FAN Green Commitment
To Watch.
To Expand.
To Care.
A poetic, practical and transferable framework for sustainable animation festivals
Executive Summary – An Invitation
Animation festivals are places where images move; ideas travel, and audiences gather. They are also places where choices are made – quietly, collectively, every day.
The FAN Green Commitment is an invitation to make those choices with care. Rather than a rulebook, it is a shared narrative: a framework that supports animation festivals in embedding environmental responsibility into their artistic, educational and organizational life, without losing playfulness, curiosity or freedom.
Born from cooperation and exchange, encourages festivals to experiment, to learn from one another and to imagine sustainability as part of the creative process itself. It is designed to be adaptable, transferable, and open, recognizing the diversity of festival contexts across Europe and beyond.
Through small, repeated gestures – in how festivals travel, produce, communicate, educate and host – the FAN Green Commitment nurtures more conscious, inclusive and resilient cultural ecosystems.
1. Purpose of the Green Commitment
The document functions as a shared reference framework for animation festivals that wish to approach environmental sustainability as an integral part of their identity. It provides orientation, inspiration, and practical guidance, while leaving space for local interpretation and evolution.
It is intended for festival directors, producers, staff, artists, educators, partners, and communities.
2. FAN identity and collaborative ethos
The Festivals Animation Network (FAN) brings together animation festivals from Southern Europe, from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean shores, under the motto “To Watch, To Expand”.
FAN is built on collaboration, shared decision-making, and the exchange of practices. Its actions aim to create and diversify audiences, support European animation, strengthen education, and reinforce the social role of festivals within their local and international contexts.
3. Vision – Sustainability as culture, not constraint
Sustainability is often framed through limitations. FAN chooses to frame it through possibility.
In this vision, environmental responsibility is not an external obligation but a cultural practice. It becomes a creative prompt, a pedagogical tool, and a shared responsibility that enhances, rather than restricts, artistic ambition.
By approaching sustainability as culture, festivals open spaces for experimentation, dialogue and care.
4. Guiding principles
All actions under the FAN Green Commitment are guided by a set of shared principles:
• Prevention before compensation
• Digital-first thinking
• Circular use of materials
• Care for local ecosystems and communities
• Shared responsibility among organizers, guests and audiences
• Transparency, learning and continuous improvement
5. From principles to practices – How ideas become gestures
Principles matter only when they enter everyday life. In the FAN Green Commitment, sustainability is expressed through small, tangible gestures: choosing differently, communicating clearly and paying attention.
These gestures are not hidden backstage. They are part of the festival experience itself – visible, explainable, and shareable.
6. Eco-friendly festival operations & carbon awareness
Environmental responsibility begins with how a festival is produced.
FAN festivals minimize printing, using ecological inks and unbleached materials. Single-use plastics are eliminated, with sustainable alternatives adopted through long-term collaborations. Recycling is organized in cooperation with municipal authorities.
Large-scale printed materials are reused across editions, while selected materials are transformed into handmade objects offered to guests. Festivals promote sustainable local products and organize visits to local farms and producers.
Mobility is addressed through walking, public transport, and electric vehicles, while guest travel is planned with carbon awareness in mind. Festival preparation is carried out through virtual offices and remote collaboration.
7. Greener festival management and industry practices
Through cooperation within FAN, festivals contribute to the development and dissemination of best practices for greener festival management. The Green Commitment itself is both a result of this process and a tool for sharing knowledge with peers.
This collective approach supports learning, adaptation, and long-term change.
8. Digital and low-impact professional and educational practices
Educational workshops use recycled and reusable materials, carefully stored and reintegrated into year-round activities. Professional activities such as pitching forums and training sessions are paperless by design.
Hybrid and online participation options are offered whenever possible, reducing environmental impact while broadening access and inclusion.
9. Sustainability in programming & audience awareness
Environmental responsibility also shapes programming and education.
Competition sections, thematic focuses and educational workshops invite audiences to reflect on climate change, planetary evolution, accessibility and shared futures through animation storytelling.
Collaborations with environmental organizations strengthen the educational dimension and connect festivals with local and regional ecological initiatives.
10. Artistic imagination as an example of sustainable practice
Within the FAN Green Commitment, artistic interventions are referenced as examples rather than prescribed activities.
Certain artistic projects illustrate how poetic, site-sensitive and reversible artistic thinking can embody sustainability principles: use of renewable energy, minimal ecological footprint, and full respect for local ecosystems.
Such examples demonstrate how artistic imagination can inspire care, awareness and dialogue.
11. Roles and shared responsibility
Sustainability is a collective effort. Coordinators, partner festivals, staff, artists, guests and audiences all play a role in shaping responsible practices.
Festivals act as hosts, facilitators and storytellers, creating conditions for shared responsibility.
12. Monitoring, learning and storytelling
Progress is observed through simple indicators and shared reflection.
Monitoring is understood not only as measurement, but as a learning process that transforms data into stories, helping festivals understand what works, what can improve, and what can be shared.
13. A living and transferable document
The FAN Green Commitment is a living document.
It evolves through practice, feedback, and dialogue. It is designed to be transferable to festivals of different sizes and contexts, supporting gradual adoption and long-term cultural change.
Epilogue – A playful promise
We promise to remain attentive and imperfect.
To ask questions before printing.
To choose slower routes when time allows.
To refuse what is unnecessary.
To turn data into stories.
To keep imagination at the heart of care.
This is not the end of the story.
It is where another one begins.
KPIs and Monitoring Framework
This annex consolidates indicative indicators to support monitoring, learning, and transparent communication. Festivals may adapt targets according to scale and context, while keeping measurement consistent over time. Indicative indicators include reduction of printed materials, elimination of single-use plastics, use of low-impact mobility, number of sustainability-focused educational and programming actions, and adoption of shared sustainability tools.
G.O. 1 – Reduction of carbon footprint
G.O. 2 – Waste and resource reduction
G.O. 3 – Education, awareness and communication
G.O. 4 – Collaboration and networking
G.O. 5 – Data, tools and long-term impact
Communication, Visibility and Dissemination Guidelines
Sustainability of communication should be accessible, visually driven and honest — sharing choices, learning and progress. It should inspire peers and audiences without moralizing or overstating results.
Recommended Formats
• A simple visual identity for the Green Commitment (icons, colour palette, typography guidance).
• Short, clear infographics (waste, mobility, materials, energy).
• Brief on-screen notes or video spots before screenings.
• Dedicated webpage / FAN Animation Hub sections with actions, indicators and stories.
• Clear “guest travel & stay” guidance encouraging low-impact choices.
Tone and Style
• Use positive framing: ‘we choose’ rather than ‘we forbid’.
• Keep language inclusive and readable; avoid technical jargon when possible.
• Celebrate collective progress and acknowledge limits transparently.
Adoption Toolkit for Festivals
This toolkit supports festivals that wish to align with the FAN Green Commitment framework, either fully or progressively.
A five-step adoption roadmap
1. Endorse Adopt the guiding principles and communicate the intention publicly.
2. Prioritize Select 3–5 actions that fit your scale and context (quick wins first).
3. Assign Appoint a sustainable focal point (staff member or external advisor).
4. Measure Choose a small KPI set and record it consistently for each edition.
5. Share Publish a short annual note: what you tried, what worked, what you learned.
Minimum KPI starter set (suggested)
• Single-use plastics eliminated (yes/no)
• Paper reduction actions implemented (yes/no + short note)
• Recycling bins in venues (yes/no) • Hybrid/online option offered for at least one professional activity (yes/no)
• At least one sustainability-focused educational or awareness action (yes/no + brief description)
