DGTL Revolution | Creative sustainability production

Things we did

Sustainability strategy

Waste magament

Circular design

Client

DGTL - electronic dance festival

Year

2014

PROJECT

Live Project

Turning waste into awareness.

CHALLENGE

DGTL's challenge was to move beyond symbolic sustainability and create a tangible, meaningful solution to one of the festival’s biggest environmental issues: plastic waste. The goal was not only to reduce the festival’s footprint, but also to create awareness, by turning waste into a visible, engaging and valuable outcome.

Digital Experiences

As Revolution Manager, I led the sustainability strategy with plastic waste as the primary pillar. I started by analyzing the festival’s waste streams and initiated a full waste management assessment. Through my professional network, I brought in expertise to calculate DGTL’s carbon footprint, ensuring that decisions were data-driven rather than purely conceptual. Based on these insights, I developed a circular concept that made the waste problem tangible and visible on-site. Instead of creating decorative or craft-based art — which was common at the time — we introduced a radically new approach: transforming used plastic cups into functional public waste bins, produced live and on-site. To make this possible, we collaborated with artist and designer Dirk van der Kooij, who developed a custom mold specifically for this project. A crucial strategic decision was to work with a single type of plastic. This led to alignment with key stakeholders such as Heineken and Frumona, who ensured all cups were produced in the same plastic material, creating a clean mono-stream waste flow — an unprecedented step for a festival at the time. To activate the concept, volunteers dressed in bold, industrial-style suits collected cups across the festival grounds. The visual identity and performative nature of the activation turned waste collection into an engaging experience. The energy was contagious: festival visitors spontaneously joined in, actively collecting plastic themselves.

APPROACH

Within the project, I led the concept development and on-site production, translating DGTL’s sustainability goals into a participatory, visually striking experience.

As Revolution Manager, I led the sustainability strategy with plastic waste as the primary pillar. I analyzed the festival’s waste streams to create to most complete concept for the festival. Through my professional network, I brought in expertise to calculate DGTL’s carbon footprint, ensuring decisions were data-driven.

Based on the insights, I developed a circular concept that made the waste problem tangible and visible for stakeholders and festival goers. Instead of decorative or craft-based art, we introduced a radically new approach: the Revolution Factory. An interactive stage were used plastic cups were recycled into functional public waste bins, produced and moulded live on-site and would be placed on the NDSM warf to return something to the neighbourhood. To activate the concept, volunteers in bold, industrial-style suits collected cups across the festival grounds, the DGTL Trash Army. The visual identity and performative nature of the activation turned waste collection into a cool refreshing experience, where even festival visitors wanted to participate actively.

We collaborated with ReFunc who developed our Revolution Factory as a stage and I introduced artist Dirk van der Kooij, who at the time was far ahead of it's time in recycling plastic. He developed a custom mold for the project. A key strategic decision was to use a single type of plastic, to ensure the best quality for the plastic bins. This decisions resulted in aligning stakeholders like Heineken and Frumona to ensure a clean mono-stream supply — an unprecedented step for a festival.

RESULT

A full circular on-site system, transforming festival plastic waste into functional public waste bins
Achieved strong stakeholder alignment, resulting in a mono-stream plastic supply chain
High visitor engagement, with attendees actively participating in waste collection
Intruduction of the DGTL trash Army which is currently still part of the festival
National media coverage, including NRC and BNN
Municipal funding creating a more durable relation with the municipality.

This initiative showcased how strategic concept design and hands-on execution can transform sustainability from an abstract idea into innovation, collaboration and cultural impact at scale.

Digital Experiences

As Revolution Manager, I led the sustainability strategy with plastic waste as the primary pillar. I started by analyzing the festival’s waste streams and initiated a full waste management assessment. Through my professional network, I brought in expertise to calculate DGTL’s carbon footprint, ensuring that decisions were data-driven rather than purely conceptual. Based on these insights, I developed a circular concept that made the waste problem tangible and visible on-site. Instead of creating decorative or craft-based art — which was common at the time — we introduced a radically new approach: transforming used plastic cups into functional public waste bins, produced live and on-site. To make this possible, we collaborated with artist and designer Dirk van der Kooij, who developed a custom mold specifically for this project. A crucial strategic decision was to work with a single type of plastic. This led to alignment with key stakeholders such as Heineken and Frumona, who ensured all cups were produced in the same plastic material, creating a clean mono-stream waste flow — an unprecedented step for a festival at the time. To activate the concept, volunteers dressed in bold, industrial-style suits collected cups across the festival grounds. The visual identity and performative nature of the activation turned waste collection into an engaging experience. The energy was contagious: festival visitors spontaneously joined in, actively collecting plastic themselves.

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