Our world-first green signage for the Australian Olympic Village in Paris

Over the past 12 months, our team has achieved significant sustainability milestones, working on a groundbreaking sustainable signage project for the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) at the 2024 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in Paris. We were so proud to see this project on display for the world to see when the vision of the Australian Olympic Village was broadcast across screens in July 2024. It was the result of a year-long project that involved inventing, designing, and manufacturing world-first eco-friendly signage solutions for high-profile locations in France, including five hotels, two shipping containers, and seven sporting venues. The organisers of Paris 2024 aimed to halve the Games' carbon footprint of previous years, implementing innovative solutions across energy, food, venues, transport, and signage. Integral to this effort is the circular economy strategy to reduce resources, make better use of resources, and ensure resources have a second life. Olympic Village and event signage help in wayfinding and communication but are also integral in showcasing Australia’s identity and cultural heritage to the world, ensuring athletes, officials, and supporters feel united under the Australian banner. The scope of work was complex and broad. We had to substitute plastic with cardboard to create hundreds of bespoke applications, including structures, furniture, artwork, packaging, and signage. We invented indoor and outdoor signage using organic materials, which was challenging and required a rapid innovation process to conceptualise, design, prototype, and test new methods. We collaborated with global leaders including Spandex, Avery Dennison, and HP on this project. As a result, Signarama Tuggerah pioneered recyclable, reusable, and repurposable signage materials and packaging produced with 22% less carbon, based on certified carbon quotas. Our innovations included new reinforcement methods, eco-friendly coatings, and precise digital cutting for flat-packed shipping, which met the AOC’s standards and proved to the world that high-quality sustainable signage is achievable.