Priya Chandel: Executive Director of Bye Bye Plastic USA
Bye Bye Plastic is a disruptive foundation on a mission to remove single-use plastics in the music industry. Bye Bye Plastic has inspired thousands of DJs and event promoters to back the initiative since launching in 2018, through the #PlasticFreeParty movement and Eco-Rider Initiative.
Priya Chandel is the Executive Director of Bye Bye Plastic USA.
Vivie-Ann Bakos (L) and Priya Chandel (R)
What were the origins of Bye Bye Plastic?
Bye Bye Plastic started in 2018, and was co-founded by Vivie-Ann Bakos (aka BLOND:ISH) and Camille Guitteau as a grassroots movement. Vivie-Ann is an international DJ, and Camille, is our Managing Director based in Amsterdam.
The story started with Viv playing a sunrise gig in Brazil, and she just saw trash all over the ground. And she asked herself, “is this what our industry is doing to our planet?” So she set out on a mission to make music events single-use plastic free. One of our biggest motives is using music, which is the biggest social connector, to influence this change.
While everyone has a right to have fun and enjoy themselves, people should also be cognizant of what they’re doing to the environment in the name of fun. Especially if it's going to have a taxing expense on the planet that provides for us. We all can take a step back, or take a minute to think, and choose to do better, because if we don’t it does have an impact, and unfortunately, it's not a good one.
What is your approach to making music events plastic free?
We originally started with the Eco-Rider initiative. Every DJ, especially touring ones, has a hospitality rider that includes what kind of drinks and snacks they want in their green room and inside the DJ booth. The Eco-Rider is an addendum where they request the booth and greenroom to be single-use plastic free. Since the DJ is kind of the king or queen of the castle at a show, it sets precedents, and makes a statement. It allows their voices to be heard, and it’s actually contractual. Currently there are 1,500 DJs that have signed the Eco-Rider.
Now that we're coming out of the pandemic, we’re going to tackle the festivals head on. We’re still running the Eco-Rider program, but now we’re going directly to festivals and event venues. It’s 2022, and we know that sustainability is important. We know that the festival and event organizers are part of the process. Like I said in the example of people being at an event, and not cleaning up after themselves, well that's one part of the problem. But if they're coming into a system where all they're even allowed to be given is a plastic water bottle, or a plastic cup, we’re failing from the beginning.
So Bye Bye Plastic provides alternative solutions that are better for the environment. And in some cases it is actually more cost effective. A lot of people associate sustainability with being expensive, so they keep it out of their minds completely because they think that it's going to negatively affect their bottom line. And what we have done with our creative partnerships is actually figure out a way for it to be monetarily beneficial for them. That's an added incentive which is especially important coming out of a pandemic, where most events are operating from a zero or negative budget because they've lost so much over the past couple of years.
Right. I did an interview with Michael Cyr of Cup Zero about how the cup deposit system is a great way for event organizers to generate revenue without selling water in plastic bottles (interview link). I would love to hear about some of similar solutions
Every day there are more and more options for event organizers like the cup deposit system. Since we are a nonprofit, we can present a deposit and return system so when a person returns their cup to get their deposit back, they also have an option for them to donate that deposit to Bye Bye Plastic.
We've also gotten creative with cup rentals. And we've seen great success with it. Before we thought that in order to make a deposit system work, you would have to incentivize people by returning the money. And now we're seeing the statistics of how many people do or don't specifically return their cup to get the deposit back. You can actually activate a rental system, where people are paying to rent the cup for the night, they return it at the end of the night. And they're okay with the fee because they know that they’re investing in the sustainability of that event. So the money generated from the rental is making revenue beyond just covering the cost.
And people love it, their initial response is “Wow, this is so amazing. I'm dancing and my foot isn't hitting a cup or a bottle, it's hitting the ground.” Attendees appreciate that there aren't cups littered everywhere. And I think people are willing and able to pay a slight premium to have an enjoyable experience that they can feel good about.
So true, I don't think anybody really loves going to a festival when there's a sea of plastic cups on the bottom of their feet that they're crunching as they're trying to dance.
It's PTSD, I would say every single person in the world can hear that sound in their mind, when you just say, “plastic all over the floor at a festival.” Like we all have that ingrained in our brains. And it's not a pleasant memory. I don't think anyone likes that.
"Sometimes I think about festivals when it rains and it gets all muddy and stuff gets trapped in the ground. All I can think about is hundreds of years from ow when someone is excavating the earth and they remove plastic bottles and SOLO cups from the ground. And they say "back in 2020-something, this festival was here when the great rain happened" and here's a relic from that time. I would hope by then we would be so advanced and sustainable people would think " I can't believe people actually lived that way."
I have that experience. When I see pictures of myself from college at a music festival and I have a Solo cup or a plastic water bottle in my hand, and I'm like, “Oh my gosh, I can't believe I did that.” But you know, it's not about shame. It's really just about once you know, at one time you were behaving and operating in a system that had been created for you. And now if you have the power to change that system, let’s recreate the game board for everybody.
It’s so true, at first we think “Oh my god these attendees are so rude and sloppy.” But it’s not like they had a choice, right? And now we’re seeing that when given this choice, the attendees are mostly excited to pay for the reusable cup. They just needed the choice.
It's completely about providing more choices. And we see that when events offer attendees more sustainable choices, those are clearly more favorable. You can also get extremely creative with the variety of different ways you can make your event plastic-free. It's not a one-size fits all system, and we like that we have the flexibility to be creative and offer different clients different solutions that work best for their event size or demographic.
What about selling water? How does that work with a reusable cup system?
For the most part, every event is going to have some type of bottled water, but it does not have to be in a plastic bottle. The solution we recommend is aluminum, because aluminum is infinitely recyclable. We've been working with a company, Proud Source, that offers both aluminum cans and reusable bottles.
A lot of festivals and events have water refill stations, which is great because you can bring your own reusable bottle, or for example with Proud Source bottles, you can buy one bottle at the bar and then refill for the rest of the time. At the end of the event you can recycle it or take it home and continue to use it.
But as you said, water is a revenue generator. Aluminum usually comes at a higher cost, which is kind of the downside, but I think they're making strides, and we will see the prices start to come down, especially with aluminum companies wanting to sponsor so they can break into the market.
You can see this with brands like Liquid Death., Unfortunately, their water is sourced from the Austrian Alps so the carbon footprint of shipping that water to the US is astronomical I'm sure. And every time I go to an event, I just see their cans in the trash can that’s going to landfill. So, this isn’t having any positive environmental impact after all, unless the aluminum is being recouped at the waste management center - which I hope it is!
A company or an event producer can be buying into the concept of sustainability thinking, “Okay, I’m going to switch to aluminum cans, and even if it costs me a little bit more money, I'm still doing the right thing. I feel good about it.” But they're only 50% of the way. And I think that's why working with an organization like Bye Bye Plastic is so important because we can come in with the knowledge to suggest which aluminum can companies are the best, what pricing you can expect, and how can you set up your waste management, and operations so that you know at the end of your festival that the sustainability goal you set out for is what you accomplished. And then everybody can feel good about that.
Exactly. With the aluminum cans, it’s great to have them, but if they don’t get recycled, it’s still a big cost to the environment. Which brings us back to the importance of reusables.
So we just worked with the Seismic Dance Event last November. They're based in Austin, and their commitment to sustainability is the best I've seen. And I've told Kelly, one of the founders, that if every one of my clients could be like her, this wouldn't be a job, it wouldn't feel like work. Because the ethos is there, the values are there, the commitment is there from A to Z. It’s ensuring the brands are correct, doing the research, and also setting up the waste management system. They have waste streams separated into landfill, compost and recycling. And then they have teams dedicated to the sorting and waste management process. Bye Bye Plastic also assists with this and helps to recruit volunteers to assist with the sorting. So the trash bags are picked up from each one of these bins, and then it's taken to the back where the trash teams sort through every single bag, and put everything in the right place. So landfill is going to landfill. Compost is going to be composted, and recycling is going to be recycled. And that's an event that you can feel proud about, you know, and the positive feedback from all of the attendees was just amazing. I was actually on site at the event, I was working the cup deposit booth. When people returned the cups, we got nothing but compliments from everyone. They're like, “This is something new, we haven't seen this, but we love it. The grounds are clean.” If they didn't want to hold the cup, they would just bring it back, get their deposit back, and then they could always get a new one.
So it worked. It was the dream, it was the ideal event. And it was amazing for us because that was the first festival we did in the US. And it was so rewarding, because you're like, “We can do this.” And no one now can tell us that it's not possible. And we can take this case study and use it in other cities, and other festivals, and replicate the same thing, creating a new system for people to come into, and be happy about the choices and the options that they're offered.
That’s great that you had such a positive experience in the US. I’ve heard over and over again that festivals in the US are behind European festivals in terms of sustainability.
European culture teaches conservation from a very young age, whereas stateside, we’re very convenience-based, we’re taught to throw it away and get a new one. We just launched Bye Bye Plastic USA last October, and so getting to partner with a festival like Seismic Dance Event within one month is amazing. And I think we can catch up.
In the US, it’s all about marketing and trends. I personally like to work with people who are in it to protect our planet. But we can teach that. So they might start from a marketing perspective, but they’ll end up being more aligned. And as soon as you have the knowledge, the behavior changes. That's really the impact that we have on people, and on organizations. And that's something I think that we can spread quite quickly here in the US.
I also don’t shy away from the marketing, because you can be very creative. I think sustainability is a story that should be told, and shared with the world. But I also like people to feel good because they're doing the right thing.
What are some of the challenges?
A lot of events, especially music events, move very quickly with small teams. If you don't have someone dedicated to sustainability, and you're resistant to spending the money, you're going to go with the quick fix. And a lot of times, you're unknowingly being bought by advertising, you're like, “Oh, this is sustainable, eco friendly, green, let’s buy it.” And then at the end of the day, we might come and tell you, “Hey, you spent all this money and got it wrong.” That's incredibly humbling.
Maybe you don't have the time or the team, but invest in us, because we have the knowledge. We have the experience. We have the system, and the operational capacity, so let us do it for you. That way you can say you did it right. Instead of you doing it wrong.
One of the things that really makes me upset is bioplastics. People spend more on these items, and they think it’s better for the environment, but it ends up in the landfill breaking down the same way as fossil fuel plastic.
Yes, it’s like, “I bought these corn plastic cups, they're compostable.” And my first question is, “Well, are they being composted?” Record scratch. Compostables cannot compost in the trash and the landfill, they have to be given the right environment for them to compost. So again, if you have not thought about your waste management plan, you're spending more money, and it’s not helping the environment.
Camille, our Co-Founder always says one thing, “Just because something is a recycle-able, compost-able, doesn't mean it's actually being recycled or composted.” It is “able” to do so but you have to put it within the right environment where it can happen. People producing events rarely have time to think that far down the line. I think if more people would reach out to an organization like Bye Bye Plastic, you don't have to do all that thinking, we'll do it for you.
I understand that you started up in 2019. I’m sure it was tough starting this amazing organization, and then having the pandemic hit. What did you do during the pandemic?
We were really gearing up for a big 2020. Then within three months, everything was shut down. So we did a lot of online stuff like livestreams and educational programming on BLOND:ISH's network ABRACADABRA on Twitch. We also got pretty invested in the cleanup space doing popup cleanups that turned into something serious for us. We launched a program last year called Clean the Beat (CTB). Our first event was in Miami last May. We had 16 DJs participate, and over 100 volunteers, and we collected 3,136 pounds of trash in one hour. And then we did a Clean the Beat at Amsterdam Dance Event. We were all on boats, and fished out 440 liters of plastic from the canals. It's rewarding to produce a cleanup with live music played by DJs that support Bye Bye Plastic and at the same time have it be as impactful on a social and environmental level as it is fun.
Clean the Beat Miami
How does it work with festivals or events? What's the process?
Typically, an event or festival will approach us and they fill out a thing we call a “plastic quick scan.” It lists pretty much any item that could be single-use plastic at a music event. From there we do a quick assessment, and we come back with a primary review. Our Plastic-Free Trajectory focuses primarily on our big three: plastic water bottles, cups and straws. That's Phase One.
As I said, we shoot for progress, not perfection. So we start with the big items that are easy to find alternatives for, and will have the biggest impact. As our partnership continues through the years, we start tackling cutlery, plates, and anything that wasn't feasible to do in phase one, like wristbands and merchandise, etc. All of that will come down the line. We know that it can be very overwhelming. And we also don't want it to be cost prohibitive. So that's where we start in Phase One. And then as our relationship grows through the years, we keep pushing one step forward, one step forward, that's how you create a sustainable path.
We also introduce the Eco-Rider to all the DJs that are on the lineup. So the festival can reach out to all of these DJs and say, “we're working in partnership with Bye Bye Plastic, we've received your rider, but your rider will be advanced in accordance to these guidelines.” And that's how we're creating a growing ecosystem of not just events, but bringing in the DJs. When I see a festival where 30% of the lineup are already our Eco-Rider DJs, I reach out and say, “Your advancing team is going to see this over, and over, and over again. So instead of only advancing your festival for these 30 people, why not do it for everybody, and have this be your baseline system?”
Do you ever get any pushback from the festivals about the Eco-Riders?
It’s much easier to find alternatives in countries like the US or Europe. It's challenging in places where just getting potable water itself is challenging. You have to work within what your resources are. But that's why we focus most of our efforts in Europe and the US, because we know that's where the opportunities are. But that doesn't mean we are limiting ourselves to these territories. As we receive requests from places like Mexico, we continue to do our research to find the best solutions from what is available there at the time.
So, where do you want to be in five years?
I really want to see myself, in a couple of years on a TEDx stage, saying this is how we created sustainable behavioral, and social, and environmental change. And it didn't come from one person. It was a collective effort, and we all did it. One of our taglines is: Music is the connection, and collective action is a solution. That's actually the slogan for our upcoming fundraising campaign that we're going to be launching this quarter, it's called “Road to One Million’” where we’ll be crowdfunding a million dollars to subsidize the costs of the plastic free transitions for music, events, and festivals in Europe and the United States. Coming out of a pandemic, festivals don't have the money, or they might not be considering sustainability because of lack of funds. And alternatively, they're being incentivized by Big Oil and plastic. And if we could just have the power in our hands, we could compete. And if we made it cost effective for these events, we could actually create the ideal event, and do it everywhere.
We are seeing that people are hyped about by plastic, and they love what we do. People are excited with the crowdfunding solution that's going to be powered by our sponsors, and the DJs within our network. We can raise these funds, and make it happen on our own, and do it now. And when we do that, we can be on that TEDx stage in a couple of years saying, this was the dream, and people said it was impossible. But it always seems impossible until it's done. That is actually a quote from Nelson Mandela “It always seems impossible until it's done.”
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