This article was published on August 23, 2016

Japan may craft its Olympic medals from old smartphones


Japan may craft its Olympic medals from old smartphones

Japan could be using the 2020 Olympics to make a statement about sustainability.

According to a report from Asian publication, Nikkei, Olympic organizers are considering using recycled electronics to forge the iconic bronze, silver and rose gold medals for the 2020 games. While hypothetically feasible to craft the medals from old smartphones, Japan is already recycling most of this material — to create more electronics.

It could still happen though. The Olympic planning committee is asking companies to put their collective heads together and come up with an idea or two about how to collect electronic waste.

The hope is that each citizen gets to participate in the games by contributing to the medal count for their respective country — through their used electronics. At the same time, Japan can help the world to reduce the growing problem of electronic waste.

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