health and well-being as well as the empowerment of, for example, women and young people.
The Olympics’ positive impact
Building a sustainable infrastructure is one of the ways these, and future, Olympics Games can contribute to solving big city challenges. Cities such as Paris, Los Angeles and Amsterdam, have adopted the Paris Climate Agreement and are busy reducing CO2 emissions.
The finances that are used to organise sport events or sport infrastructure must also serve to achieve sustainable goals. In its winning Olympic bid, Paris showed the ambition to organise its Olympic event with 55% less CO2 emissions compared to previous games. To accomplish this, Paris will use the existing (sport) infrastructure and investments that will contribute to a greener, healthier and possibly cooler Paris. Good examples can be found both in France and the Netherlands and include companies that are using data purposefully to make better urban decisions and deliver a better quality of life or start-ups that are using sport as a platform to reach social inclusion objectives.
Three pillars of this mission
During this mission, we will focus on three pillars concerning the development of sustainable cities: sustainable construction, environmental technology and sport infrastructure.
Sustainable construction will primarily focus on multi-year building projects, among them the redevelopment of Saint-Denis in the northern part of Paris. It will also pay attention to the development of some facilities related the Olympic Games, such as the Olympic Village, the Olympic Aquatic Centre and the Media Village.
Environmental related projects play an in important role in Paris’ Olympic Games as well its infrastructural project Grand Paris Express. Environmental technology is key for the development of these projects and Paris’ ambition to become a climate-neutral city by 2050.
The French government envisions the Olympic Games as a tool to provide Paris with a functional and sustainable sport infrastructure. Add to this the ambition to motivate communities to use the sport facilities after the Games.
Teaming up for maximum impact
In the Netherlands, companies, knowledge institutions and government organisations work closely together towards building sustainable infrastructure and CO2 emission reduction. We work across sectors and ‘connect minds’, to find solutions to current and future societal challenges together. And for us, cooperation does not stop at the border. As a small country, we are always looking to team up with like-minded partners abroad.
Note that this mission falls under the overarching Dutch campaign "Moving forwards together". We believe that by taking action collectively and sharing our experiences, we will become more resilient and united in weathering future challenges.
The Olympics are a moment to reconsider the construction of a sustainable city for a better future for everyone. Join us on this digital mission, through collaboration we can make a sustainable future happen!
