Sustainability Code of Conduct SPRING

Dear collaborator, artist, festival employee, volunteer, SPRING community,

SPRING Performing Arts Festival is a ten-day international festival with innovative dance, theatre, performance and more in the city of Utrecht. At the festival you will see adventurous and urgent performances from both near and far that dare to ask questions about the constantly changing world.

In upcoming years SPRING will be focusing on stories of overheard voices, overseen bodies. We believe that the victims of climate crises are one of the voices that need amplification. Therefore, it is clear to us that SPRING is inherently connected to questions about the growing effects of climate change. This connection extends from the themes in our programming to our working methods and ethics.

We approach this not only in terms of the resources we’re using, but from a more holistic point of view too. Sustainability means creating a liveable, future proof world for everybody. Therefore it is not just a climate issue, but a social one, too. So, in addition to limiting our carbon footprint, we strive protect the well-being of the humans and non-humans that are sharing our ecosystem.

Just like the performers we present, we must apply innovation to our own working methods. We push ourselves to keep learning, aiming to find ways of working and creating that reduce our negative impact on the world around us. As a platform with over 10 years of experience, we hope to set a good example and encourage partner organisations, colleagues, audiences and artists to share this journey with us.

Values concerning sustainability

The following three values are always present at the base of our approach to sustainability:

Decolonising the narrative – To help create a fair and liveable world for everybody, we believe it is of vital importance to listen to a diverse range of voices and create a space of equality. To avoid being led only by our own perspective, we actively pursue stories from all over the world.
Sustainable globalization – In order to present these diverse perspectives from a globalized and decolonized world, we invite performers and artists from many different places. At the same time, we are very mindful of the environmental impact of globalization, and we are committed to finding the most sustainable ways to facilitate our worldly programming.
Ethical & sustainable access to resources – In order to help create a future based on equity, solidarity, fairness and diversity we are determined to minimize waste, while also advocating thoughtful and equal access to resources.

The next steps

Since the festival’s first edition in 2013, SPRING has been pursuing an active sustainability policy. In 2018 and 2019, SPRING was the first indoor festival to receive the Greener Event Award. It is an honor to have been recognized as an organization that is setting the right example when it comes to sustainability, and we want to continue on this trajectory.

The main focus in SPRING’s sustainability policy so far has been on accommodation, transportation, rentals, marketing and programming. The baseline is that with every choice we make, we consider whether there is a more sustainable alternative. In upcoming years, we want to further expand our sustainability policy to include our partners, the companies that visit us, our team and our audience in the conversation.

The guidelines below serve as a starting point in thinking about sustainability and its communication, both internally and externally. We want to explore all angles on a situation-by-situation basis and are very open to suggestions and additions, so that we can refine this code of conduct each year.

We urge you to …

… avoid/reduce fossil fuelled travels
Transportation is a big contributor to carbon emissions, and making a responsible choice in this department can make a big difference. We therefore strongly believe that sustainability should be prioritized above convenience.

Within the city, use a bicycle – During the festival, SPRING will arrange bicycles for all artists. We only arrange/refund taxis in exceptional situations, like carrying extremely heavy luggage, inconvenient departure/arrival times or mobility problems. From within the city, our team also travels to the office by bike.
For farther travels: take the train – We expect all companies and artists to travel by train if the travel time does not exceed 8 hours. Even when taking the plane is faster/cheaper, we strongly encourage taking the train instead. Of course, the same goes for our festival team: we travel by public transport rather than personal cars.
Extend your stay? – When programming intercontinental companies/artists, the possibility of this particular show travelling to Europe for an extensive tour (with three or more presenters) is actively explored, in order to reduce long and frequent flights.

… make conscious choices in food & drinks

Vegan/vegetarian food is the norm. This applies to the snacks during drinks and other festive occasions as well.
Use re-usable tableware, re-usable drinking bottles or biodegradable disposables instead of PET bottles or plastic tableware.
Avoid spoiling and throwing away food: only buy what you need!

… consider (re)use of materials carefully

Try to buy materials second-hand or borrow/rent them, to reduce purchase of new products.
Re-use materials (wood & steel) for several years and/or process them into new products.
When buying, make sure materials are sustainably (and preferably locally) produced.
Try to limit printing documents as much as possible and read them digitally. If printing is absolutely necessary, do so on recycled paper and print it double-sided.
Consider circular use of offline marketing materials. Sustainable production is always the starting point here.
Accreditation, ticketing, accounting and invoicing is done electronically, unless there is an exceptional situation that would require the use of printed documents.

… refrain from buying cut flowers
Although beautiful and fragrant, cut flowers are not a sustainable gift.

Opt for a more sustainable alternative, such as a plant or flower seeds.

… be mindful of ethical consumption
When buying products, we pay attention to the values of the company/brand we are buying from, and more specifically whether they associate with/benefit from:

war and/or oppression (see websites);
animal cruelty (see websites);
- use of materials that negatively impact people or nature, such as palm-oil and micro-plastics.

We want to thank you for joining us in our effort to work towards a more sustainable world. Together, we will continue to evolve and improve.

See you at SPRING!

Warm regards,

SPRING Performing Arts Festival