VO has enabled 1000 items to be repurposed through upcycling, recycling and donation.
The result? More than 630 original items that members of the EU Institutions are using on a daily basis.
Given that producing an event can require a lot of material resources, from decoration to signage to goodies, our environmental management system had to find a way to minimise the environmental impact of our activities and produce net positive outcomes for our surroundings.
It all started when a conversation about food redistribution at the 2022 edition of the European Research and Innovation Days led to a wider discussion about recycling and event resources. The idea was raised to do something about some leftover supplies from the 2019 editions of the European Research and Innovation Days and the New European Bauhaus Festival in 2022. While many of the materials from these events were thought to be reused, our clients at the European Commission still had a 40-metre-long curtain, multiple banners and 176 t-shirts specifically produced for these events and waiting for a new purpose in their storage spaces.
VO Europe proposed to redefine this dusty waste into functional products that now serve as shopping bags, beach bags, raining hats, pillowcases, glasses cases, toiletry kits and saddle covers.
This upcycling activity perfectly matches the European Commission’s objective to improve its environmental performance and VO’s sustainability commitments to improve the circular performance of its events. All in all, giving a second chanche to objects designed for single-use resonates with today’s need to address waste management, conserve resources and promote solutions at a larger scale.
Cecilia Rédei, who oversaw the process explained: “I loved being part of this upcycling project as it meets my own values, EU Commission’s and VO’s values. I really hope to implement such activities regularly in the future.”
The story does not end here, and while our objective remains to reuse or produce only products that can be used for more than one event, we sometimes cannot avoid it so and more upcycling projects are already planned for the summer!
You can read more about VO’s engagement here.
