SustainableFlow

Flow Festival is known for its long-standing sustainability work reaching over a decade. In 2021, Flow Festival launched the Flow Impacts research project in cooperation with D-Mat, an expert company for a sustainable future, extensively examining the festival’s environmental effects. The project has been supported by Finland’s sustainable growth program, funded by the European Union’s NextGenerationEU financing.

The calculation tool created in the project was used to calculate the carbon footprint, measuring emissions, and material footprint, determining the consumption of natural resources, of Flow Festival 2022 and 2023. Through the results, an even more holistic understanding of the environmental impacts of different aspects of Flow has been formed.

The overall carbon footprint of the 2023 festival was 1,995 t CO₂e, making the festival’s carbon footprint 765 t CO₂e smaller than the previous year. The festival’s material footprint, which measures the consumption of natural resources, was 7,141 t, making the material footprint 639 t smaller than in 2022. The carbon footprint of an individual visitor was 21.0 kg CO₂e (2022: 31.0 kg CO₂e), and the material footprint was 74.4 kg (2022: 86.0 kg) per festival day. The carbon footprint of an individual visitor corresponds to about 60, and the material footprint to approximately 150 driving kilometres with a combustion engine car.

Flow Festival strives to discover new solutions for producing more sustainable events. The budgeting and calculation tool for natural resources and ecological footprint created in the Flow Impacts research project enables the event industry to consider the environmental effects better already in the planning phase of events. The tool is currently being further developed in cooperation with Tietoevry.

Based on the footprint calculations and expertise provided by D-mat, Flow continues to reduce its environmental debt by donating to the Finnish Natural Heritage Foundation. The donation made for the 2023 event enables 5.3 hectares of Finnish old-growth forest to be permanently protected. Protecting old-growth forests helps fight the climate crisis and biodiversity loss.

Flow guides and educates its food vendors on ecological catering. In 2022, Flow dropped red meat and poultry entirely out of the food selection. This policy applies to the food served to the audience, artists, and staff. Each restaurant must also have at least one vegan option and multiple restaurants serve only vegan meals.

The Flow Impacts research proved that removing red meat and poultry from the food selection decreased the climate impact of the food consumed at Flow 2022 by 50 % compared to 2019. The food’s carbon and material footprints were further reduced in 2023 as a result of the relative increase in vegan portions.

Flow Festival’s visitors can fill up their water bottles at the festival’s water supply points. By drinking tap water, visitors can reduce plastic waste and carbon footprint. Additionally, Flow’s drink selection includes numerous responsibly produced beverages and several non-alcoholic drink options.

Flow sorts and recycles all waste produced during the festival, redirecting it to energy production or reusing waste materials. The goal is to further maximise the share of biowaste and other reusable waste products further. In 2023, we intensified the festival’s waste treatment in cooperation with L&T, for example, switching to packed biowaste, making recycling easier. Furthermore, all excess building materials possible are donated forward.

The festival seeks sustainable and durable solutions for all stages of event production. For example, we select furniture, fittings, and decorations that use recyclable, reusable, and long-lasting materials. We do our best to avoid new purchases, but when we must, we prefer recycled materials, local production and renewable materials.

Flow Festival’s generators and construction machinery use NesteMy renewable diesel, produced from renewable and sustainable feedstocks, such as inedible waste from food production. Generators provide most of the electricity needed for the festival, and the rest is provided by Helen’s power grid. We continually search for ways to intensify the festival’s energy planning to make it more ecological and economical.

The Flow Impacts research determined that visitors’ arrival at the festival can amount to 70 % of the festival’s overall carbon and material footprints. We therefore encourage all visitors to arrive at Flow by bike, foot or public transport, as each transportation choice really matters.

Flow Festival is held in Suvilahti, close to Helsinki city centre with easy access. There is a free bicycle parking area near the festival site, where you can leave your bike during the festival. HSL also organises additional public transport services during the festival weekend.

Since 2012, Flow Festival has used the EcoCompass environmental management system. In 2022, the EcoCompass certificate was audited and updated.

For several years, we have also cooperated with the John Nurminen Foundation. Visitors have been able to support the Foundation with a donation of their choice while purchasing a festival ticket. In 2023, the total donation sum of Flow visitors amounted to 3,225 euros. The goal of the Foundation’s environmental projects is to improve the condition of the Baltic Sea with concrete measures that reduce the sea’s load and ecological risks.

Additionally, in 2023 accredited guests and media could donate to the Finnish Natural Heritage Foundation’s Bracket Fungus Forest.

Flow Festival is committed to justice, equity, and equality. Everyone is welcomed to the festival just as they are, and we tolerate no form of discrimination. We expect our entire staff, as well as our associates and distributors, to adhere to the same values.

A yearly visitor survey was answered by 8,500 visitors in 2023. 94 % of the people who gave their opinion felt that Flow executed equality well. We continuously strive to develop and carry out equality even better and happily accept any ideas you may have regarding the matter. You can approach us by emailing to office AT flowfestival.com.

Flow is committed to equality in all of its operations. We continually develop and improve our working methods honestly and responsibly and evaluate the realisation of equality regularly. All employees are committed to a mutual code of conduct.

Flow also promotes the reinforcement of an equal music sector. We are committed to the operating principles of The Equal Music Industry.

Flow Festival’s programming team considers the diversity of each stage’s program, considering, for example, the gender, nationality, ethnicity and age of the performers. Flow presents a wide range of genres in music, art and food.

Flow also participates in the European Keychange initiative, which aims to improve underrepresented gender’s standing in the music industry. Among other things, Keychange participants commit to choosing an equal amount of male and female, trans and non-binary performers by 2022. Flow accomplished the goal in advance: in 2019, 65%, and in 2022, 55 % of the groups that performed at Flow had women, trans or non-binary members.

Since 2021 Flow Festival has been organising the Helsinki Flow School in cooperation with the city of Helsinki. It is an education series for the young, where they can learn extensively about the events industry and the work opportunities it offers.

Additionally, for several years, Flow has worked with Startup Refugees, a non-profit voluntary network supporting refugees and immigrants with employment and entrepreneurship. Furthermore, numerous civic organisations volunteer at the festival as a part of their fundraising efforts.

Flow works in professional, ethical, and responsible manners and in a sustainable way for the environment and society. We cooperate and converse openly with the organisations, authorities, and other officials in our field of business.

The festival area is designed to be as accessible as possible, considering visitors with reduced mobility. The accessibility planning of the festival area has been done in cooperation with Riesa Consultative, and we strive to consider, for example, visitors with reduced mobility even better. The EU Disability Card and Toilet Card (Vessapassi) can be used at Flow Festival. Assistants can always enter Flow Festival free of charge with the assisted person.

We develop Flow’s accessibility continually and welcome improvement suggestions via email to office AT flowfestival.com. Read more about Flow’s accessibility here.

Flow Festival works hard to make the festival as physically, emotionally and socially safe as possible. Though we are known as a safe festival, we recognise the challenges involved with events with large crowds. Together with the festival-goers, subcontractors, and other stakeholders, we create an event everyone can attend safely.

The festival area is planned yearly in cooperation with safety professionals. The area is roamed by security personnel at all times, and the Finnish Red Cross emergency team are on call throughout the festival.

Flow also follows safer space principles. In case of possible harassment situations, an equality and harassment contact person is available throughout the festival. The service is intended for all festival guests as well as employees, volunteers, and artists working at the festival. Read more about the harassment contact person here.

A yearly visitor survey was answered by 8,500 visitors in 2023. 98 % of respondents felt safe at the festival. 97 % did not experience or witness sexual harassment at the festival. 92 % of respondents did not experience or witness bullying or other violence at Flow. We strive to develop and improve the festival’s safety continuously – please send us feedback on the matter to office AT flowfestival.com

Flow Festival does long-term and systematic work to operate financially sustainably. For the festival’s operation to be economically sustainable, it must also be financially profitable.

In addition, we are constantly working to develop the event industry to be more professional and sustainable. We employ a permanent team of ten people, hundreds of seasonal workers in the events industry, numerous interns and thousands of people through cooperation and subcontracting chains. We comply with statutory employer obligations and remuneration following industry salary recommendations. We also work closely with other operators in the field to develop operating models. We invest in responsibility in procurement and services, and we favour local operators in, for example, accommodation, restaurants and other areas of production.

We also work closely with the City of Helsinki. Flow attracts thousands of tourists, event and culture professionals, media and influencers worldwide to Helsinki annually. We also strive to do our part in promoting the city’s revitalization, attraction and economic success. For example, according to a report by Satu Silvanto in 2015, the organization of the Flow Festival and the audience’s spending generated about 20 million euros in monetary traffic to Helsinki, which, however, covers only a part of the multifaceted economic effects of the festival. According to Silvanto, Flow has also succeeded in creating an ever-developing competence network around itself, which generates new business in other parts of Helsinki as well.