NorthSide Festival
Business
Festival
Event
Competences
Waste ressource management
Volunteer coordination
Event counceling
Year
2015-2019
Denmark’s first sustainable music festival
Purpose: Northside Festival, with the three core values: music, innovation and sustainability has developed a strategic and ambitious agenda of implementing sustainability in all aspects of the festival.
For two years (2018-2019), Rethink Event was strongly engaged in NorthSide as resource manager, handling development projects, concept development, strategy work, and planning, implementation and evaluation of the resource area. Previously, Rethink Event was responsible for volunteer coordination.
Solution: Through innovation and curiosity, the resource team constantly seeks new ways of tuning the positive sustainability impact of the festival. Annually, a sustainability policy is developed, attaining the goals and possible areas of impact. Through positive and engaging communication with the audience, an ambitious take back system on plastic cups and cans, and a group of enthusiastic volunteers, the objectives and results improves significantly on a yearly basis.
Result: Since 2015, NorthSide has publicly published the Sustainability Report, where all interested stakeholders can gain access to goals and results of the festival. In order to succeed with a viable direct information stream, a significant focus on data administration and gathering is embedded in the operation of the festival.
The resource area exceeded the target in 2016 of 60% of 156 tonnes of waste for recycling by as much as 14%. Among other things, due to a committed team of volunteers and team leaders. In addition, the festival offered guests 100% organic food in 2017 and 97% organic drinks in 2018. Over 90% of guests now know that NorthSide is a sustainable festival. A festival, who through behavior and commitment inspires the festival and event industry towards a greater sustainable approach.
The goal is a 100% waste free festival. In 2019, the festival achieved an at the source sorting percentage of as high as 87%, recycling in 24 fractions. Today, northside is acknowledged among the most sustainable festivals in the world in their waste handling scheme and recirculation of resources.
