This story was originally Published in WIRED en Español and translated from Spanish.
Olympic stadiums’ athletics tracks are traditionally red, but for the 2024 Summer Olympics they’ll be purple to match the athletic colors chosen by the Paris organizing committee, with one other difference: They’ll be made from recycled seashells from fishing industries, as part of the 2024 Olympics’ sustainability efforts.
Resilient flooring, such as that used for running tracks, is made using calcium carbonate, which is usually obtained through mining. Instead, Mondo, the company that designed the track for the 2024 Summer Olympics, worked with fishing cooperatives to collect the shells of Mediterranean bivalve mollusks, such as mussels and clams, which are rich in the substance and would otherwise go to waste.
The track is functionally identical to its predecessor and is intended to enhance the creation of new, resilient and sustainable sports flooring.
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Stadium staff work on the long jump track inside the Stade de France.Photo: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images
To source the materials needed, Mondo partnered with Niedittas, an Italian fishing cooperative that specializes in mollusks. Fishermen washed and dried the remains of mussel and clam shells from their harvest, ground them into a fine powder, and sent the material to flooring manufacturers to make the tracks. The scientists behind the project worked for three years to perfect the technology.
By using seashells in this way, the sports industry can reduce its environmental impact: Mining limestone or marble to collect calcium carbonate releases carbon dioxide and produces mining waste. According to Mondo, building a track with biogenic calcium carbonate will offset the same amount of emissions as driving 60,000 kilometers of a Euro 4 diesel car. “This project serves as a visionary example of sustainability and long-term commitment to local communities,” Nieditas said in a press release.
