Off-stage sustainability at #rp19

At re:publica, sustainability is not just something we deal with on the stages. When we talk about the future of our digitized society, we have to think about how we treat our planet and its resources. As an ever growing festival/conference, we also have to critically assess our own carbon footprint. With the following measures, we try to re:publica as sustainable as possible.

Material, recycling and waste avoidance

The topic of coffee cups caught your and our attention last year and we put some thought into it. Whether reusable cups really are more sustainable when we take cooling, transport and water consumption into account is not yet certain - unfortunately in terms of pricing and logistics they are not a viable solution yet. Sadly, due to hygiene regulations, your own reusable cups may not be used at the event either.

Therefore, coffee mugs, dishes and cutlery will be made of compostable materials this year. This is where we need your help: The compostable materials will be collected separately, so please throw any leftovers and "dishes" into the provided containers which will be taken to a composting plant in Brandenburg right after #rp19.

Other materials we used are sourced sustainably as well: The #rp19-lanyards are made of recycled plastic bottles, the badges are made of recycled cardboard or paper. Our conference bags and the shirts for crew, helping hands and merchandise are made of recycled cotton and produced under fair trade conditions.

Eat and drink sustainably

We support sustainable projects with water and soft drinks by Viva Con Agua and Solimate. Viva Con Agua also host their own programme session. Learn more about the session here.

When it comes to crew catering, we make sure that as little as possible is thrown away. The menu is thought through so that ingredients can still be used the following day.

Equipment and set-up

We make sure that as many materials as possible are reused when we set up our events: The bakery crates we use to build the stands are made of recycled plastic. We have been using them for several years and re-use them for our other events throughout the year.

We rent plants instead of buying them and throwing them out after the event.

When selecting the companies we work with, we follow the motto "Support your local dealer". Our major technical partners are Berlin-based companies whose warehouses are located nearby. This way we keep carbon emissions from logistics at a minimum.

Cooperation with other events

We coordinate with other productions that take place before and after re:publica at the STATION. We avoid waste and emissions in logistics by storing and re-using material on-site. Every year we invite certain collectives and festivals to pick up material during dismantling that we do not reuse.

What can you do?

Throwing compostable garbage into the designated containers is one way you can help us. We also ask you to consider the environment when planning your trip. The STATION is very easy to reach by public transportation. You can also get discounted Deutsche Bahn tickets when traveling to Berlin. More information can be found here.

You can also bring your own headphones for the simulation translation of Stages 1 and 2, the stages of the Media Convention Berlin 6 and 7, our Silence Stage 8 and the Lightning Box. Through this you reduce the C02 exchange during transport and logistics of the headphones and you contribute to the reuse of the headphones at the same time.