Event achieves 3-Star Plastic-Free Blue Seal from Oceanic Global’s Blue Standard Verification Program
The Corona Sunsets Festival World Tour in Cape Town, held on April 1st, set a new benchmark in sustainability for the events industry. The festival not only entertained a sold-out crowd but also met all sustainability targets set by Oceanic Global’s Blue Standard Verification program. As a result, the festival received the coveted 3-Star Plastic-Free Blue Seal, making it the first-ever event in South Africa – and the first on the tour – to earn this prestigious award.
In response to growing eco-consciousness in the global events industry, Corona embarked on a mission to create one of the most sustainable and plastic-free festival series on earth. Partnering with Oceanic Global, Corona designed the festival in compliance with the Blue Standard’s comprehensive sustainability criteria, which assesses each event’s efforts in promoting sustainability and accountability for the ocean and the planet.
To achieve this, the festival implemented a range of eco-friendly measures, including offering 50% plant-based food options, donating excess food to a food rescue program, banning plastic bags and single-use plastics, and diverting compostable waste away from landfills. Moreover, the event collaborated with all 12 food and beverage vendors to ensure that all service items adhered to the plastic-free requirements of the Blue Standard.
Cassia Patel, Director of Programs at Oceanic Global, praised the festival’s dedication to sustainability: “Oceanic Global is proud to recognize the efforts the Corona Sunsets Festival in South Africa has taken to earn 3-stars through our Blue Standard program and to pioneer sustainable best practices in their sector. We have seen first-hand how businesses can shape the behaviour of their industry and community and acknowledge that it takes ripples to create waves of change.”
In addition to these measures, the festival utilized solar power to minimize energy usage, offset remaining emissions through investment in South African climate justice initiatives, and provided plastic-free merchandise from local artists. The event also addressed the common littering issue of cigarette butts by providing staff with special backpacks for collection and placing bins on-site for disposable vape collection.
Marsha Kumire, Marketing Director of Corona South Africa, expressed the brand’s commitment to environmental preservation: “Corona considers itself a brand that lives in nature and is committed to steadfastly driving a movement of sustainability to preserve and celebrate the natural world. We are proud that the Corona Sunsets Festival World Tour event in Cape Town brought people together in an extraordinary event which also inspired action and more sustainable ways of living.”
With plastic pollution posing a significant threat to the planet, the Corona Sunsets Festival in Cape Town serves as a shining example of how events can promote sustainability and motivate communities to adopt more environmentally conscious lifestyles.
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