From single-use to circular cups 
Following the 2024 launch of circular cups by Royal Unibrew - Denmark’s second-largest brewery - in collaboration with Faerch, 2025 saw further refinement and expansion of the initiative. The cups, made from recycled materials, were collected through Denmark’s deposit system and recycled into new food-grade material, reducing reliance on virgin materials and minimising waste.

This initiative continues to demonstrate the power of circularity in driving sustainability and keeping valuable resources in use.

Ensuring circularity at Smukfest
To support the system, Smukfest maintained and enhanced several initiatives:

• A green fee of 5 DKK for new cups
• A “Swap for new” system allowing attendees to exchange used cups for new ones free of charge
• Increased deposit refunds at return stations
• Enhanced sorting bins and additional staff for waste management

These measures ensured that cups were diverted from residual waste and returned for recycling.

Positive results across festivals 
Beyond Smukfest, 36 other festivals and concert events in Denmark continued to adopt the circular cup system, all reporting positive outcomes.

A lifecycle analysis (LCA) by Force Technology for Royal Unibrew confirmed that the recyclable cups have a significantly lower environmental impact than single-use alternatives. The LCA also showed that these cups outperform washable ones when the latter aren’t reused enough before breaking.

“Even if the cups break during use, they can still be recycled. This isn’t the case for washable cups used in high-stress environments like festivals,” says Jesper Emil Jensen, Regional CEO at Faerch.

Closing the loop
The festival cups are made with 87% recycled PET and are recyclable. In 2025, 97% of all cups at Smukfest were collected and recycled into pellets for new cup production, a remarkable leap from 2023, when only 30% were collected and turned into plant pots.