Business leaders, industry insiders and government officials flocked to Beijing on Tuesday, brought together by two words: "Green Olympics."

More than 30 enterprises, half from abroad, met to discuss clean technology, renewable and recyclable materials and the huge market sparked by the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

Companies present included BASF, NatureWorks, Unitika, Mitsubishi Chemical and Mitsui Chemical.

Co-organized by the Science and Technology Committee for the 29th Olympic Games and the 2008 Project Office, the Exhibition on Green Materials & Green Olympics is the first of its kind in China.

"The exhibition is a platform for exchange between green materials researchers and merchants working on projects for the Games," said Fan Boyuan, deputy mayor of Beijing.

Bidding for the Games' major projects has been completed, and it is now time to purchase materials, facilities and technology, Fan said.

The main buildings, temporary facilities, sites and affiliated services are all required to use green materials, one of Beijing's commitments to the Games, he added.

"We are all very excited about the chosen theme of green materials... It is our hope that green materials and processes will be adopted as fully as possible at the coming Games," said Peter Clydesdale, commercial director of the Cargill Asia Pacific Holdings Pte Ltd.

Dirk Starke, a marketing and sales manager from Germany-based BASF, a chemical company, is working with its business partner in China, Tian'an Biologics, to promote biodegradable polymers.

(China Daily June 15, 2005)