Hållbara vätskestationer för världens största halvmaraton

Abstract

Göteborgsvarvet is the world's largest half marathon with approximately 50,000 participants annually. Sustainability is central for the organisation, and they aim to reduce the environmental impact of their hydration stations, which currently consumes a large amount of paper cups. This project has aimed to develop a solution for the hydration stations that lowers their climate impact, while maintaining the runner experience. Trough observations, internal data, a survey and a sustainability analysis two key areas for improvement were identified: Increasing the recycling rate of paper and reducing the use of paper. Trough idea and concept generation two systems were proposed. One involved using water taps and silicone cups carried by the runner, and the other one includes improved waste handling and smaller paper cups. The latter was partly tested with a prototype at a smaller race. Both systems show potential to reduce the hydration stations climate impact, assuming the silicon cups are reused. The reusable cup system may decrease the runners experience by requiring them to carry their own cup. However, both systems can improve the experience by reducing the litter on the course. One possible challenge is that both systems may disrupt the runner flow, leading to time loss. Göteborgsvarvet is therefore recommended to further testing before a full-scale implementation can be made.