China's first set of carbon-neutral Olympic award-winning equipment is full of details and is low-carbon and environmentally friendly!

Produced by: Science Popularization China

Author: Shi Wuyao (PhD in Biology)

Producer: China Science Expo

The 2024 Paris Olympics opened on July 26 local time (July 27 Beijing time), and the world's attention was once again focused on this grand event that brought together the world's top athletes. On the podium, athletes will wear carefully designed award-winning uniforms and receive their own medals and flowers. In this Olympics, the award-winning uniforms of Chinese athletes are particularly "special", actively responding to the Paris Olympics' concept of reducing carbon emissions.

Mobilization meeting for the establishment of the Chinese sports delegation for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games

(Photo source: Xinhua News Agency)

It is understood that the award-winning uniforms of Chinese athletes are made of environmentally friendly fabrics such as renewable nylon and recycled polyester. From raw materials to the production process, they have achieved more than 50% carbon emission reduction, and are certified by authoritative organizations as carbon-neutral Olympic award-winning uniforms. The bright "Chinese red" is not only the highest praise for the hard work of the athletes, but also the responsibility of China as a major country in the global environmental protection cause.

Carbon neutrality and carbon peak: global green challenges

Before revealing the "black technology" of the fabrics of China's Olympic award-winning uniforms, let us first understand the two key words: carbon neutrality and carbon peak .

Carbon neutrality refers to directly or indirectly offsetting the total amount of carbon dioxide or greenhouse gas emissions generated by human activities through energy conservation and emission reduction, afforestation, etc., to achieve the goal of "zero emissions".

Carbon peak means that carbon emissions will no longer increase after reaching their historical peak, and will gradually enter a stage of steady decline.

Carbon emissions pollution

(Photo source: veer photo gallery)

Carbon peak is a prerequisite for carbon neutrality, and carbon neutrality is the ultimate goal of carbon peak. The proposal and implementation of carbon peak and carbon neutrality are of great significance for addressing global climate change and promoting green and low-carbon development. They will not only help slow down the trend of global warming and reduce the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, but also help promote energy transformation and technological innovation, and promote the optimization and upgrading of economic structure.

China's high-tech Olympic medal uniforms: recycled nylon and recycled polyester

Recycled nylon , also known as nylon regrind, is an environmentally friendly material that is mainly recycled from waste nylon products.

The raw materials of recycled nylon come from a wide range of sources, including waste clothing, socks, ropes, fishing nets, carpets, industrial plastic waste, and scraps from the textile production process. These waste materials are collected and processed through the process of "classification and recycling - crushing and cleaning - melting and granulation - spinning and forming" to become recycled nylon materials with environmentally friendly characteristics.

Nylon, also known as nylon , is a synthetic polyamide fiber with high strength and wear resistance. It can withstand daily wear and tear and extend the service life of clothing. At the same time, nylon material has good wrinkle resistance and elasticity, making clothing less likely to deform and more comfortable to wear. Nylon fabric also has good waterproof and windproof properties, suitable for making outdoor clothing, which can effectively resist bad weather and keep the body warm and dry.

Recycled polyester is similar to recycled nylon in that it is also an environmentally friendly material made by recycling waste products and reusing them. Its raw materials mainly come from waste clothing, curtains, carpets, and plastic bottles. These waste items undergo a similar treatment process as recycled nylon and eventually become environmentally friendly materials that can be used in the textile industry.

Sportswear

(Photo source: veer photo gallery)

Polyester, also known as polyester fiber , is an important variety of synthetic fiber. It has high strength and wear resistance, good wrinkle resistance and shape retention, making clothes fit well and easy to care for. In addition, polyester fabrics also have excellent waterproof, quick-drying and breathable properties, suitable for making outdoor clothing and sportswear, and can keep comfortable and dry in various environments.

China's Olympic award-winning uniforms are made of environmentally friendly fabrics such as recycled nylon and recycled polyester, which is a solid step taken on the road to carbon neutrality. It not only conveys the heritage of Chinese traditional culture to the world, but also demonstrates China's practical actions in energy conservation and carbon reduction.

What other common recycled materials are there in our lives?

With the deepening of resource recycling and environmental protection concepts, recycled materials are appearing more and more in our lives.

Recycled metal: refers to the metal material obtained by recycling waste products containing metals through disassembly, separation, melting and other processes. Common recycled metals include steel, aluminum, copper, etc., which are widely used in automotive parts, mobile phones, home appliances, construction and other fields.

Metal frame mobile phone

(Photo source: veer photo gallery)

Recycled plastics: Recycled plastics are common in our lives. The main types are polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), etc. They are widely used in packaging materials, furniture, toys, textile fibers, etc. For example, in recent years, some car manufacturers have processed recycled PET plastic bottles into yarns to practice environmental protection and applied them to car seats and floor mats, which have the same look and feel as traditional interior materials.

Recycled paper: Papermaking consumes a lot of water, electricity, forests and other resources. Although many scenes in our lives have been paperless, the demand for paper is still very high every year. Recycled paper uses waste paper products as raw materials and undergoes special processing to prepare paper products for printing, packaging, writing and other fields.

Compared with the preparation of virgin paper, the production process of recycled paper consumes less energy and resources, making a great contribution to environmental protection.

Recycled glass: Waste glass can be recycled into new glass products after being sorted, cleaned, crushed and melted in kilns. Recycled glass not only reduces the mining of original ore, but also effectively reduces energy consumption and the accumulation of solid waste.

Glass tea set

(Photo source: veer photo gallery)

Paris Olympics' multiple green initiatives

The Paris Olympics is about to begin. This Olympics adheres to the concept of green, environmental protection and sustainability, and is committed to reducing carbon emissions by 50% and achieving the goal of a green Olympics. Let's take a look at the green and environmental protection measures taken by the Paris Olympics.

Maximizing the use of venues: In the Paris Olympics, more than 95% of the venues were existing or temporary, which reduced the use of building materials and energy consumption. After the Games, these venues will continue to be used, and the facilities in the venues will be reasonably placed, realizing the effective use of resources.

Low-carbon travel: 400 kilometers of Olympic bicycle paths were newly built, equipped with 46,000 shared bicycles and 27,000 bicycle parking spaces, achieving the goal of "100% rideable". In addition, public transportation covered all Olympic venues, reducing carbon emissions caused by travel tools.

Shared bikes

(Photo source: veer photo gallery)

Environmentally friendly design of the Olympic Village: The construction of the Olympic Village uses a large number of low-carbon building materials, such as wood and low-carbon concrete, which have lower carbon emissions than traditional buildings. Bed frames and mattresses are also made of recyclable materials to facilitate post-game recycling.

Renewable energy supply: The Paris Olympics used clean energy supply methods, giving full play to the advantages of wind power, solar power and other power generation technologies. For example, the floating solar power station on the Seine River provided electricity for some venues of the Olympics, which is greener and more environmentally friendly than traditional power generation modes.

Conclusion

The Olympic Games is not only a sporting event where athletes sweat and fight for honors, but also an important stage for advocating environmental protection concepts and demonstrating green actions. Low-carbon environmental protection is a great cause for all mankind to participate in. We look forward to environmental protection technology filling every corner of life, allowing green actions to flourish everywhere, and jointly creating a better tomorrow for the earth.

References:

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2.Sekiguchi A, Terakado O, Hirasawa M. Nylon recovery from carpet waste through pyrolysis under the presence of zinc oxide and the roll-milling treatment[J]. Journal of Material Cycles & Waste Management, 2014.

3.Xu Qianhui, Hu Hongmei, Zhu Ruishu, et al. Research progress in waste nylon recycling technology[J]. China Materials Progress, 2022.

4. Zhang Xiuhong, Ai Xianli. Design and development of recycled polyester/wool blended fabrics[J]. Wool Textile Technology, 2010.