Tokyo 2020 Olympics - Athletes' beds to be made from cardboard as part of sustainability drive

The mattresses for the beds will be formed of polyethylene materials that will then be recycled for use in plastic manufacturing after the events.

The beds will be 2.10m long and be able to take a weight of 200kg, making them suitable for every athlete that competed at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

The move is in keeping with the policy of sustainability being pursued by the Olympic organisers, who announced in July that medals for the Games will be made from recycled consumer devices.

About 32kg of gold were extracted from 6.2 million used mobile phones donated over two years by the Japanese public.

They also recovered 3.5 tonnes of silver and 2.2 tonnes of bronze to make 5,000 Olympic and Paralympic medals.

The environmental policy will extend across the breadth of Olympic traditions, with the Olympic torch and winners' podiums all set to be built from recycled household materials. There will also be a drive towards powering the Games with renewable energy sources.

The Tokyo Olympics take place between 24 July and 9 August 2020 and the Paralympics from 25 August to 6 September.