ESNS creates roadmap to a sustainable and circular festival organisation

16.11.21

Rob van Wegen, Sustainability Supervisor for ESNS, has created a 3-step roadmap model for realising long-term circular ambitions. In an article for Green Deal Circular Festivals, he explains how the model works and shares advice on how to implement sustainability in every layer of the festival organisation.

Achieving long-term goals with a roadmap

ESNS joined the Plastic Promise in 2018, a Dutch platform for plastic reduction in the event industry. In 2019 they signed the Green Deal Circular Festivals. Rob: ’That was the first time I heard about the ‘roadmap’, a multiyear planning for accomplishing organisation goals. In the industry we tend to mainly focus on the next festival season. I wanted to work on long-term solutions for bigger circular issues, other than recycling waste or plastic. My ideal is to anchor sustainability and circularity in our festival DNA. The roadmap supports this ideal.’

Inspired by the Green Deal Rob decided to create a roadmap for ESNS. His research turned out into a complete step-by-step model, not just applicable to ESNS but to any kind of festival. Rob: ‘I have never created a roadmap before. I started reading, writing and drawing. I asked festivals for their experiences and feedback, talked to freelancers and even educational institutes. I felt the need to develop a format that can help any festival transition into a fully sustainable organisation.’

Read the full article on the roadmap to a sustainable and circular festival organisation on circularfestivals.nl.

About the Green Deal Circular Festivals

The Green Deal Circular Festivals (GDCF) supports ‘green growth’ by stimulating sustainable innovation. It’s one of the over 300 Green Deals closed in The Netherlands since the start in 2011.