Malmö 2024 to be a certified sustainable event
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.
From recycled glitter and climate-smart food to fossil-free transportation, the city of Malmö is planning a highly sustainable event for us in May.
Veronika Hoffmann, sustainability coordinator of City of Malmö is enthusiatic about the announcement:
"We are pleased to deliver the news 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."
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 a great experience for visitors without the need for new construction.
Karin Karlsson, Malmö city's head project leader for the hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, elaborates on the importance of sustainability to the Swedish city:
“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."
In the process of meeting all the requirements for a certified sustainable event, Malmö city has had a close collaboration with the company Greentime, specialising in sustainability in the event industry.
Simon Strandvik, CEO of Greentime AB, gives some insight into the collaboration:
"Leading up to this event, Malmö city together with co-organisers has taken a significant step in the right direction. There have been great efforts, ranging from dialogue with partners to procurement of materials, and I hope that visitors will also be able to appreciate this fine work."
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 that would otherwise have been 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 colours.
Sustainability in numbers – the Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö
- 70% of the items that are part of the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 design shall be borrowed, rented, second hand, sharing services, reused or similar. (So-called 'city dressing' - banners and signs promoting the Eurovision Song Contest - are excluded from this.)
- 90% of all decorations, including all banners and signs, shall be reused or repurposed after the Eurovision Song Contest ends.
- 100% of the meals served by the City of Malmö will be vegetarian with a low ecological footprint.
- 50% of all ingredients purchased by the City of Malmö for meals during the Eurovision Song Contest hosting shall be organically produced.
- 100% 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 programme.
About the Sustainable Event Certification
Greentime's Sustainable Event certification is a third-party certification with independent auditors who review an organiser's work and validate whether the organiser has met a number of 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 different aspects within three areas: organisational, social and ecological sustainability.