Those events included trail runs and cleanups, gear repair, happy hours and panel discussions on things like regenerative agriculture and local environmental activism.
Sustainable experiential
While events like San Francisco’s Outside Lands are setting new standards for sustainable event production and waste management, SXSW is arguably lagging when it comes to enforcing sustainability across its events and from its vendors, with the festival’s sustainability initiatives primarily focused on signage, tote bags and donations for local nonprofits. The festival uses fully recyclable materials for its signage, a representative said, and tote bags are made from 50% recycled materials.
“Initiatives will include a pack-in/pack-out policy, a donation program in coordination with local nonprofits, and an environmental performance report post-event,” a spokesperson explained.
Slack, which hosted a three-day activation in downtown Austin, designed its experiential components for reusability, according to Colin McRae, vp of global brand marketing and creative strategy. Rather than using carpeting throughout the activation, for example, the team used reusable vinyl and sidewalk chalk.
