The Sustainability Department at Gipuzkoa Provincial Council and the San Sebastian Festival have renewed their commitment to sustainability for the third year running. Like in previous editions, the Sustainability Department has provided 1,840 m² of red carpet, made from 100% recycled and recyclable materials, to be laid outside the Kursaal Centre and along the stretch connecting the María Cristina Hotel with the Victoria Eugenia Theatre. At the end of the Festival, the carpet will be reused to make some thousand bags going to the Gipuzkoa Food Bank, an initiative enjoying collaboration of the Emaús Gizarte Foundation’s No Waste project and the company Villabona Spanset.  

The initiative was announced this morning by the Deputy for Sustainability, José Ignacio Asensio, and the Director of the San Sebastian Festival, José Luis Rebordinos, together with the President of the Gipuzkoa Food Bank, Belén Méndez de Vigo, and the Director General of the Emaús Gizarte Fundazioa, Aitziber Zubillaga.

In this regard, the Deputy for Sustainability, José Ignacio Asensio, underscored the importance of this agreement: “This project is a clear example of how sustainability can be incorporated to big events. We are reducing the Festival’s carbon footprint while driving a change of mindset. Reusing the red carpet to make bags for the Food Bank is an action that is more than simply symbolic, showing that the circular economy can have a real and positive impact on society. By contributing with this initiative, we give materials a second life and help those who need it most, showing that sustainability and solidarity can work together to generate a significant social impact”.

Beyond the red carpet

The agreement also envisages other commitments by the festival, such as participation in the Gipuzkoa Voluntary Carbon Fund, with a contribution of 30,000 euros in 2024. Thanks to these initiatives, the festival continues to forge ahead in its goal to reduce and offset greenhouse gas emissions, thereby consolidating its role as a pioneer in offsetting its carbon footprint.

The San Sebastian Festival launched its transition towards a more sustainable model in 2020. Since then, numerous measures have been introduced in areas such as energy, mobility, contracts and material use, all with the goal of reducing its environmental impact. Thanks to its collaboration with the Gipuzkoa Provincial Council Department of Sustainability, the festival continues to strengthen its position as a reference in the responsible management of resources and the promotion of sustainability at cultural events. “This recycled carpet is a graphic way of explaining a highly complex process of transformation under way at the San Sebastian Festival, which has set out on a path of no return in its transition towards a more sustainable model”, ended José Luis Rebordinos, Director of the San Sebastian Festival.