That's why we called upon Tapio to calculate the carbon footprint of Couleur Café 2023. We chose to openly share all findings and key insights. Our carbon strategy page is available here. In short:

• Our overall footprint was 471,15 tons of CO2. While this might seem like a lot, this is actually impressively low, compared with other big cultural and sports events.
• The report excludes the daily footprint of our non-profit organisation vzw Zig Zag asbl, since we also organise other events. 
• A very recent French report "Rapport Déclic" arrived at an average of 720 tons of CO2 for comparable music festivals.  
   

• Data was incomplete on a part of the restaurants, mobility and certain goods.
• This leads to an uncertainty of 17%, which is more than acceptable for a first calculation.
• Divided by 69.000 visitors, this means every visitor had a carbon footprint of 6.93 kilos per day. Again, good result.
• Of course we don't want to stop here and get this number down every year. By investing more in vegetarian dishes, public transportation, energy and artist mobility, we aim to diminish by another 5% every year. 
• Want to learn even more?  Download the full report here shortly. 
   

UNDO Partnership

• UNDO, Belgium’s first climate focused mobile operator promotes a carbon concious lifestyle and offers sustainable mobile subscriptions. Since July 2023, UNDO has offset 10t of CO2, equal to traveling 35.000 km by an average Belgian car.
• Committed to environmental preservation, UNDO will be at Couleur Café to make your visit eco-friendly and compensate your carbon footprint during the festival.
• Keep an eye out for UNDO QR codes at the entrance, waste disposal and food areas.
  Simply scan the QR code, submit your answer, and help us create an emission-free, carbon-neutral festival experience.

Recycling

• The site includes 300 eco-volunteers 
• 120 sorting islands are provided for festival-goers 
• The festival includes a container park with 7 sorting containers: PMC, paper and cardboard, residual waste, oils, wood, and glass. 90% of the waste is sorted, and 95% of the remaining 10% is recycled 
• 40 people clean the park every morning

Food & drinks

• The Rue du Bien Manger has 40 sorting islands with 3 different fractions: blue (PMC = cans, plastic bottles), green (biodegradable food, plates, cutlery, and straws), and black (residual waste). 
• The food trucks offer a wide variety of vegetarian/vegan food. We prioritize local and/or organic ingredients. 
• Food surpluses do not end up in the trash are given a more responsible second life.

• This year again, we are implementing the reusable cup system. FYI, it is crucial not to throw them in the trash. 
• We strongly advise festival-goers to bring their own water bottles and fill them at our drinking water taps, provided with the support of Vivaqua.
• Our straws are biodegradable.

Why Cristal?

• Cristal is a pilsner from the Belgian terroir. 
• Since 2021, Cristal has been the only Belgian blonde beer bearing the official "Belgian hops" logo, thanks to the use of local hops. 
• One-third of their pilsners are brewed with Belgian barley.
• Cristal brews its beer with 100% green Belgian electricity. Their goal is to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030 and to support a sustainable future by investing in the agriculture of tomorrow.

Ashtrays

• 200 homemade ashtrays are placed on the trees of the site.
• 12,000 free portable and reusable ashtrays are available at the information stands and at the entrance. They're unused ashtrays from the previous edition and film canisters collected from the Laboriver photography store. 
• Throwing cigarette butts on the ground is strictly PROHIBITED.

The park

• Osseghem Park is protected by 8 guards and their team during build-up, breakdown, and the festival itself to protect the trees, roots, and grass. 
• Urinating in the park is strictly prohibited; access to toilets is completely free.

Mobility

• We advise festival-goers to avoid taking the car. It is preferable to use the free public transportation to get to the festival. 
• Discounts on your transportation tickets are available to encourage you to choose sustainable mobility.
• The festival provides a bike parking service with 2000 free and secure spaces. For more information regarding mobility, click here.

Camping

• Sorting islands are provided for festival-goers. 
• Eco-responsible volunteers will also ensure the cleanliness of the campsite. 
• All equipment left in good condition will be collected and redistributed to those in need.

Infrastructure

• The decorations are recycled and reused. 
• The American Theatre is used as a backstage area, which reduces the number of trucks and minimizes damage in the park. 
• Couleur Café cooperates with the Brossela festival, which will reuse one of our stages.

Charge your smartphone

• At the festival campsite you can charge your smartphone for free. Thanks to ES Flow, a smartphone charging locker is available.
• ES Flow is the most sustainable home battery ever made and provides green energy to the charging station throughout the festival period. The battery is fully recyclable and lasts for 25 years.
• Take a selfie with the battery during the festival, post it on Instagram with #ESFlow, and win 2 combo tickets for the next edition of Couleur Café!