It’s now confirmed that Malmö’s host city programme during the Eurovision Song Contest will be certified as a sustainable event—thanks to an ambitious policy with 148 different aspects. With recycled glitter, climate-smart food, and fossil-free transportation, the city of Malmö is planning a sustainable music festival. “We are pleased to announce that we meet all the requirements for a certified sustainable event with a significant margin. The city of Malmö already has a sustainable organisation at its core, and now we have received a stamp of quality that what we do actually works,” says Veronika Hoffmann, Sustainability Coordinator, City of Malmö.
Efforts are being made on several levels to reduce the event’s climate impact. Among other things, the locations for the open programme in the city have been chosen based on where there is already sustainable infrastructure, creating an excellent experience for visitors without the need for new construction. “Malmö was chosen as host city largely because we are strong in the field of sustainability. We are at the forefront when it comes to events, considering all perspectives within the field, and have unique conditions, partly because the city is so compact and there are good conditions for fossil-free transportation,” says Karin Karlsson, Managing Director City Host Event, Eurovision Song Contest 2024.
To meet all the requirements for a certified sustainable event, Malmö City has collaborated closely with Greentime, a company specialising in sustainability in the event industry. “Leading up to this event, Malmö city, together with co-organisers, has taken a significant step in the right direction. Great efforts have been made, ranging from dialogue with partners to procurement of materials, and I hope that visitors will also be able to appreciate this fine work,” says Simon Strandvik, CEO of Greentime.
The City will be Dressed in Recycled Colours
Those in Malmö during Eurovision week will see how the city centre is dressed up for the party. Recycling is a common thread for all decorations. For example, decorations are made from materials otherwise discarded, such as recycled textiles. Children in Malmö’s preschools and schools are also involved in the creative work of decorating the city in Eurovision colors.
Sustainability in Numbers – Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö
- 70 per cent of the items in the ESC 2024 design shall be borrowed, rented, second-hand, shared services, reused, or similar. (So-called “city dressing”—banners and signs promoting the Eurovision Song Contest—are excluded from this.)
- 90 per cent of all decorations, including all banners and signs, shall be reused or repurposed after the Eurovision Song Contest ends.
- • The City of Malmö will serve 100 per cent vegetarian meals with a low ecological footprint.
- 50 per cent of all ingredients purchased by the City of Malmö for meals during the Eurovision Song Contest hosting shall be organically produced.
- 100 per cent of all volunteers, booked artists for the stages, and other staff working with the Eurovision Song Contest shall be offered free fossil-free transportation around Malmö through public transport, local bike rentals, or electric vehicles.
- 20 or more actors within sustainable design, textiles, and fashion will be visible in Malmö’s open Eurovision program.
About the Sustainable Event certification
Greentimes’ Sustainable Event certification is a third-party certification with independent auditors who review an organiser’s work and validate whether the organiser has met several requirements. To be approved as a certified Sustainable Event, Malmö City has presented its work on sustainability ahead of the Eurovision Song Contest based on 148 aspects within three areas: organisational, social, and ecological sustainability. Bike like a local during the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö 2024
