Paris is taking a bold step in the battle against single-use plastic waste by banning plastic bottles from all organized races, in a move aimed at aligning with the city’s ambitious environmental goals.
This sweeping decision was confirmed on Monday, September 23, during a press conference ahead of the 46th annual Paris 20-kilometer race scheduled for October 13.
Paris Deputy Mayor Pierre Rabadan, who oversees sports and recreation in the capital, announced the ban, emphasizing that the change is not just a policy shift, but a fundamental transformation in how sporting events in the city will operate.
“You Can’t Organize a Race in Paris with Plastic Bottles”
Rabadan, a former rugby player, set the tone with a clear message: “In Paris, you won’t be able to organize a race if you use plastic bottles, it’s as simple as that.”
The policy is part of Paris’s broader Olympic legacy, reflecting the city’s commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship in the wake of hosting the 2024 Summer Olympics.
The 2024 Paris Olympics, branded as the “greenest” in history, aimed to leave behind more than just memories of sporting excellence.
One of the central promises made by the city’s leadership was to significantly reduce single-use plastic consumption, with sports events leading the charge. The ban on plastic bottles is a major milestone in that direction.
“We have to reduce the use of single-use plastic in our daily lives, and sport has to get on board,” Rabadan said, expressing confidence that the ban will not only improve the environmental footprint of the city but also encourage a broader cultural shift. “It’s an evolution, and even a revolution for the organizers.”
How the Ban Will Work
Paris hosts approximately 50 sporting events annually, including major ones such as the Paris Marathon and Half Marathon, both of which attract around 50,000 runners. In these events, plastic bottles have long been a staple, particularly for hydration during the race.
However, this comes at a heavy environmental cost. According to city estimates, over a million plastic bottles are used every year in these races, the vast majority of which are discarded after only a few sips.
Rabadan noted that, as a former runner, he personally understood the waste generated at such events. “Runners generally only take two or three sips before throwing it away,” he remarked.
Under the new regulations, plastic bottles will be replaced with reusable water bottles and cups. The City of Paris has already invested in a stock of 100,000 reusable cups, which will be lent out to race organizers.
The cups can be collected and refilled at designated hydration points throughout the race, significantly reducing the waste generated.
This initiative will not only save resources but will also reduce the carbon footprint associated with the manufacturing and transportation of single-use plastic bottles.
Organizers are optimistic that reusable containers will soon become the norm for participants, setting an example for cities worldwide.
The Broader Goal: A Plastic-Free Paris
Paris’s single-use plastic ban for races is part of the city’s wider effort to combat plastic pollution.
Drawing inspiration from other cities such as Munich, Amsterdam, and San Francisco, Paris’s push for zero single-use plastic aims to position it as a leader in green initiatives on the global stage.
Much of the framework for this change was inspired by the Refill London campaign in 2018, as well as the Brussels 20 km, both of which sought to minimize plastic waste at public events.
The timeline for Paris’s green revolution was accelerated with the city’s hosting of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, which brought intense international attention to its environmental goals.
City planners and policymakers hope the changes introduced for the Olympics will serve as a lasting legacy, extending beyond just one summer of games.
“Zero single-use plastic is the target,” Rabadan emphasized. The Olympics, he argued, should leave behind not only a legacy of sporting excellence but also one of environmental responsibility.
As part of its commitment, the city has already begun retrofitting public spaces and event sites with sustainable infrastructure, such as water refill stations, to support the ban.
Olympic Athletes and Plastic Bottles: An Exception?
Despite the city’s ambitious goals, the marathon during the 2024 Olympics saw an exception made for elite athletes. The organizing committee allowed competitors to use single-use plastic bottles during the race, citing concerns over contamination and doping.
For professional athletes, whose hydration needs are carefully monitored, the risk of contamination from shared or unsealed bottles was deemed too high.
Nonetheless, Rabadan insisted that the focus should be on the masses—those thousands of amateur runners and race participants who would not be gambling their season or careers on a race.
“It’s all about the masses and all the other participants who aren’t gambling their season on a race,” Rabadan said.
Although this concession for elite athletes was made during the Olympics, it is unclear whether such exceptions will be granted for future events in the city.
Rabadan stressed that the overarching goal remained reducing single-use plastic consumption, and that the city’s efforts would continue to target mass participation events.
Corporate Sponsorship and Greenwashing Allegations
While Paris has taken decisive steps to reduce plastic use, the issue of corporate sponsorship and greenwashing has not gone unnoticed.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has long relied on corporate sponsors to fund the games, and one of its largest partners for the 2024 Olympics was Coca-Cola—a company that has been repeatedly identified as one of the world’s leading plastic polluters.
According to the 2023 rankings from the NGO Break Free from Plastic, Coca-Cola was the number one global plastic polluter. Despite this, the soda giant was entrusted with the exclusive distribution of drinks at the 2024 Olympics.
Numerous environmental groups, including France Nature Environnement, Zero Waste France, and No Plastic in My Sea, criticized the arrangement, accusing the IOC and Coca-Cola of greenwashing.
Although Coca-Cola promoted its sustainability efforts, including drink fountains, returnable cups, and glass bottles, over 40% of the total drinks distributed at the Olympics were still poured from plastic bottles into eco-cups.
This contradiction sparked outrage from environmental activists, who argued that the company’s presence at the Games undermined Paris’s efforts to eliminate single-use plastic.
A Future of Plastic-Free Races
Looking ahead, Paris’s ban on single-use plastic bottles in races marks a significant step toward sustainability. The city’s leadership hopes that this policy will not only reduce plastic pollution locally but also inspire other cities around the world to adopt similar measures.
Paris’s commitment to a plastic-free future aligns with global environmental efforts to combat climate change and preserve natural resources.
As cities everywhere grapple with how to balance tradition, modernity, and environmental responsibility, Paris is showing that change is not only possible—it’s necessary.
By banning single-use plastic from its iconic races, Paris is running toward a greener future, setting an example for the world of sports and beyond.
