Sónar has a firm commitment to reducing the environmental impact of its events. In recent years, the festival has implemented various measures and actions with this objective in mind, in collaboration with its staff, service providers and partners. 

Each year, the festival updates its Sustainability and Environmental Action Plan, which focuses on the following areas: 

Waste and resources

Sónar, in collaboration with Fira de Barcelona, has implemented a comprehensive waste management strategy at both venues, with all waste sorted into four categories (paper and cardboard, glass, recyclable plastic packaging, and general waste). Additionally, for Sónar 2023, the festival collaborated with Abono Km0 to manage the organic waste generated at the event (more information below, under ‘Circularity’).

Over 90% of the materials used to put together and decorate the festival are reused each year: from carpets and furniture to signage and the artificial turf at SonarVillage by Estrella Damm.

Sónar has essentially eliminated the use of paper tickets and wristbands (cloakroom, food & drink, guestlist) which have been incorporated into the festival wristband thanks to the SonarCashless system.

In artist hospitality areas, water was provided in aluminium cans, which is easily recyclable and helps contribute to a circular economy.

Energy

All energy used during the festival comes from renewable sources, as part of the festival’s collaboration with Fira de Barcelona. The 135,000m2 roof of Fira Gran Via, the venue for Sónar by Night, is covered with 25,947 photovoltaic panels, making it one of the largest rooftop solar energy installations in the world.  

All air-conditioned spaces within the festival make use of IoT (Internet of Things) technology which enables real-time optimisation of energy consumption at all times. Low-energy LED systems are used for lighting throughout the festival. 

Transport

Over 90% of the service providers contracted by Sónar are companies based within the Barcelona metropolitan area. This both minimises transport distances and supports local businesses.

In terms of transport, both Sónar by Day and Sónar by Night are easily accessible by public transport, on foot, or by bicycle. Both venues are connected by a door-to-door shuttle bus service (SonarBus). 

Additionally, all festival ticket holders can get a 30% discount on the Hola Barcelona! Travel Card, which can be used on public transport throughout the Barcelona metropolitan area.

Food & Drink 

Sónar works with local restaurants and catering services who use locally sourced and seasonal products, with an increasing percentage of plant-based foods available each year.

Since 2018, all cutlery and plates used at the festival are biodegradable and/or compostable. In 2023, for the first time, all the cutlery, plates and napkins used were certified under the “Home Compost” label, which meant they could be recycled and turned into compost thanks to the festival’s partnership with Abono Km0 (see Circularity section below). 

Since 2018, all drinks that are served at the bars, including water, have been brought to the festival in reusable glass containers. 

This year, for bar service, Sónar introduced the Sónar 2023 cup (see Circularity, below), which is both reusable and biodegradable. Reusable and returnable wine glasses were also available for rent. 

These measures reduced single use plastics within the festival by 90%.

Circularity 

At Sónar 2023, all cups, plates and cutlery used in the festival, along with organic waste, were part of fully circular process, thanks to our collaboration with Abono Km0.

· Cup

The biodegradable Sónar 2023, developed by Ecogots, was part of an entirely circular business process thanks to both Abono Km0 and Estrella Damm. The cup was sold in each of the festival bar for a non-returnable fee of 1 euro.

The cup was made from rice husks, a small percentage of PP plastic, plus an additive that made it fully biodegradable. The cup has a usable lifespan of two years from the date of production, after which it starts to biodegrade on exposure to air, light and humidity. After three years, the cups will degrade entirely, without leaving any microplastics, leaving only residual waste that can be digested by fungi and bacteria. 

Abono Km0 - who managed all organic waste from the festival - collected all used cups following the festival. They’re currently accelerating the degradation process at their plants to create compost and earthworm humus from this waste within the next six months. 

208,870 cups (90,150 at Sónar by Day and 118,720 at Sónar by Night) were collected after the festival, which weighed  7,728,19 kg.

Right now these cups are at Abono Km0’s composting and vermicomposting plant in nearby Vilassar de Mar, where the process of ecological digestion has already begun. First, the cups are shredded to and mixed with a structuring agent alongside other organic waste with high levels of liquids and nitrogen, which creates what are called ‘static thermophilic compost’ heaps. After a month in these heaps, where naturally high temperatures help accelerate the biodegradation process, the resulting compost will be left to mature for a further two months in piles of compost which are regularly turned over, before being further digested in the worm beds during the last three months of the process.

The cost of the cup helped partially cover the costs associated with this circular composting process. 

With this initiative, Sónar hopes to return to the earth what came from the earth, as the compost generated will be provided to a field with the help of Estrella Damm.

· Plates and cutlery

In addition, all plates and cutlery used at Sónar 2023 were fully biodegradable in accordance with OK Home Compost certification, guaranteeing total circularity as part of the Abono Km0 composting process.

In total, 773,63 kg of ‘food court waste’ (plates, cutlery and other compostable items - cardboard, paper and PLA biodegradable plastics - as well as food waste mixed up with these items) was collected at the festival. 

Right now, this waste is also at Abono Km0’s composting and vermicomposting plant in Vilassar de Mar, where it has also begun the ecological digestion process. Unlike the cups, this waste underwent a visual inspection before being processed to remove any unwanted items that might have ended up in any of the batches of waste. After this inspection, the waste has been fed as bedding into newly activated worm beds. Another part of the waste has been mixed together with leftover food waste from the festival food trucks, in order to help provide a structuring agent and dry material needed for static thermophilic composting.

· Leftover food waste

Across the three days and two nights of Sónar 2023, over 287.83kg of food waste (123,38 kg at Sónar by Day and 164,45 kg at Sónar by Night) was collected.

Just as with the cups and plates and cutlery, this leftover food is now in Abono Km0’s composting and vermicomposting plant in Vilassar de Mar, starting the ecological digestion process.

This food waste has been mixed together with a structuring material, such as sawdust, or a part of the waste plates and cutlery in order to create a perfect thermophilic composting starter. 

· Calculating CO2emission reductions 

Separating the compostable waste into the above three categories not only facilitated the handling, collection and transport of each type of waste, but also allows us to make a more accurate calculation of the CO2 reductions achieved, as the emissions level depends on the materials and substances that make up each type of waste.

By adding up the three types of waste (cups, plates and cups, and food waste) collected during the festival, we can calculate the equivalent amount of CO2 that would have been emitted if this waste had not been included in Abono Km0’s anaerobic composting process. The results can be seen below:

Cups | 7,728.19 kg | Emissions coefficient: 1.42

Waste from food courts | 773.63 kg | Emissions coefficient: 3.14

Kitchen waste | 287,83 kg | Emissions coefficient: 0.88

Supporting local causes 

This year Sónar  introduced a minimum price for guestlist tickets, the proceeds from which were donated to Ramats de Foc, an agroforestry project managed by Fundación Pau Costa which helps  reduce the risk of forest fires through grazing

Ramats de Foc

In 2007, as fires became increasingly severe and widespread - the result of the deterioration of forests due to neglect and drought caused by the climate crisis - the Pau Costa Foundation created the Ramats de Foc project. It aims to involve livestock farming in the prevention and management of fire risks, by using grazing herds of animals to reduce the amount of combustible vegetation.

The project has two unique aspects:

• The grazing is carried out in forest areas close to the cities of Girona and Tarragona, identified by firefighters as strategic areas and critical spaces for the management of fires. These areas have been approved by local authorities.
   

• The dairy and meat products produced by the herds are given the Ramats de Foc seal, marking them as a product that has helped contribute to the prevention and management of forest fires. In this way, the project acts to empower consumers.
   

Ramats de Foc currently has 60 shepherds and around 50 establishments who sell products with its seal. The project also includes non-commercial herds that reduce combustible forest biomass.

At Sónar 2023 both veal from these herds, as well as Sauló cheese from the La Segalla farm, were on sale as part of the food options available.

You can watch an explanation of this project from Marta Carola and Tomàs Plana below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p6WPjR6xo7s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zPj9bcFI2QM 

Sónar prides itself on bringing together people from diverse backgrounds and cultures. Every year, different identities, interests and ideas converge to bring the festival to life. An inclusive Sónar is an essential part of our project. 

The Sónar team works to make all of its events safe for people of all genders, cultures, ages and abilities.

Accesibility

Sónar is working, year-on-year, to become a more accessible and non-exclusionary festival. This work is ongoing, and we strive to improve with each edition. We have created a plan to achieve this goal based on an accessibility analysis, which has highlighted areas for improvement. So far, we have implemented the following actions: 

• a form available to complete at sonar.es to help us accommodate attendee’s needs; 
   
• a free ticket for any person accompanying a person with a certified degree of disability of 65% or more; 
   
• fast-track access lanes for disabled persons;
   
• disabled bathrooms;
   
• SonarBus shuttle bus service adapted for attendees with disabilities or reduced mobility;
   
• trained staff at all information points;
   
• fully equipped raised platforms with clear sight lines on the main stages.
   

Diversity, equality and security

Sónar is committed to equality, and does not tolerate any form of discrimination on grounds of race, gender, age, nationality, culture, religion, sexual orientation, or any other reason.

The festival has a ZERO TOLERANCE policy when it comes to discrimination, harassment or abuse in any form, physical or verbal. We are continuously working to ensure that all artists, staff and attendees feel secure and welcome at the festival. 

The Sónar team and all staff working within the festival have received training on how to respond to situations caused by discrimination, harassment or abuse of any kind. This doesn’t mean that every situation is always managed perfectly, but we seek to learn from each incident, comment and mistake, with the aim of making sure these situations do not recur. Our team is constantly learning, both through external feedback and internal dialogue. 

No Callem - We Won’t Keep Quiet

Sónar is a proud member of Barcelona’s No Callem (We Won’t Keep Quiet) initiative, together with other institutions and organisations from the cultural and nightlife sectors. No Callem is an initiative promoted by the Ajuntament de Barcelona which combats sexual harassment in nightlife venues. All of the staff at the festival have been trained on this initiative and the different cases it covers.

ZERO TOLERANCE: Everyone has a right to feel safe during the festival. If at any moment someone else's behaviour or actions are making you feel uncomfortable, head to a Punt Lila (Purple) Safe Space, where specially trained staff are available to assist you.

Energy Control

The well-being of all our audience is a priority for Sónar, and Energy Control is in attendance at the festival every year (their stand is at Sónar by Night), offering risk prevention and harm reduction services relating to substance use. 

Q de Festa!

Since 2012, Sónar has held a Q de Festa! seal of approval, as granted by the Public Health Agency of Catalunya, which is a member of Party+ (The European Network For Safer Party Labels). This certifies that Sónar is committed to offering a variety of services for audience well-being within the festival.

On behalf of Sónar and Q de Festa!, we offer our audience the following advice when attending Sónar or any other festival:

• Use sun cream and wear sunglasses during the day to protect your skin and eyes. Wear earplugs to protect your ears. 
   
• Stay hydrated: there are taps with free drinking water located throughout the venues
   
• Take breaks.
   
• Eat: there are various options available, from desserts to salads. 
   
• Agree on a place to meet your friends in case you get separated. 
   
• Enjoy yourself but respect others boundaries. If you are subject to or witness any form of sexual harassment, head to a Punt Lila (Purple) Safe Space stand. 
   
• If you feel unwell at any time, ask any member of our staff for assistance
   
• Some substances are stronger than others, ask for information at the Energy Control stand in Sónar by Night.
   
• Don’t drink and drive. Use public transport. 
   
• Think for yourself, respect and take care of those around you.