DGTL Festival to offset carbon emissions of all artists flying to its events
Dutch festival brand DGTL has announced that it will reduce the carbon footprint of all artists flying in to its events to net zero, through a partnership with SkyNRG, a pioneer of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
SAF, which has been around for a decade but is currently only used in 1% of commercial flights, is fuel for aircrafts that is produced from sustainable resources, instead of being refined from petroleum, like fossil-based aviation fuel. SAF can significantly reduce CO2 emissions compared to fossil fuel, depending on the technology and feedstock used.
Where possible, DGTL will encourage artists to use alternatives to air travel, but for journeys that are unavoidable, the use of SAF will enable them to reduce their carbon footprint.
The innovation is the ‘final piece of the jigsaw’ in terms of DGTL’s sustainability ambitions – the group already runs its Amsterdam event completely on renewable energy, has reduced residual waste per visitor from 2.3kg to 0kg, and offers a 100% plant-based menu in its food court.
Also – and this perhaps isn’t one for those that have just had their dinner – the festival has set up a ‘circular sanitation’ group, in which DGTL extracts nutrients from urine and faeces, to use them as soil improvers and fertilisers.
“We feel a responsibility to continuously improve and maintain our social and environmental impact on the globe and we are committed to leave the world a bit better than we found it,” commented DGTL’s sustainability coordinator Mitchell van Dooijeweerd. “That’s why we are always researching and implementing innovative measures to progressively reduce emissions. But we’re looking beyond our own emissions too.
“Through this partnership with SkyNRG, we reduce CO2 emissions together with our artists and ensure that what we do inspires our surroundings. Replacing fossil kerosine with SAF is a huge step forward for unavoidable flights. Furthermore, it is a scalable solution that can reduce air travel emissions for other events too where air travel may be unavoidable. DGTL’s festivals have a huge reach, which is why it is important we lead by example and plant the seed for change.”
Forthcoming DGTL events are scheduled for Amsterdam, Tel Aviv, Santiago and the Amsterdam Dance Event.
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