Plastic-Free Festivals: Turning Plastic Challenges into Opportunities
Article Tom Domen, Made.be
As we wrap up Plastic Free Month in July, it's time to rethink the term "plastic free." This terminology often suggests a simple material substitution, like replacing plastic with paper, which merely swaps one problem for another. This narrative has weakened crucial legislation on plastic pollution, like the EU's Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (PPWD) and local Single-Use Plastic Directives (SPD), shifting from ambitious material consumption reduction to a simplistic plastic ban. The real issue remains: excessive single-use items.
Despite the limited visibility of the Plastic Free July campaign, the enforcement of reusable cups at festivals garnered significant attention. This article highlights both the challenges and opportunities on the path to a true circular economy.
Festivals and Reusable Cups: Opportunities and Challenges
Plongeons nous d'abord dans les festivals qui ont respecté la loi belge, car désormais, il est obligatoire d'utiliser des gobelets réutilisables en Belgique. Les résultats ont été mitigés. La mise en place d’un système de gobelets réutilisables s’est souvent avérée complexe, ce qui a frustré les organisateurs d'évènements et les festivaliers. Bien que la gravité des problèmes climatiques et de déchets suggère qu’une courte marche pour rapporter un gobelet ne devrait pas être un obstacle, c’était souvent le cas. Cela souligne l’importance de tenir compte du comportement humain lors de la conception d’un système de réutilisation.
Data Points and Struggles:
- Operational Complexity: Managing the logistics of collecting, cleaning, and redistributing reusable cups can be daunting. For example, Glastonbury Festival reported that the additional infrastructure needed increased their operational costs by 20%. The Belgian festival Werchter reported an additional cost of 1 mio euro to manage the reuse system.
- User Inconvenience: A study by the University of Leeds found that 65% of festival-goers found the return process for reusable cups inconvenient, leading to lower compliance rates.
- Environmental Impact: If not managed efficiently, the cleaning and transportation of reusable cups can lead to significant carbon emissions, potentially offsetting the environmental benefits.
Bold Solutions for Enhanced User Experience
This is a call to action for festival organizers and all brands struggling with circularity: Let's revolutionize user experiences to drive the necessary behavior changes. One can only imagine if Tomorrowland had put all their creative power behind actually implementing an experiential reuse return system…, maybe next time.
In the meantime, here are bold solutions focused on enhancing user experience:
1. Improved Infrastructure: Increase the number of return points to reduce user inconvenience. Automated return kiosks, like those used in supermarkets, can streamline the process. Or just swap a used cup with a new cup at the beverage point, with a redesign of the process to remain as efficient.
Example: Primavera Sound in Barcelona successfully implemented multiple return points, enhancing convenience for attendees. Live is live in Antwerp allowed to swap any drink container (can, cup, glass) to be swapped at any point where you got your drinks.
2. Engaging Communication: Use dynamic and positive communication to educate festival-goers about returning reusable cups. Interactive apps or gamification, such as rewards for multiple returns, can enhance compliance.
Example: Shambala Festival in the UK uses an app to reward attendees for returning cups, enhancing engagement.
3. On-Site Washing Stations: Implement on-site washing stations to reduce environmental impact and ensure a quick turnaround.
Example: Roskilde Festival in Denmark features on-site washing stations, minimizing the carbon footprint associated with reusable cups.
4. Pay with cup: Automatic linking between cup and bank card upon payment, when scanning.
Example: Borro (borro.one) developed a user friendly return system for the football club Anderlecht, Belgium, which scored really well in a first trial.
Building a Reusable Ecosystem
To succeed, we need a unified ecosystem for the entire event industry. Reuse demands efficiency and high utilization rates. Unique cups for each festival, used once a year, won't achieve the necessary use cycles to outperform single-use items, even on an environmental level.
Making the business case
Most events are still dealing with an extra cost related to the whole setup of reuse versus single use. Set aside the argument that single use has some external costs that are not included in the price, the reality is that this is the current model that provides the benchmark.
Yet another reason to work towards a universal system. Once there are agreed standards, new Packaging As A Service (PAAS) providers can compete to provide the most interesting offer to service a range of events using the same infrastructure.
Using larger sponsorship contracts should compensate for the individual sponsorship deals that make the current printed cups specific to the event. Backing it up with a digital support system that makes it super easy to return the cups, would also allow for some digital and interchangeable branding.
Key Takeaways for a Circular Economy
- Design for Behavior Change: Implement strategies that nudge the necessary behavior change. Increase drop-off points and create incentives for returning reusable items.
- Design for the Ecosystem: Develop a cohesive system that serves the entire event industry, ensuring reusable items are used efficiently and frequently. Set some cross industry standards so the infrastructure can be adapted to be more efficient and items will get used more intensely. In the end, creating circularity without increasing intensity of use will not create an environmental benefit.
- Monetization Opportunities: Leverage the standardisation, sponsorships, deposit schemes, branded partnerships, and additional services to monetize the reusable cup system while promoting sustainability. Create a space for new business opportunities to appear that can service festivals and events with a complete reuse eco-system. Thanks to the larger sponsorship contracts, this service can be offered for free.
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