Japan to make 2020 Olympic torches from recycled aluminium plates

Japan to make 2020 Olympic torches from recycled aluminium platesJapan is promoting sustainability in a big way in 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. Starting with the medals to the characteristic aluminium torches, a lot of recycled metal is being used for the games accessories. Japan created hundreds of medals made from recycled metals – sourced from discarded smart phones. Now, the government has announced its decision to make the Olympic torches that are used to kick-off the competition from recycled aluminium. 

The scrap metal including aluminium was collected in Fukushima prefecture, the region which was devastated by a major earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in 2011. These disasters jointly caused an estimated 16,000 fatalities – while costing the local economy no less than US$ 235 billion. After the disaster, 46,000 temporary buildings were made from aluminium plates to shelter about 340,000 people who fled the affected area. Now as the area is getting back to normalcy, those temporary buildings have been dismantled.  About 10,000 of the aluminium construction plates from those constructions are now being recycled into making Olympic torches.  This sets a brilliant example of resource utilzation and infinite recyclability of aluminium. 

Japan has stopped making primary aluminium long back sourcing most of its aluminium from import and through secondary recovery. In 2018, the country produced about 827,000 tonnes of aluminium from aluminium scraps. In the first four months of 2019, Japan recovered about 386,000 tonnes of aluminium from scrap.