Cover Feature
“ B RAN D S HAVE AN O PPO RTU NITY
T O D O , A N D B E , B E T TE R ”
– SIMON BOAS HOFFM EYE R
• Green taps – running our bars using
100 per cent renewable energy
• Plastic collection – for recycling into
next year’s festival beer packaging
• Reusable cups – replacing single-use
plastic cups with reusable versions that
could be used more than 25 times
• Alcohol-free area – where festivalgoers
could enjoy an alcohol-free beer and
recharge
“It was true co-creation between equal
partners, and it was a pleasure to see all
activities executed at this year’s festival.
“Regarding the green taps, we (the
Carlsberg Group) are aiming for 100 per
cent use of renewable electricity by 2022
and are at 46 per cent today. We want
to highlight our ambitions by helping
the attendees enjoy a more sustainable
festival, while serving great beers. With
the use of renewable energy, we can
serve beer from green taps with no CO2
emissions.”
Hoffmeyer adds that he sees
sustainability as an opportunity for
brands to do, and be, better.
“Better in terms of engaging
consumers in meaningful ways, better
to the environment by avoiding path
dependency and doing things in new
sustainable ways, and better in terms of
DRASTIC ON PLASTIC
The Association of
Independent Festivals
(AIF) launched the 'Drastic
on Plastic' campaign in
April 2018.
Here's how the first year
went for its participating
members:
93% ditched plastic straws
40% banned sales of drinks on site
that were in single-use plastic
40% replaced single-use bar cups
with reusable cups
67% bought and sold branded
reusable drinks bottles
87% promoted using reusable
drinking bottles
73% ran a public-facing campaign
about plastic reduction
creating lasting experiences and impact
rather than ‘just’ selling products,” he
explains. “To me festivals are a great and
honest way of getting feedback from our
consumers. Also, the audience is very
diverse, which enables you to get instant
feedback from everyone from generation
Ys to millennials to baby boomers. Who
does not like music, and sustainable
beers?”
KARMA POLICE
Charity work is a fundamental aspect
of many festivals, with numerous
charities taking up residence onsite
and engaging thousands of volunteers
throughout the season.
In 2015, Rob Wilkinson had spent eight
years working with a range of charities
and realised there was a disconnect
between them and the festival industry.
Fundraising managers were keen to
engage with festival organisers but
were struggling to find a way of raising
funds while adding value to the event’s
audience. Organisers, on the other hand,
were having difficulty sourcing reliable
volunteers for essential roles.
And so, the idea for My Cause UK
was born, a company which would
recruit volunteers from the charity
sector to take on essential festival
roles in exchange for a donation to
their chosen cause. In 2018, a sister
company was created – Ethical Staffing
– which provides the option of a paid
staffing team to work independently,
or alongside My Cause UK, taking on
roles that are not right for volunteers
(for example those that require cash
handling and bar management, have
unsociable shift lengths or which may
not be attractive to volunteers).
August — 21