Sustainability Plan – 15th Lanzarote Film Festival

The Sustainability Plan of the Lanzarote Film Festival is a working strategy that is designed and updated annually with the aim of fostering environmental awareness, promoting the circular economy, and moving towards the celebration of an increasingly responsible cultural event that respects its surroundings.

Sustainability is understood as the ability to meet present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own, ensuring a balance between environmental protection, social well-being, and local economic development.
The main objective of the 2025 Sustainability Plan is to minimize the environmental impacts arising from the celebration of the Festival, with special attention to collective mobility, responsible water and energy consumption, waste reduction, the prevention of disturbances to biodiversity and the local population, as well as environmental awareness among the public and the teams involved.

To this end, all actions carried out during the planning, organization, implementation, and post-event evaluation phases are analyzed, implementing measures adapted to the reality of the venues, the available resources, and the island context of Lanzarote. These actions are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda, as well as with the principles of the Canary Islands Sustainable Development Agenda.

Waste management and circular economy

The concentration of audiences and cultural activity can generate a significant amount of waste if its management is not properly planned. For this reason, the Festival is committed to prevention, reuse, and the circular economy as fundamental pillars.
Among the main measures are:

Reduction in the use of single-use materials.
Priority use of recycled, recyclable, or reusable materials.
Recovery of banners and promotional materials for transformation into new products (backpacks, bags, or other items).
Reuse of decorative elements between editions.
Installation of waste separation points at venues that do not already have them.
Minimization of paper use by prioritizing digital formats and, when unavoidable, using paper that meets environmental criteria.

Collective and responsible mobility

Mobility is one of the main sources of environmental impact in an island-based cultural event. For this reason, the Lanzarote Film Festival promotes more efficient mobility based on the use of collective transport, reducing the number of individual journeys.

Priority is given to:

The use of collective vehicles for the transport of guests, teams, and organizers.
The hiring of local services and professionals to reduce travel.
Efficient planning of routes and schedules to minimize emissions and disturbances.

Water and energy: a commitment to an essential resource

In a territory marked by water stress such as Lanzarote, water occupies a central place within the 2025 Sustainability Plan. The Festival reinforces the message about the value of water as a limited resource, integrating it into its internal communication and into awareness-raising efforts among teams and participants.

The measures implemented include:

Efficient use of water at the venues.
Availability of water points for responsible consumption.
Scheduling activities at times that reduce the need for artificial lighting.
Priority use of LED lighting and low-energy-consumption equipment.
Review and analysis of consumption with the aim of improving future editions.

Biodiversity and respect for the environment

The Festival takes place in a territory declared a Biosphere Reserve, with fragile and unique biodiversity. Based on the philosophy of “knowing in order to conserve,” actions are developed to avoid disturbances to the natural environment and to raise awareness of its value.
Measures include:

Programming of talks and environmental awareness activities.
Visibility for projects and collectives linked to conservation.
Prevention of noise and light disturbances.
Recommendation not to attend with pets in order to ensure their well-being and that of local wildlife.

Sustainability recommendations for the public

The sustainability of the Lanzarote Film Festival is a shared commitment. For this reason, in addition to the measures implemented by the organization, the public is offered a set of good practice recommendations that encourage responsible and respectful participation.

These recommendations address aspects such as collective mobility, conscious water use, waste reduction, respect for public and natural spaces, and coexistence with the local population. Through clear and accessible communication, the public is invited to become an active part of the sustainable event model promoted by the Festival.

Consult the sustainability recommendations for the public here.

Evaluation and continuous improvement

After the Festival concludes, an eco-audit is carried out, compiling the actions implemented, the degree of compliance with the measures, and proposals for improvement for future editions. This evaluation process makes it possible to progressively move towards an increasingly sustainable cultural event model, adapted to the territory and to current environmental challenges.