Torches of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2026 will run on bio-LPG

Last month, the torches of Milano Cortina 2026 were unveiled in two simultaneous events held at the Triennale di Milano, Italy and Expo 2025 in Osaka, Japan. The torches, which have been named ‘Essential’ because of their minimalist design, were created with sustainability in mind.

The burner – the technological core of the torch – will run on renewable Liquid Gas, produced at the Enilive biorefinery in Gela, Sicily. This biofuel is made exclusively from renewable raw materials, mainly waste sources such as used cooking oil, animal fats and residues from the agricultural industry.

Creators Eni, Premium Partner of Fondazione Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, in collaboration with Versalis, Official Supporter of the Games, entrusted the design development to Studio Carlo Ratti Associati, while Cavagna Group is responsible for the engineering and production of the torches and their components.

“The message we're trying to communicate with the design of the torch is about minimising everything that's not necessary”, said Carlo Ratti, founder of Studio Carlo Ratti Associati and Professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

“That's what the torch does, putting the flame at the centre and minimising everything else. Sustainability means not using what is not necessary. And so what we did with the torch is actually putting the flame at the centre and minimising everything else,” he added.

Source: Olympic Games

Photo: Olympic Games