Making festival sleepovers sustainable

https://www.innovatorsmag.com/making-festival-sleepovers-sustainable/

 Staff reporter

 8th May 2017

 circular economy

Credit: KarTent

(AMSTERDAM)

An award-winning product developed by Dutch entrepreneurs looks set to boost the green credentials of summer music festivals.

KarTent’s cardboard tents provide a sustainable solution to the huge amount of waste left at the end of most music festivals. The massive clear-up operation needed to deal with thousands of abandoned tents, which are typically made from materials that can’t be recycled, is time consuming and bad for the environment.

Working with Smurfit Kappa, an internationally renowned paper-based packaging company, KarTent has developed a temporary eco-friendly structure from cardboard material that can soak up 400% of its own weight in water, a must for rainy conditions.

“Finding solutions to complex challenges is an opportunity we relish at Smurfit Kappa and the KarTent is a prime example of how innovation and sustainability can work together to create something truly exceptional. The team in our Van Dam Plant really enjoys working with KarTent on this product,” said Arco Berkenbosch, Vice President of Innovation and Development, Smurfit Kappa.

Jan Portheine, co-founder of KarTent, added: “Being passionate about both music and the environment, I wanted to find a way to make the festival experience more eco-friendly. Working with Smurfit Kappa made it possible to achieve an impossible mission – being able to produce such a unique product. We could never have unlocked the full potential of KarTent without Smurfit Kappa’s input.”