The Zero Trace Festival was not only a public event built on zero-waste principles in practice, it was also part of a longer effort to show that more sustainable events are possible in Cyprus and to document what it takes to make them happen.

As Zero Waste Alliance Cyprus, we always knew that the value of the festival would not end when the event was over. Just as important as organising it was making sure that the experience, lessons, challenges and ideas behind it were recorded in a way that others could learn from and build on.

That is why this case study matters. Developed with the support of Zero Waste Europe, it presents the Zero Trace Festival as a practical example of how zero-waste principles can be applied in a real public and urban setting. It also reflects a broader story: how environmental work in Cyprus has gradually shifted from isolated efforts to stronger collaboration, shared learning, and coordinated action through the Zero Waste Alliance Cyprus.

The case study analyses how the movement was built, how the collaboration came together, the difficulties that emerged along the way, the solutions tested, and what this experience can offer others who want to organise more sustainable events of their own.

For us, this is part of what “continuity” means. It is not enough to run a good event and move on. We also need to capture the knowledge, make it visible, and turn it into something useful for others, organisers, municipalities, cultural spaces, community groups and anyone trying to reduce waste in public events.

We are happy to share this case study below, so that it can continue to travel, inspire, and open new conversations. We hope it will encourage more people to rethink how events are planned in Cyprus, and to reach out to the Zero Waste Alliance Cyprus if they would like support, ideas or practical guidance for their own event.