What is the Plastic Free Festival?

• What is the Plastic Free Festival and what are its aims (including SDG connections)?

More than 350 million tons of plastic waste is generated annually in the world. In the scenario where we do not reduce the unconscious use of plastic and do not turn to more environmental materials, the amount of waste is expected to triple and reach one billion metric tons by 2060. Microplastics formed as a result of the breakdown of plastic spread into the environment and especially harm water resources and underwater ecosystems. In addition, they trigger negative conditions such as respiratory tract and allergic reactions in the human body by joining the food chain.

Plastic-Free Festival is an organization that aims to prevent the generation of single-use plastic waste and create more conscious consumer habits by raising awareness among individuals and institutions about the impact of this material, which poses an environmental risk and whose use has become widespread.

The festival creates environmental awareness among local businesses, industries and citizens, creating incentives to replace plastic consumption with more environmentally friendly materials. It creates both environmental and social awareness, inviting everyone to produce sustainable solutions for a better world.

• Where and when will it be held?

The Museum Gazhane will be held on May 25th.

• Plastic Free Festival Mission

1. Informing individuals and institutions about the negative effects of plastic on the environment and human health.
2. Raising environmental awareness in local businesses by considering the impact of the action they will take regarding plastic use
3. Changing production and consumption habits by introducing individuals to environmentally friendly product alternatives.

• Plastic Free Festival 2024

The Plastic Free Festival, which was first held in Gökçeada last year with the partnership of GEF & SGP & UNDP, Impact Circles Foundation and TPS Academy, will be held in Istanbul for the second time this year with a wider audience. The income from the festival will be directed directly to the financing of Impact Circles Foundation's "Blue-Green Future: Marmara" project.

In our festival, which we held with great excitement, we offered our participants the opportunity to get acquainted with environmentally friendly products with the "Plastic-Free Living Introduction Kits" that we specially prepared for them to take a step towards a plastic-free life. This experience was an important step to open the doors to a sustainable lifestyle. We had an unforgettable experience with the impressive names that took part in our festival leading the workshops, interviews and panel sessions.

Beril Koparak Ergün, one of the names that stands out with her own vision, reminded us that every individual can create a big impact even with small steps, while Damla Özenç, whom we know for her initiative to improve the effects of the fashion industry on our world, offered an inspiring interview experience with her impressive speech. Our guests, who came together with Hasibe Akın and Nil Kıyısı's compost workshops, learned the transformative potential of composting and gained inspiration to take practical steps towards a more sustainable future.

As the day draws to a close, in our panel moderated by Utku Güven, which consisted of 2 separate sessions titled Sustainability and Managing the Sphere of Impact in Gökçeada, inspiring experts from different sectors brought together their experiences and interactively evaluated with our audience how more effective strategies could be developed regarding Gökçeada and Sustainability.

As a result, we brought together more than 20 experts and people who want to create a better world at the Plastic Free Festival and enabled them to join our impact network, while taking our first steps towards reducing plastic use in Gökçeada with the pre- and post-festival outputs.