Photo/Illutration Cardboard-frame beds designed for athletes competing in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, on Sept. 24 in Tokyo’s Chuo Ward (Chiaki Ogihara)

First, Olympic medals made of recycled electronic devices. Now cardboard beds for athletes at the Olympic Village.

Japan's all-out efforts to make the Tokyo 2020 Games a showcase of sustainability show no sign of slowing down.

The Tokyo Organizing Committee of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics on Sept. 24 unveiled showcase models of beds made of recyclable paper and other materials for Olympians.

Tokyo-based bed and mattress manufacturer Airweave Inc. is providing 18,000 or so cardboard-frame beds for the Olympic Village under construction in the Harumi district of the capital's Koto Ward.

The mattresses are made of polyethylene materials that will be reused for plastic products after the event.

“We are preparing to welcome the athletes with beds and bedclothes that will help them beat their personal best performances,” said Motokuni Takaoka, chairman of the company, an official partner of the sports extravaganza.

The 210-cm long beds are 90 cm wide, 40 cm high and can bear weights of up to about 200 kilograms.

The mattresses have sections to support the shoulders, waist and legs. The level of hardness varies in the top and underneath layers for each of the three sections of the mattresses, so athletes can adjust them to suit their body type. For example, swimmers may want to make the shoulder parts soft.

“The bed embodies the concept behind the Games, that we should pay attention to sustainability,” said Takashi Kitajima, a committee official in charge of the village.