Sustainability at SET Tech Festival 2023

Sustainability and innovation are at the heart of the Start Up Energy Transition project. That is why our team is committed to constantly look for sustainable solutions to make sure the our annual event, the SET Tech Festival, is as responsible as possible.

In 2023, we have partnered with WECC and Satis&fy AG – both certified partners in and high performers of Berlin’s Sustainable Meetings initiative.

Together with our partner agency, Compact Team, we have outlined five key commitments to ensure a comprehensively sustainable approach in 2023:

1. Resources & Technology

2023 was the time for our team to rethink the design concept of the SET Tech Festival to make sure we could reduce resources drastically. Our minimalistic strategy not only reduced them but also mindfully focused on reusing and upcycling.

• The furniture has been borrowed and will be reused for future events;
• The event banners will be upcycled to extend the life cycle of the material;
• We have reused some existent materials by restoring them;
• The use of paper is limited to the minimum. We had a no-flyer policy and displayed the programme on screens as well as on the event app available to all participants;
• Plant-based options were offered to participants thus saving resources like water or energy (see below under food).

2. Waste Management

Making sure the event is generating as little waste as possible is one of our highest priorities. To that end, the SET Tech Festival used 0 plastic bottles, distributed 0 flyers and has waived the use of ‘goodies’, handouts and other gifts. But also:

• Food was served in washable tableware;
• Bottles were consigned (Pfandsystem);
• Most generated waste was compostable;
• Our lanyards were produced sustainably and made ouf of 100% organic cotton. We also encouraged the festival participants to return them at the end of the event to reuse them in the future and generate less waste.

3. Mobility & Transportation

Mobility and transportation are responsible for the most emissions of any event. To reduce these, we chose a location in the centre of Berlin to guarantee easy access to public transportation.

• We encouraged participants to use public transport to, from and within Berlin;
• We organised carpooling for our SET Start-ups;
• Our teams will also use bikes, and Berlin’s fantastic public transport to join the event!

4. Food

A vegetarian diet can reduce a person’s carbon footprint by 2.5 times. This is why the festival will offer a vegetarian and vegan menu as well as seasonal and regional catering.

5. Social Impact

We should all be active participants in the future of energy. Therefore:

• The festival was made accessible to everyone, offering barrier-free access;
• We ensured a diversity of stakeholders (+50% female speakers) and employees working at the event;
• We offered festival passes at a special price for students;
• All products purchased from abroad comply to relevant social and ecological standards.