CBS makes Roskilde Festival a laboratory for sustainability

The purpose of the project was to create awareness of the social and environmental challenges, their interdependencies and also to assess the commercial potential of a focus on sustainability features.
The long-term goal is to make suggestions for solutions to some of the major global challenges by focusing on the ones at hand.

From food waste to slums

At this year's festival, researchers were joined into three teams to investigate the waste of resources, food production, food waste and temporary housing.

The Manager of the Centre for Social Responsibility at CBS, Esben Rahbek, stated that a research team would scan different areas of the site for inspiration and together with festival-goers, test three specific proposals for temporary housing types based on how well the homes function, cost and their sustainability. The project has, for example, great potential in benefiting the less fortunate  in slums or refugees in countries affected by war or natural disasters.

The other research teams went into depth with waste management, where scientists, amongst other things, explored the possibilities of 'nudging' guests at Roskilde to recycle waste and food waste. The food courts at the festival site were analyzed in terms of supply chain management theories.

Altogether, about 20 researchers from CBS, School of Architecture, University of Copenhagen and Aalborg University partook in the investigations. The Confederation of Danish Industry visited the project and there are plans for a major conference later this year in collaboration with industrial sector.

Throughout the festival, the research team shared their experiences from the festival at the project’s website www.csr2013.dk.  Here you can also read more about the project's purpose, ambition and not least the three themes. Note: The link is only in Danish.