The Tokyo 2020 Olympics were special. For one, they didn’t actually happen in 2020, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic.

They also introduced skateboarding, but that’s a topic for another day.

One thing the Tokyo games have in common with the upcoming Paris Summer Olympics is the use of cardboard bed frames in the Olympic Village for athletes.

While the narrative at the time in Tokyo was that the cardboard beds were designed to withstand the weight of only one person and to collapse if any, uh, extracurricular activities took place, the understanding now is that it was simply an environmental concern.

CNN reporter Will Ripley wrote at the time of the Tokyo Olympics that the cardboard beds were part of the initiative to create a “greener games, relying on renewable energy and minimizing waste.”

So, how exactly were the Paris bed frames and mattresses made with recycled materials? Here’s an explainer from Inside the Games: “The bed bases are made from reinforced cardboard and the mattresses are made from recycled fishing nets, the same system used at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Much of the street furniture is made from reclaimed wood, while some of the public lighting is made from recycled steel tubes.”

Promo distributors have also been making use of recycled cardboard furniture. Last year, DGW Branded (asi/222095), the merch division of Certified B Corp Doing Good Works, outfitted a trade show booth at the Net Zero conference in Los Angeles with a chair, coffee table and display made of recycled corrugate from Chairigami.

The Olympic Village provides an interesting look at how ideas of sustainability can be applied beyond just apparel, drinkware or forms. You wouldn’t think of a bed frame as an example of a printed or paper product, but here we are, and the most historic athletic competition the world has ever known has been using them.

Based on past events and pictures released so far, athletes will receive a variety of cool promo products during the games. One example is the “Paris 2024” branded comforter on each bed.

They’re back! The cardboard beds that were a surprise hit of the Tokyo Olympics will be used by athletes once again at next year’s Games in Paris. pic.twitter.com/gpVntE60v0

— AP Sports (@AP_Sports) July 27, 2023

The big question, though, is did organizers go the real extra mile and make sure the 300,000 condoms they ordered for the Olympic Village also feature the logo? If not, that’s a real miss of a branding opportunity.

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