The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) has engaged event sustainability specialist Bryonie Mathews as its new sustainability advisor.
In a first for the organisation, Mathews’ role forms a key part of Step Change, a new sustainability initiative launched to support festival members in advance of the 2027 summer season.
Mathews will serve as an integral part of the specialist expertise on offer to AIF festival members through the Step Change programme, supported by Ticket Tailor’s Earth Invest. The initiative aims to drive practical and incremental environmental improvements across the independent festival sector as a collective.
AIF member festivals welcome well over a million attendees across the UK each year.
Mathews’ work focuses on bridging the gap between sustainability goals and practical, on-the-ground action. Drawing on her experience with The Earthed Collective, Shambala Festival, Kendal Calling and Hope Solutions, she provides evidence-based guidance centred on education, circularity, and collective power.
The Step Change programme offers the blueprint for a just transition in our industry, allowing us to scale the reach of proven climate strategies and activate as a collective
Bryonie Mathews
Bryonie Mathews, AIF & Step Change sustainability coordinator, said: "As an industry we’ve had incredible frontrunners researching, leading the way, testing solutions and sharing knowledge for a long time – we know what works, and what needs to happen. Next is to make sure everyone has an equal understanding of, access to, and confidence in the strategies that exist.
“The Step Change programme offers the blueprint for a just transition in our industry, allowing us to scale the reach of proven climate strategies and activate as a collective. I'm so glad to see this being offered and I believe together we can see an industry where sustainability isn't an exclusive feature, but a collective response to a collective challenge that provides hope."
John Rostron, CEO of the Association of Independent Festivals, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Bryonie to AIF, embedding sustainability not only into our team, but also offering our member festivals hands-on support to shift things forward that they’ve wanted to do but have been too lacking in resource to deliver.”
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