Briefs: BOCOG

The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the 29th Olympiad (BOCOG) - in co-operation with China's State Environmental Protection Administration and UNEP - is addressing stratospheric ozone protection as part of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, which coincides with the date for China's accelerated phase out date of CFCs, which is in advance of the 2010 deadline required by the Montreal Protocol. BOCOG has issued environmental guidelines to prevent unnecessary use of ODS in construction, marketing and catering services and is conducting follow-up audits. To date, 29 out of 31 venue owners of Beijing-based venues have chosen refrigerants ranging from HFC-134a, R-410a, R-407c to lithium bromide. BOCOG has also discussed ozone-protection issues with four Olympic Partners - Coca-Cola, Volkswagen Group China, McDonald's and Haier - and these enterprises have promised they will adopt an ozone-friendly approach. For example, Coca Cola has promised to use CO2 rather than ozone depleting refrigerants in nearly 4000 beverage cooling appliances they will place at Games. McDonald's has promised that no ozone depleting substances will be used in their food-serving facilities.