Sustainability
The organisation of an event has an impact on the environment. Minimizing the latter is a priority for the Montreux Jazz Festival. Transport is responsible for 70% of Festivals’ CO2 emissions. Other factors include catering, waste management and energy consumption. Here are the measures taken by the Festival to minimise its impact in each of these areas.
TRANSPORT
As an urban festival, the MJF is ideally located a stone’s throw from Montreux station and the main regional bus routes. Several initiatives have been put in place to encourage the use of public transport and limit the use of private motorised vehicles.
- Trains: Addition of special night trains between Geneva and Sion.
- Buses: Free VMCV buses (from 6pm), increased frequency during rush hour and night buses every evening. Introduction of buses linking Montreux and Fribourg/Berne (Dysli company).
- Bike and motorbike parking near the main Festival entrances (approx. 550 spaces).
- Facilitated Carpooling in collaboration with the Tribulive platform.
- Limitation of car traffic: limitation of outdoor parking spaces and closure of the Grand-Rue between 5 p. m. and 1 a. m. (accessibility to local residents, public transport, bicycles and Festival operations).
ENERGY
- The electricity consumed by the Festival is 100% Swiss and renewable, coming from hydraulic energy, certified by our partner Romande Energie.
- The Festival does not use any generators and obtains its power solely from the existing electricity grid.
- 90% of the total lighting on the Festival site and stages is composed of LEDs.
CATERING AND WASTE MANAGEMENT
- The Festival has introduced a charter for catering stands to ban single-use plastic and promote local products. Each stand must also offer at least one vegetarian option.
- Use of returnable and reusable cups.
- Guaranteed 100% Swiss waste management.
- Installation of an on-site waste collection centre for sorting 10 types of waste and recycling PET, aluminium, glass, paper, cardboard, scrap metal and wood.
- A team of more than 80 people, the Green Team, works around the clock to ensure that the site is clean and that waste is sorted.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY
- Around 80% of the Festival’s infrastructure is reused year after year. Much of the furniture, bars, decorations, walls, floors and lighting are stored, transformed and recycled between editions.
BIODIVERSITY AND NATURE CONSERVATION
- Every August, the Festival funds and organises an underwater lake clean-up in areas near the Festival site.
SWISSTAINABLE
The Montreux Jazz Festival participates in the Swisstainable sustainability program, classified at level I – committed. The Swisstainable program brings together companies and organizations from across the Swiss tourism sector. Through our participation, we commit to promoting the continued sustainable development of the company, closely monitor the measures taken in the area of sustainability and thus make a concrete contribution to sustainable tourism in Switzerland.
