Biel Gymnastics Festival makes the grade with organic cotton souvenirs

The fan merchandise and souvenir business can be ecological, too: During the 2013 Swiss Gymnastics Festival in Biel, the organizers completely dispensed with disposable fan merchandise which tends to quickly end up in rubbish bins or on the ground. Instead, visitors were offered attractive organic cotton caps. A retail partner had donated 15,000 caps with an organic label. Since organic cotton requires less pesticides than conventional cotton, this change was a sign of clear progress. The organizers also paid close attention to the origin of the range of clothing offered as well as the environmental impact of the raw materials used. Thus fans could buy sports shirts made of 100 percent recycled PET fibres.