Sustainability in 2026 can present festivals with many choices, from which food vendors to book and how to source sustainable power to putting an effective waste management plan in place. Festivals have enough to think about without questioning suppliers on the origin of their merchandise. Sustainability needs to be considered from top to bottom, whether it’s burgers or branded caps.
What can often be thought of as extra brand awareness, a souvenir or even a much-needed form of extra income, merchandise also needs to be considered as a waste management challenge.
While many fans will wear a t-shirt until it’s moth-eaten and hanging on by a literal thread, how can the choice of supplier help make that t-shirt last years instead of months?
There’s also the perspective of the consumer to consider. We make moral decisions on whether to buy a £5 t-shirt from a ethically dubious global supplier or decide not to wear leather, but with music merchandise we don’t tend to ask the same questions in what we’re wearing and finding.
Here, digital marketing and design professional Bonnie Lyall from sustainable brand merchandise and bags company JuteBag gives her insights on how festivals can make sure they have a circular strategy that prevents unnecessary waste. She also gives her advice on what questions festivals should be asking of their merchandise manufacturers.
“Sustainability has become a consideration for festival organisers. Energy use, transport, catering, water and waste are scrutinised, yet merchandise and attendee bags remain overlooked because they are often treated as attendee-experience, sponsorship or marketing decisions rather than part of procurement and waste planning.
Often treated separately, merchandise sits within procurement and waste reduction.
Every tote bag, T-shirt, lanyard or promotional item requires materials, manufacturing, printing, packaging and transport. Its impact does not disappear because it is described as recycled, natural” or eco-friendly.
For festivals seeking to improve their performance, the next step is to move beyond the swag bag and develop a circularity strategy that keeps products in circulation for longer.
A product is presented as biodegradable, reusable or made with recycled content, so it seems like the sustainable choice. In practice, these terms rarely tell the whole story.
Lifecycle thinking encourages organisers to examine an item’s journey: where its materials come from, how it is manufactured, how far it travels, how long it remains and what happens at the end of its life. A recycled-content bag transported a long distance differs from a durable, locally sourced alternative. A compostable item may still become general waste without collection and processing arrangements.
A reusable product only delivers its benefits if people reuse it. Usefulness and desirability are part of the sustainability decision, not separate from material choice. Recyclable merchandise may still become waste if collection and recycling routes are unavailable. Material choice matters, but it must be considered alongside durability, functionality and end-of-life options that keep products and materials in use. Festival merch is the item that attendees value enough to keep using.
Is the bag strong and comfortable enough for shopping, commuting or day-to-day use? Is the design attractive outside the event environment? Does the product serve a purpose, or is it likely to be discarded as soon as the attendee gets home?
An oversized date, sponsor logo or campaign message may reduce an item’s appeal and shorten its life. More considered branding – perhaps using artwork, a festival identity or a design – turn merchandise into something attendees choose to retain.
Durability should be treated as a sustainability feature. An item made from an environmentally preferable material may still be wasteful if it quickly tears, fades or loses its shape. Fabric weight, stitching, handles, fastenings and print quality influence how long a product remains in use. Organisers should ask suppliers what evidence they have that the product will withstand repeated use?
A circular merchandise strategy should not begin by asking what sustainable products we should buy? It should begin with the question, do we need to distribute this item at all?
Festivals reduce their impact by removing unnecessary giveaways, avoiding duplicate products and offering merchandise on an opt-in basis. Pre-ordering or opt-in systems improve estimates, while limited, purposeful ranges reduce surplus stock and procurement complexity.
Plans to redistribute leftovers keep usable products in circulation after the event.
Individual plastic wrapping, tags and presentation boxes create a waste stream before the merchandise has been used. Organisers should ask suppliers to minimise packaging and explain why any packaging that remains is necessary.
There’s lots of factors to consider, such as if methods of recycling is verified (and how), what packaging will it arrive in and how can overproduction be monitored. But festival organisers also need to consider asking what materials are used, and where are they sourced? Where is the product manufactured and printed, and what working conditions is your festival merch being produced in?
Suppliers should ask and answer these questions and acknowledge where trade-offs exist. Sustainability is not only about materials and waste: responsible production and working conditions are part of a responsible procurement decision. The aim is not a perfect product, but informed decisions using credible information.
Festival merchandise creates memories, strengthens identity and provides value. But to justify the resources used to produce it, it must be more than a promotional extra. Festivals should buy less where possible, choose products people will keep using, understand where and how they were made, and plan what happens when they are no longer needed. A circular strategy gives merchandise a life well beyond the festival.“
