Bye Bye Plastic is BLOND:ISH’s environmental initiative focused on removing single-use plastics from the electronic music industry by 2025. Founded by Canadian DJ and producer Vivie-Ann Bakos (BLOND:ISH), the project represents a comprehensive effort to transform festival and club culture through sustainable practices. The initiative has grown from a solo mission into a team of dedicated activists working with major festivals and venues to eliminate plastic waste from electronic music events.
The Mission: Creating Plastic-Free Music Events
BLOND:ISH describes Bye Bye Plastic’s mission as “really simple” – removing single-use plastics from the electronic music industry with a target completion date of 2025. The initiative specifically targets items like plastic bags, red plastic cups, and other single-use items commonly found at festivals and clubs. As BLOND:ISH explains, “We want to make our scene an example and take all the data, document everything, get all the content so we can share our process and our journey with everyone else.” The project aims to create replicable models that other industries can adopt, extending beyond music into fashion, arts, and sports.
Furthermore, The initiative operates as a third-party verification system for festivals and venues, ensuring authentic implementation rather than internal greenwashing. BLOND:ISH emphasizes the collaborative approach: “This isn’t going to happen if you’re doing things internally. You’ve got to collaborate.” The team now consists of 8-10 dedicated activists who work directly with festival organizers and venue owners to implement plastic-free alternatives.
- Bye Bye Plastic aims to eliminate single-use plastics from electronic music by 2025
- The initiative operates with a team of 8-10 activists as third-party verifiers for festivals
- BLOND:ISH’s project documents all processes to share replicable models with other industries
How It Started: From Tulum Observations to Global Action
In addition, The Bye Bye Plastic initiative emerged from BLOND:ISH’s personal observations of environmental degradation in Tulum, Mexico, where she first traveled twelve years ago. “When I first started coming, you needed a flashlight. You couldn’t see anything around anywhere. There was no electricity, no water, no grid, nothing electrical. It was pure. It’s not so pure anymore,” she recalls. This transformation from pristine natural environment to commercialized destination sparked her environmental awakening.
Moreover, BLOND:ISH describes herself as “just a naive Canadian girl seeing the world change in front of my eyes, and I want to be a part of bringing it back in harmony with the earth.” The project represents her response to witnessing firsthand how plastic pollution and overdevelopment have impacted the places where electronic music culture thrives. Her approach combines grassroots activism with industry influence, leveraging her platform as a globally recognized artist to drive systematic change.
- BLOND:ISH started Bye Bye Plastic after witnessing environmental changes in Tulum over 12 years
- The initiative began as a personal response to seeing pristine natural venues become polluted
- BLOND:ISH uses her artist platform to drive systematic environmental change in music industry
Key Initiatives: From Vinyl Innovation to Festival Partnerships
As a result, Bye Bye Plastic extends beyond event waste management into innovative material solutions. The initiative produced BLOND:ISH’s “Never Walk Alone” vinyl release using recycled cooking oil instead of traditional petroleum-based materials, demonstrating alternatives to conventional music industry practices. This approach addresses criticism about electronic music’s broader environmental impact while maintaining focus on single-use plastics.
Consequently, The project works directly with major festivals and venues to implement plastic-free solutions. BLOND:ISH reports significant progress: “We are at Cova Santa, and here is like a woman party.. It’s actually happening. We are putting pressure on the music industry to make change.” The initiative provides practical alternatives to items like plastic water bottles, food containers, and promotional materials commonly distributed at electronic music events.
For instance, Beyond immediate waste reduction, Bye Bye Plastic creates educational content and documentation to share methodologies with other organizations. The team treats each partnership as a case study, measuring impact and refining approaches to create scalable solutions for the broader entertainment industry.
- Bye Bye Plastic produced vinyl records using recycled cooking oil instead of petroleum-based materials
- The initiative partners directly with major festivals and venues to implement plastic-free alternatives
- Each partnership serves as a documented case study for creating scalable industry solutions
Industry Impact: Collaboration Over Competition
In particular, The Bye Bye Plastic initiative has gained traction among major industry players, though BLOND:ISH emphasizes the need for transparency over internal corporate initiatives. “This is why we’re here. We’re like a third-party verification,” she explains, positioning the project as an independent voice ensuring authentic implementation rather than superficial green marketing.
Meanwhile, The project’s influence extends beyond individual events to inspire broader cultural shifts within electronic music. BLOND:ISH notes the initiative’s expansion potential: “Music connects with many different arts naturally, whether it’s fashion, arts, even sports. Because sports and music is a place which has no boundaries.” This interconnected approach recognizes how music culture influences consumer behavior across multiple industries.
On the other hand, Industry response has been increasingly positive, with venues and festivals actively seeking partnerships rather than viewing environmental requirements as obstacles. The initiative’s success demonstrates that sustainability measures can enhance rather than compromise the music experience, creating new standards for event production.
- Bye Bye Plastic operates as independent third-party verification to prevent corporate greenwashing
- The initiative influences culture beyond music into fashion, arts, and sports industries
- Venues and festivals now actively seek partnerships rather than viewing sustainability as an obstacle
How to Get Involved: Supporting the Movement
Similarly, Individuals can support Bye Bye Plastic by making conscious choices at music events and advocating for plastic-free alternatives at their local venues. BLOND:ISH emphasizes that the project aims to inspire personal action: “We want to make our scene an example.. This is something I’ve been running into, but we can share our process and our journey with everyone else.”
Specifically, Music industry professionals can engage by implementing plastic-free policies at their events or connecting with the Bye Bye Plastic team for consultation and verification services. The initiative provides resources and documentation to help organizers transition away from single-use plastics while maintaining operational efficiency.
In fact, Fans and supporters can amplify the message through social media engagement and by choosing to attend events that prioritize environmental responsibility. The movement’s success depends on consumer demand driving industry change, making individual participation crucial to achieving the 2025 goal.
- Individuals can support by choosing plastic-free alternatives and advocating at local venues
- Music industry professionals can implement policies or request consultation from the Bye Bye Plastic team
- Consumer demand for environmentally responsible events drives industry adoption of plastic-free practices
Explore More
Above all, Continue exploring the world of BLOND:ISH and discover more about the artist, music, and mission. Find more on UN Environment Programme and Bye Bye Plastic Bags.
Explore More
Furthermore, Continue exploring the world of BLOND:ISH and discover more about the artist, music, and mission.
Frequently Asked Questions — Bye bye plastic
What is BLOND:ISH’s Bye Bye Plastic initiative?
Notably, Bye Bye Plastic is BLOND:ISH’s environmental project focused on removing single-use plastics from the electronic music industry by 2025. The initiative works with festivals and venues to eliminate items like plastic bags and cups from music events.
How much does plastic cost the music industry?
Most importantly, While specific industry costs aren’t publicly documented, Bye Bye Plastic addresses the environmental cost by providing alternatives to single-use plastic items commonly used at festivals and venues. The initiative focuses on elimination rather than pricing analysis.
When did BLOND:ISH start Bye Bye Plastic?
Ultimately, BLOND:ISH started Bye Bye Plastic after witnessing environmental changes in Tulum over her 12 years of visiting the area. The initiative evolved from personal observations of plastic pollution at music destinations into a formal industry campaign.