The post-Games report, London 2012 – From Vision to Reality, found London 2012 broadly delivered against its sustainability objectives, such as zero waste to landfill and 70% waste to be reused, recycled or composted.
Shaun McCarthy, chair of the Commission for a Sustainable London, said: "I have no hesitation in confirming that London 2012 has delivered the most sustainable Games ever, and we congratulate the delivery bodies and all those who contributed to this excellent achievement.
"I call on organisers to pick up the sustainability baton and carry it forward, demonstrating to the UK public that we can rely on them to meet the spirit of London’s sustainability achievements."
The report also praised London's transport, and said the Games delivered sustainably sourced meals at most venues, driven by the development of the London 2012 Food Vision – a first for large-scale event catering.
However, the commission also found further improvements could have been made. It suggested the Live Sites should have allowed the public to bring in their own food to create an event for all budgets, and said the lack of information available about the venues, village buildings and infrastructure was a "missed opportunity" for communicating their sustainability credentials to visitors.
The commission also "remains disappointed" with Locog’s slow development of a comprehensive energy plan, which meant opportunities were missed for further carbon reductions.
"We mustn’t rest on our laurels – more could be achieved if London’s lessons, both the good and the challenging, are heeded by others," said McCarthy. "London 2012 has raised the bar on sustainability, not just for future Olympic and Paralympic Games, but for industry and for the organisers of major events across the world.
"Minister for Sport Hugh Robertson has said that government is now focused on delivering the legacy from the Games. The UK is hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2014 and the Rugby World Cup in 2015, and the Olympic Stadium is hosting the World Athletics Championships in 2017 – what better way to deliver the legacy than by embedding leading sustainability practice in these events?"
The news comes two months after the launch of the Sustainable Events Summit – a collaboration between agency Smyle and Sustainable Events. It aims to forge a digital community of events professionals who are implementing – or planning to start – sustainable practices. .
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