TO PROTECT THE PLANETthe Festival de Cannes is taking action

Anchoring the Festival’s environmental policy in a QUANTIFIED REDUCTION TRAJECTORY following the objectives of the Paris Agreement on the climate, the achievement of which will be ensured by ISO 20121 certification

Starting in 2024, the Festival de Cannes has chosen to engage in a quantified reduction trajectory.

To define this trajectory, the Festival de Cannes has chosen to rely on an indisputable scientific basis, that of the IPCC. In line with the Paris Agreement on the climate, and in order to contain the increase in the average temperature to well under 2° C, and as close as possible to 1.5° C, the IPCC has defined greenhouse gas emission reduction objectives for 2030 of at least 21% compared to 2019, with an ideal goal of 43%.

As proof of its desire to contribute proportionally to this goal of limiting climate change, the Festival de Cannes is committed to following this roadmap for 2030. It is guaranteeing a reduction of at least 21% for its greenhouse gases compared to 2019, and will work towards the ideal reduction target of 43%. As the Festival’s carbon footprint has been assessed at 49,000 tonnes of CO2 emitted in 2019, the Festival is thus committed to a reduction of at least 10,300 tonnes by 2030.

This objective will be able to be reached thanks to rigorous work on the two main sources of its carbon footprint: that connected to the number of participants and of their journeys to Cannes (around 90% of the Festival’s footprint in 2019) and the footprint pertaining to the organisation and equipment of the Festival (5.5% of the Festival’s footprint in 2019).

More generally, the Festival de Cannes will continue to base its climate approach on the 6 levers for action already identified, which will guide its future decisions:

– Waste management
– Controlling pollution
– Controlling energy consumption and natural resources
– Training and awareness raising
– Cooperation and sharing of best practices
– Responsible purchasing

This long-term commitment will be guaranteed by the ISO 20121 certification process (sustainable event management) that the Festival has undertaken and which will come to fruition by the 2025 edition.

Since the 2019 edition, the Festival de Cannes has calculated its carbon footprint every year with the help of a calculator that is compliant with the methodologies of the ABC low-carbon transition non-profit. This calculation serves as the basis for the definition of the reduction trajectory of its carbon footprint and allows for the annual verification of its implementation in order to ensure that this trajectory is being followed.

Principal 2023 carbon emissions sources :

100% of the fleet of official vehicles is made up of electric cars.

Like the accredited festival goers who get around overwhelmingly on foot thanks to the proximity of the Festival’s multiple spaces, the artistic teams who come to present their films are also encouraged to walk whenever possible.

All participants enjoy free access to the city of Cannes’ public transportation system thanks to a dedicated pass, available on their online My Cannes space. Each year, more than 40,000 journeys are undertaken free of charge by accredited festival goers throughout the duration of the Festival.

The Festival has reduced by 79% the weight of its print-outs (already Imprim’Vert PEFC certified) thanks to the continuation of its change to a paperless system with respect to publications and the ticket office and a reduction in print runs.

Moreover, promotional materials of films created for journalists are now entirely paperless.

The frequency with which the red carpet changes has been divided by 3: almost 1,400 kg of material is thus saved per edition, which is 59% of the carpet’s traditional volume.

At the same time, efforts in reducing the volume of carpets in all of the spaces of the Festival and the Marché is continuing each year, with a 12% total reduction of the volume between 2019 and 2023.

The Festival’s caterers have respected a “responsible” statement of requirements, including, notably, commitments to favour local and seasonal products, short food supply chains, the offering of vegetarian options, fighting against food waste and limiting waste overall.

As a complementary measure, for the meals and cocktail receptions that it organises, the Festival de Cannes is committed to increasing the number of vegetarian options and to no longer serving beef, which is the biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions.

The distribution of plastic water bottles has been completely eliminated. Water fountains have been set up in the different spaces of the Festival.

The origin of the boutique’s associated merchandise has been re-examined to systematically study alternatives created in France and Europe. Additionally, each new release included in the collection will now, as a matter of priority, have such provenance. 47% of sales are issued from French production, with a total of 67% of products being of European production.

Waste sorting is carried out within the Palais des Festivals in order to best allow accredited festival goers to better sort their waste at the source.

Moreover, thanks to the environmental processes implemented by the Palais des Festivals, the City of Cannes and the Festival teams, a recovery rate of 99% of waste has been maintained, all while increasing the percentage of the materials recovered.

For example, after use, the Festival’s carpet is recycled by the automobile, construction and food-processing sectors.

UPCYCLING

For several years, the Festival has been involved in a re-use approach with the assistance of La Réserve des Arts, a non-profit specialised in the development of the circular economy and the re-use of materials in the cultural and educational sector of the South of France.

Several tonnes of material thus avoid going to landfills and serve to benefit the members of this non-profit, in a “zero waste” approach: reduce, reuse, recycle. The upcycling of materials concerns the carpets, the tarpaulins that adorn the pediments of the Palais, the support brackets used for the construction of stands, the screen of the Cinéma de la Plage and the fabrics that are used. More than 7.2 tonnes of material have thus found a second life.

An emblem of the Festival, the red carpet has been reused for various set designs, as a decorative element for graduation ceremonies and as part of the creation of upcycled objects.

Supporting projects that are beneficial for the environment thanks to a voluntary carbon contribution in connection with a committee of experts (3.2 million euros allocated in three years)

Since 2012, the Festival has been involved in a voluntary carbon contribution program, which has been systematised by the introduction of a €20 (excl. VAT) eco-contribution for all accredited festival goers, as the emissions from their journeys to Cannes and their accommodations account for over 90% of the event’s carbon footprint. For its part, the Festival is also committed to supporting environmental projects at a level of €100,000 per year.

This novel approach made it possible to collect nearly €3,200,000 between 2021 and 2023, including a €300,000 direct contribution from the Festival.

In the lead-up to the Festival, and to ensure the funds were allocated to relevant and reliable programmes chosen from twenty different environmental projects, a committee of independent experts was set up, comprising the following specialists:

• Jean-François Camilleri, founder and CEO of Echo Studio
• Anna Creti, professor of economics at the Université Paris Dauphine, director of the Chaire Economie du Climat and chair of the Association Bilan Carbone
• Jean-Pierre Gattuso, research director at CNRS, Sorbonne University and Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations
• Anne Girault, cofounder of the Cercle de l’Expertise à Mission, and an energy and climate expert

The funds raised are donated in full to environmental, carbon contribution and sponsorship projects. These projects span the globe, from within striking distance of Cannes to France and farther afield (South America, Asia and Africa).

MORE INFO ON ► THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS SUPPORTED BY THE FESTIVAL

The Festival de Cannes is not the only one taking action on its environmental footprint. The Festival’s stakeholders, both public and private, are also committed to doing so.

MORE INFO AT ► OUR PARTNERS ARE TAKING ACTION, TOO