Since the start of the festival in 2013, SPRING has implemented an active sustainability policy. In 2018 and 2019, SPRING received the Greener Event Award and was the first indoor festival to do so. Currently, we are using the methodology by Julie’s Bicycle to do a baseline measurement. Based on this, we will further develop our sustainability policy. We pay close attention to sustainability developments in the sector, and apply these where this is possible and relevant for SPRING.
For every choice we make, we check whether it can be more sustainable. The key points in SPRING’s sustainability policy are accommodation, transit, transportation, and strengthening the collaborations with our partners in this area. Our promotion materials are sustainable and made of organic materials. For decorating the locations and city dressing we choose material that can be used multiple years and for different SPRING activities as much as possible. For renting materials, we prefer to utilize local suppliers. For purchasing performance materials we like to give materials a second life: renting or borrowing is preferred. We do not use printed tickets, programme booklets or flyers per performance.
Our international guests move through Utrecht by bike. Besides this, they sleep ‘green’ in Hotel Mitland (Green Key Gold). For years, we have not bought disposable bottles for water. Instead, we give festival employees and visiting artists a reusable bottle. The crew meals are vegetarian.
We ask companies and employees to travel by train rather than plane, provided that the train journey can be made within 6-7 hours. We ask visiting companies and artists about the sustainable measures they are taking. We also coordinate non-European programming with other festivals in Europe. We do not present performances where artists have to fly a long way just for SPRING, but work together with other European festivals in the same period with a similar profile to SPRING.
SPRING shares knowledge and experience with other festivals and events, and frequently also with our visitors.