We know that all of our visitors to the Wales Airshow enjoy the incredible location as much as we do, and we are just as passionate and dedicated in ensuring that the environmental impact of the event is kept to a minimum.
We consult annually with a variety of groups to plan the Airshow, including our internal recycling team, external agencies such as RECOUP, and many others to take into consideration as many factors as possible, so that we can help deliver an enjoyable yet sustainable event.
Read on to find out what plans and initiatives are in place to help keep the Airshow as green and sustainable as possible;
Sustainability Research
Wales Airshow has signed up to take part in an air show industry sustainability study event. This research will be coordinated by the British Airshow Display Association and the study will be completed by a not-for-profit company, committed to helping events, festivals and venues around the world to become more sustainable and to reduce environmental impacts.
The research is a 3 step process;
- Step1: The event organiser completes a self-assessment form, with questions regarding waste, power, travel procurement, communication etc.
- Step 2: An assessor is sent to the event to carry out the site audit. Each of the criteria is scored and they provide guidance on what the score means.
- Step 3: The assessor will produce a report with feedback for the event. The report will form the basis of the CO2e analysis and calculation.
Environmental scientists will then use the data contained in the report to calculate the events CO2e emissions and will provide a global CO2e figure and a breakdown of that figure for each assessed area.
Climate Pledge
A net zero, greener Swansea by 2050 – make a pledge and play your part!
We signed the Swansea Council Charter on Climate Action in December 2020, which made a commitment to take action on climate change, biodiversity and nature.
Our partners at Swansea Public Services Board and beyond are committing to the Swansea Charter on climate action which sets out their commitment too. Find out more about the Climate Pledge online.
Recycling at the Airshow
- As part of the tender process, all catering stands are asked to use only environmentally friendly packaging.
- Traders are given recycling bags and advice on how to sort out the waste. The litter crews also patrol the stands continuously throughout the day and collect recycling bags, taking them back to recycling points.
- There will be two main recycling points at the air show marked by giant recycling flags and signage (You can find the recycling points by looking at the site map or by visit the information points on site).
- Volunteers will be on hand to help you place the rubbish in the correct bins.
- Litter pickers will patrol the prom area and beach throughout the entirety of the event and the rubbish collected will be sorted for recycling.
- BBC Radio Wales radio stations will do live links from the Airshow, and these links will be used to promote recycling, car sharing and Park and Ride, as will the commentary on-site.
RECOUP – Flying the Recycling Flag
At the Wales Airshow RECOUP, with the help of volunteers, will be collecting post-consumer plastic drinks bottles for recycling. Please look out for the dedicated recycling points. You can also recycle at RECOUP’s Pledge2Recycle Plastics education stand. There will be plastics recycling experts on hand at that stand to answer all your plastics recycling questions.
RECOUP will be sending all plastic drinks bottles collected from the Airshow to become new drinks bottles. The new bottles will be back on the shelves within 5-6 weeks from being collected at the show.
Over 200,000 visitors are expected at the event so this is a great opportunity to showcase that on-the-go plastic packaging can be collected, recycled and given another life.
If you’d like to be a part of this, you can volunteer with RECOUP. As a volunteer you will assist with litter picking and collecting specific items for collecting from the natural environment. If you’re interested, you can register here.
RECycling Of Used Plastics Limited (RECOUP) is a registered charity and not-for-profit member based organisation. RECOUP works in collaboration with all stakeholders to promote, develop, stimulate and increase the levels of plastics recycling within the UK. You can find out more about the great work they do here.
Powering the event
This year our energy supplier will use Green D+ (HVO) fuel to fuel the generators. The supplier is an experienced event power supplier based in South Wales.
What is Green D + HVO?
Greed D + HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil) is a renewable diesel replacement made to EN15940 standard. It is the lowest emission diesel replacement fuel available.
What is Green D + HVO Made From?
GD+ is made entirely from waste and is defined as renewable and sustainable (RED11). Green D+ is a renewable, sustainable biofuel derived from waste and residue oils. It is an alternative to diesel fuel and biodiesel (fatty acid methyl ester). It is principally HVO, hydrotreated vegetable oil, which has been enhanced with a proprietary additive system.
Refill & water stations
We’re committed to reducing plastic waste as much as possible, and will have 3 water stations at the event for you to fill up your bottles with free water. They are situated near;
- Civic Centre (grassed area)
- Near the Cenotaph
- Beach entrance opposite bottom of Brynmill Lane
These water stations will be clearly signposted.
You can also find the locations of our water stations (and others in the local area) by downloading the free Refill app.
Refill is an award-winning campaign designed to help you reduce your plastic pollution, by making it easy to refill your reusable water bottle instead of buying a plastic one. Find out more about their great initiative here.
Fairtrade and local produce
The tendering process for caterers scores in favour of traders who use Fairtrade products and locally grown / Welsh produce where possible. The successful catering company is based in South Wales and they have a coordinated approach to shared power and food deliveries, using local suppliers wherever possible.
Traffic and parking
The event traffic management plan and pre-event communications encourages the use of the two dedicated event Park and Ride sites, car sharing if travelling by car, and alternative forms of transport where possible.
Tree planting
The council is undertaking the planting of additional trees and shrubs throughout the city.
Military aircraft carbon footprint
The military aircraft which take part in the display do so as part of their normal training regime, as pilots have to complete a certain number of flying hours each year – thus keeping the number of extra flight miles down, along with the amount of fuel used, and thus keeping as small a carbon footprint as possible.
Event Contractor Sustainable Objectives
All suppliers for the event are scored in their tenders on their sustainable Objectives and how they can meet ours.
In 2019, Swansea Council declared a Climate Emergency and has followed this up with an action plan to reduce our organisational emissions, a policy review so we make sure we tackle climate change as part of everything the Council does and plans for engagement to work with partners.
To demonstrate Swansea Council’s commitment to a Net Zero Swansea, a Swansea Council Charter on Climate Change was approved at Council on 3 December 2020.
The Charter sets out our commitment to work towards becoming a Net Zero organisation by
- Committing to work towards a Net Zero carbon as an organisation by 2030
- Taking actions to meet the challenge of a climate emergency
- Working collaboratively with partners to develop a strategy
- Involving stakeholders including children and young people in a trust building dialogue.
Further details of the Swansea Council Climate plan and policies can be found here
The Environmental Sustainable principles of our Events programme are as follows:-
- To provide tangible value to the local and wider community
- To reduce carbon emissions* and procure low carbon solutions
- To maximize energy efficiency and the proportion of energy from renewable sources
- To maximise water efficiency and reduce the impact of waste water and sewage
- To avoid single use materials and reduce waste by adopting the waste hierarchy – prevent, reuse, recycle, recover, dispose
- To use and promote sustainable modes of transport*
- Adopt a sustainable procurement approach to ensure best value for money on a whole life basis by supporting local supply chains / contractors, using low carbon, sustainable and ethically sourced goods (i.e. FSC certified timber, zero or low VOC paints and adhesives) to reduce carbon and the use of natural resources and support fair trading
- To encourage Suppliers and Contractors to work to uphold the values expressed
And we would encourage you to review and outline your practices and how they fit in to these objectives.
* Equilibrium have released a free to download app that has been designed to allow everyone working in live events to conveniently measure their carbon emissions from transport. The app also allows users to model lower carbon travel and provides advice on how to reduce travel carbon footprints and how to take action by investing in climate solutions.
