The San Sebastián Festival will once again welcome the stars on 1,840 m² of sustainable red carpet, made with 100% recycled and recyclable materials, thanks to the collaboration of the Sustainability Department at the Gipuzkoa Provincial Council. The carpet will be laid outside the Kursaal Centre and along the stretch running between the María Cristina Hotel and the Victoria Eugenia Theatre. The Sustainability Department has assigned a total of 30,000 euros to this project. 

At the end of the Festival, the carpet will go on to have a second life: it will be made into more than a thousand bags for donation to the Gipuzkoa Food Bank. The initiative is developed in the framework of the circular economy, in collaboration with the Emaús Gizarte Foundation and the company from Villabona, SpanSet.

This morning, the Deputy for Sustainability, José Ignacio Asensio, and the Director of the San Sebastian Festival, José Luis Rebordinos, announced the project, accompanied by the Vice-President of the Gipuzkoa Food Bank, Carlos Martínez, the Director General of the Emaús Gizarte Fundazioa, Aitziber Zubillaga, and the Head of Marketing at the Gipuzkoan company, SpanSet, Clara Grijalbo.

The project also has a direct impact on the territory: the making of these reusable bags means more than 300 hours of inclusive work, thereby generating socially responsible jobs. In addition, reusing the carpet prevents the emission of 1,239 kg of CO₂ and represents savings of 320,460 litres of water, thus strengthening the Festival’s contribution to the fight against climate change and to the sustainable management of natural resources. 

The Deputy of Sustainability, José Ignacio Asencio, stressed that this project is “a true example of how big events can drive transformation. We turn a symbol of glamour into a useful resource for those who need it most, showing that sustainability and solidarity can work together”.

For his part, the Director of the San Sebastián Festival, José Luis Rebordinos, stressed “the importance of lending visibility to one of the Festival’s most iconic elements, the red carpet, a process based on inclusive criteria from the social point of view and respectful towards the environment, refuting the idea that the world of glamour can’t be built on ethical foundations”.

The Vice-President of the Gipuzkoa Food Bank, Carlos Martínez, voiced his gratitude for the initiative: “We at the Food Bank celebrate initiatives as creative and supportive as this one. Making the Festival’s red carpet into recycled bags not only gives a second life to an iconic material, but it also underpins our community’s commitment to sustainability and to helping those who need it most”.

A festival with a positive stamp

The agreement similarly envisages the Festival’s participation in the Gipuzkoa Voluntary Carbon Fund. Three years ago, it was a pioneer in Gipuzkoa with its commitment to carbon neutrality through this fund, offsetting more than 8,000 of de CO₂ with a monetary value of 80,000 euros. Thanks to these initiatives, the Festival consolidates its position as an international benchmark in the sustainable management of major cultural events.