The Shambala music festival, known for its environmental consciousness, began phasing out single-use plastics at its bars in 2013 and eliminated meat from its food offerings in 2016. Earlier this year, the festival transitioned to an employee-owned model.
The festival’s organizers are now tackling a more ambitious goal: restructuring the capitalist supply chain to demonstrate that live events can contribute to environmental restoration.
Chris Johnson, Shambala’s co-founder and managing director, stated: “Sustainable progress is crucial for our future, but by definition it can only sustain the current state of our ecosystems when what we really need is an active process of repair.”
Ecosystem
Johnson believes that while sustainability initiatives can mitigate damage, they fail to address the underlying economic systems perpetuating environmental degradation. Shambala aims to transcend sustainability by channeling more funds into ecological restoration.
He further explained: “If we are serious about tackling the climate and nature crises, we need to find ways of moving more resources towards the organisations already delivering solutions, such as redesigning the way our supply chains work so that environmental restoration is built into everyday spending.”
To initiate this shift, Shambala has partnered with Evrythng, a not-for-profit spirits company from Wales, to supply gin, rum, and vodka for all eight festival bars.
Unlike conventional alcohol brands, Evrythng allocates 100 percent of its distributable profits to initiatives addressing climate and ecological challenges, transforming routine purchases into sustainable funding for environmental efforts.
James Law, the founder of Evrythng, commented: “A typical summer festival season generates millions of pounds of profit for beer, wine and spirits brands. Most of that money leaves the festival ecosystem and disappears up the chain.
Impact
“We’re asking a simple question: what if those profits were used to fund environmental repair instead? Festivals have spent years reducing their environmental footprint. The next step is using their economic footprint to create positive change.”
This year, Evrythng’s profits will be shared among three charities. The Shambala audience can vote to decide how funds are allocated among Kettering Nature Group, Roots and Shoots, and Avon Needs Trees. Voting is now open.
In addition to its not-for-profit model, Evrythng employs a closed-loop, zero waste, and zero recycling strategy. All packaging used at the festival is either cleaned and stored for future use or returned to the distillery for reuse.
Shambala’s broader supply chain is deliberately designed to include numerous organizations committed to change, offering a collaborative blueprint for a more sustainable and equitable live events industry.
From collaborations with Oxfam and MyCause for staffing, to employing FGH Security, a Living Wage security provider in Britain, and exclusively partnering with sustainable food and drink suppliers, Shambala carefully considers the social and environmental impact at every level.
Drums
On-site systems like Compoost Toilets return festivalgoers’ waste to the land, while Clean Sheet toilet paper dedicates 100 percent of its profits to organizations advocating for systemic change in Britain.
In the realm of food and drink, the festival collaborates only with sustainable entities, including Freedom Brewery, Bau Cocktails, and local ale providers, as well as organic, local, and foraged food vendors like Hedgerow Drinks, Radek’s Chocolate, and the NOSH Community Cafe—a volunteer-run initiative raising over £20,000 each year for projects in three local villages.
Other suppliers committed to waste reduction include Refill Revolution, a local packaging-free retailer, and Wild & Furrow, which delivers over 5,000 liters of oat milk to Shambala annually in reusable glass bottles and bulk drums.
This Author
Brendan Montague is an editor of The Ecologist.
