Cover Feature
G R E AT P O W E R
A N D G R E AT
R E S P O N S I B I LI T Y
In the often ideological world of music festivals, issues
such as sustainability, corporate social responsibility
and diversity are understandably top of the agenda. So,
how do the large greenfield events tackle these trends?
Y
ou might have seen, either in the
news or on social media, that 99.3
per cent of the tents at Glastonbury
Festival were taken home. It’s a stunning
figure to anyone who’s ever been to a
festival and witnessed the sheer carnage
that’s usually left in their wake. Plastic
cups and bottles, tents, beer cans and
more obscure paraphernalia, it’s usually
a stunning reminder of the waste
generated by live events.
This year many festivals, with
Glastonbury arguably leading the way,
have taken real steps to attempt to
reduce this environmental impact. The
175,000-strong festival held Sustainable
Green Trader Awards and had strict
rules around plastic packaging and
waste composting. Other initiatives
included providing waterpoints,
recycling bins, sustainable toilets and
encouraging festivalgoers to use public
transport or car-share.
This strong stance from organisers
has prompted similar innovations from
equally passionate suppliers, and those
sensing a sea-change in the sector.
Companies such as sustainable
packaging, design and marketing agency
Reel have developed water resistant
cardboard tents, which can be branded
with photographic artwork.
There has also been movement in
the glitter industry – known for their
20 — August
‘sparkling’ personalities (apologies) –
which has seen tension over the subject
of ‘greenwashing’ and the development
of bio-glitter.
Stephen Cotton, commercial director
at Ronald Britton, manufacturer of
plastic-free glitter, Bioglitter™ PURE,
commented: “Greenwashing is a
frustrating and major issue for us. We
know of a number of glitter products
and glitter sellers targeting the festivals
market who are making misleading
and dishonest claims about the eco
credentials of their products, when in
fact the raw material in some cases is
simply plastic glitter.”
As sustainability becomes a focus
for all kinds of companies, brands
and festivals are able to join forces
to simultaneously spread the word
and set an example, as proved by the
partnership between Carlsberg beer and
Denmark’s Roskilde Festival.
Carlsberg in Denmark and Roskilde
signed a five-year agreement with
sustainability at its core, says Simon
Boas Hoffmeyer, director – group
sustainability at Carlsberg Group.
“We went into the agreement with the
common aim to create more sustainable
festival experiences,” he explains.
“Through a traditional ideation and
workshop format, we arrived at the four
focus areas for the 2019, namely: