Music festivals could boost their revenue and slash their carbon output by using the pioneering women’s urinal developed by Bristol University spin-out PEEQUAL, research has shown.
Some 5,000 women have now tested PEEQUAL’s innovative toilets following trials this summer at festivals including Shambala, Valley Fest and The Bristol Comedy Garden.
PEEQUAL founders, recent graduates Amber Probyn and Hazel McShane, described the feedback from the trials as fantastic and said it reinforced the fact that they were six times faster to use than conventional portable toilets and reduced carbon output by 98% over more traditional methods.
PEEQUAL also estimated that Reading Festival alone could generate an extra £1.5m in sales if it were to deploy the urinals.
Amber and Hazel devised the concept while working at festivals and facing the dilemma of either standing in a toilet queue or having lunch during their break.
Amber said: “We started thinking about the normalisation of long queues for women’s toilets and the structural inequality that it represents.”
She said some women taking part in the trials love the urinals, some were uncomfortable with the idea and some who were unsure were driven by convenience when they see how short the queues are.
“Ultimately, our aim is to benefit all women by taking pressure off the lockable cubicles,” she said.
Long loo queues are also commercially bad for large events as time waiting reduces time spent at food and merchandise stalls.
Women may also be incentivised to reduce their drink intake to avoid waiting in long toilet queues.
Hazel added: “Our touch-free, semi-private design encourages users to be quick and offers much greater space efficiency – which is what makes it six times faster.”
The reduced carbon output comes from re-utilising cycled polyethylene as well as a flatpack design that significantly reduces the number of lorries required to transport the urinals.
PEEQUAL’s growth has been part fuelled by a £15,000 grant from university’s New Enterprise Competition, secured with support and advice from Innovate UK EDGE Access to Funding and finance manager Dr Ben Masheder.
Amber said: “Ben’s extremely knowledgeable and flexible, he’ll adapt to your learning style and his support was instrumental for us.”
“We’ve also participated in Innovate UK EDGE’s Pitchfest scheme, which really helped us to understand what investors are looking for and deliver much more professional, polished pitches.”
Innovate UK EDGE business planning specialist Heather Wright also helped refine PEEQUAL’s growth strategy and turn its vision into tangible market value.
“Heather’s one of the most influential advisors we’ve ever had, we wouldn’t be growing like we are now without her support,” said Hazel.
