SUSTAINABILITY STANDON CALLING
© Fernando Bonenfant/Here and Now
Make a pledge Betternotstop’s new More Than Music report shines a spotlight on festival sustainability
H
ave you wondered what other organisers are doing to make their events more sustainable? Well, thanks to a new report from betternotstop, you can easily explore the social and environmental policies of 100 UK music festivals. The report – entitled More Than Music – identifies those festivals that are “leading the charge”. However, of those 100 sampled, only 25 per cent have public commitments to a sustainability policy, charity donations, and carbon balancing measures. It’s a surprising statistic because six out of ten festivalgoers believe that festivals have a duty to reduce their waste and nearly half of millennials think the primary objective of a business should be contributing positively to society (social and environmental). The More Than Music report is for anyone – whether you work in production or sit at board level. There’s information for everyone, so if you are interested in knowing exactly how Shambala’s food and drinks policy supports its climate reduction targets, or perhaps how Standon Calling is
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supporting increased representation in the music industry, then it’s a must read. Wild Paths, Green Man, Lytham Festival, Victorious, Parklife, Boardmasters, Bluedot Festival and Kendal Calling were some of the festivals included in the research, which highlights best practice and provides food for thought. This year, betternotstop has partnered with Kendal Calling to deliver its new Sustainability Impact Strategy for 2022. The 35,000-capacity festival already supports numerous charities, both local and national, and has a huge impact in the community, and it is also committed to a range of sustainability measures, including banning single-use plastic bottles on site, and converting all lights to LEDs. However, From the Fields, organiser of Kendal Calling, wished to create an overarching strategy and develop an effective campsite and waste management action plan. Betternotstop has been working with Kendal Calling [July 28-31] on launching a Leave Nothing but Memories Campaign, recruiting a campsite crew team dedicated
to raising awareness of litter picking initiatives in the campsites and collecting data about audience behaviours, and empowering traders, suppliers, artists, and the audience to take more responsible, sustainable decisions and commit to a “Trader Pledge” to reduce their environmental impact. Kendal Calling is focused on reducing the total tonnage of tent and campsite waste left over after the festival. Andy Smith, director of Kendal Calling, said: “It’s been a great opportunity to work alongside betternotstop and develop an action-driven plan about how to improve our social and environmental impact at the festival. We are really excited to welcome our Kendal Callers back to the stunning surroundings of Lowther Deer Park for the first time in three years. We are certain that the initiatives betternotstop are helping us to deliver will create a lasting legacy for the festival.” To download a copy of the More Than Music report, visit www.betternotstop.com
