Verifying Recycled Materials Used for Temporary Structures at Music Festivals.

Sustainability is now a high priority for music festivals and organisers are increasingly looking for more ways to achieve their sustainability objectives. A key element of this is the increased use of recycled materials especially for temporary structures built on a festival site. What steps can organisers take to verify that any materials used are from recycled sources as claimed.

It is easy for a contractor to claim that the materials they use for construction of temporary structures are recycled but to maintain credibility festival organisers should create a process that can verify any claims made. There are now more external third-party organisations that can help to certify and verify any claims made that materials are recycled. 

Sustainability Credentials. 
Festival organisers now create sustainability objectives which they publish in the public domain, and these are usually followed up with regular reports on achievements and documentation to verify any claims made. This verification is essential to prevent Greenwashing and provides an element of transparency for key stakeholders. Accurate reporting creates sustainability credibility for organisers and is essential information for sponsors, vendors and festival-goers. 

Recycled Material Uses. 
The most common use of recycled materials is in the construction of temporary structures like stages which can use aluminium trusses made from recycled metal and wood that has been reclaimed. Vendor and sponsor zones can build booths and create signage using reused timber and repurposed shipping containers for example. Security fencing and barriers can be made from recycled plastic waste, and furniture can be made from reclaimed wood or recycled composite materials. The scope of recycled material uses is expanding as technology and manufacturing methods adapt to the increasing sustainability requirements. 

Verification Support. 
Festival organisers can reach out to numerous third-party organisations who can help with the verification process for materials used on a festival site. Common third-party organisations can provide certifications on recycled material usage including ‘Cradle to Cradle Certified™’, ‘Global Recycled Standard’ (GRS), ISO 14021 (self-declared environmental claims) and the ‘Forest Stewardship Council’ (FSC Recycled) for timber and wood. Organisers can check which third-party certifications are available in their region as availability varies by country. 

Verification Processes. 
During the event planning phase organisers can appoint someone to be responsible for the creation the processes for verification of recycled materials used on a festival site. When dealing with external contractors organisers can request Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) or Technical Data Sheets (TDS) for all materials proposed for the construction process. In addition, they can ask for Certificates of Recycled Content or Chain of Custody (CoC) records and request that contractors submit their sustainability policies along with details of relevant material recycling audits. In some cases, it may be possible to appoint an environmental consultant who can verify supplier practices and material usage with a view to producing a complete recycled material usage audit for the event. A physical inspection of all temporary structures on a site can help verify the material usage but this does not guarantee that recycled materials have been used in their construction. 

For festival organisers planning their next events using a software management platform like Festival Pro gives them all the functionality they need manage every aspect of their event logistics. The guys who are responsible for this software have been in the front line of event management for many years and the features are built from that experience and are performance artists themselves. The Festival Pro platform is easy to use and has comprehensive features with specific modules for managing artists, contractors, venues/stages, vendors, volunteers, sponsors, guestlists, ticketing, site planning, cashless payments and contactless ordering.

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