This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s summer editorial intern Emma Zumbo. Find her on Instagram at @emmarzumbo. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
Olympics TikTok is everyone’s current favorite corner of the internet. Whether it’s Team USA’s Tyler Downs doing the viral apple dance on board one of the Opening Ceremony’s vessels, or the Fiji national team’s angelic voices resounding throughout the Olympic Village, or a tour of the (apparently not great) food hall, we’ve all enjoyed getting a glimpse at the reality of the intense global competition. One aspect of the Olympics experience that has drawn particular interest is the athlete’s accommodations while in Paris. In particular, the athlete’s beds have raised some eyebrows. Just like in Tokyo, the Olympic Committee has chosen to provide athletes with simple beds made of a cardboard frame which has drawn questions surrounding the comfortability and durability of the frames. Read on to get an answer to the question of “is cardboard furniture durable”?
Why Cardboard Beds?
During the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, a false story was widely circulated that claimed that cardboard beds had been chosen as a precaution to prevent athletes sleeping with each other and getting distracted from competition (to be fair, the Olympic Village is a noted hookup zone). Although the myth was debunked in Tokyo, the “anti-sex beds” claim came back when viewers learned of the sleeping situation in Paris. In reality, the choice to install cardboard beds rather than ones with a wooden or plastic frame is a purely environmental one – the Committee chose them as part of their commitment to making Paris 2024 the greenest Olympics ever. According to a video posted by the official Olympics channel, the beds are 100% made in France and will be fully recycled after the Games.
Are They Durable?
Various athletes have posted videos demonstrating the durability of the beds – or more accurately, disproving the claims that the beds could prevent them from engaging in foreign diplomatic relations with their fellow competitors.
In fact, cardboard furniture is made from layers of corrugated cardboard, which is actually fairly sturdy – if you’ve ever tried to break down a particularly thick shipping box, you won’t need much to convince you of the material’s strength. One popular manufacturer of cardboard beds, Yona, claims that its queen size frame can comfortably hold a weight of 6170 lbs. or around 32 people.
You might be concerned about your cardboard furniture damaging easily over time, but, while certainly not water or fire proof (then again, neither is most other furniture material), with proper treatment and care, you can expect your cardboard to last as long as 10 years. Unless you plan to start pouring buckets of water on your bed every night, then you should have no reason to worry about your new bed collapsing due to moisture damage.
Are They Sustainable?
There are differing opinions on just how sustainable cardboard really is. Some say that its claim to environmental friendliness is a sham – paper mills are a major contributor to deforestation, and paper production requires extensive water use. Cardboard furniture currently on the market is made from mostly recycled paper and cardboard, cutting down on the environmental impact of producing new paper, but it still requires the addition of some virgin fibers in order to ensure its stability.
The major claim that cardboard furniture can make to warrant its sustainable reputation is that cardboard is 100% recyclable. For large events like the Olympics, this could really result in greater sustainability, given that all the beds will be recycled into paper products once the Games are over, but it’s debatable how much more green this would be for the average consumer. If you plan on moving often and not taking your furniture with you, then looking into cardboard products might be a good option, but, if you’re planning to purchase furniture for the long term, it’s unclear how much (if any) advantage cardboard furniture has over more traditional materials in terms of sustainability.
How To Get A Cardboard Bed
If you are interested in purchasing a cardboard bed (I personally really like the look of them), there are three brands currently widely available on the market, with prices around $150-200. You can order the Yona, Room In A Box, and Chairigami bed frames directly on the brands’ respective websites. Just make sure to have a comfortable mattress and mattress topper on hand, as some athletes in the Village have reported that the cardboard frames are a bit stiff and not terribly comfortable.
What do you think? Is cardboard furniture durable? Is it sustainable? Will you be trying it?
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