My story:

My name's Lauren, I'm a busy mum of two wild boys, I have a full time job and I own an upcycling company called ReTribe Clothing. 

ReTribe is my “passion project” - the aim was to reduce what goes to landfill from festival sites, in particular tents. I started ReTribe after being made redundant from a job I loved - I wasn’t ready to go back into the corporate world and had a passion for sustainability. 

I’d seen the devastation left after festivals on the news and decided, as I’m a technical clothing designer, to go to one, collect “a” tent and try and make something from it.

When I arrived at the aftermath of the festival I couldn’t believe it, the scenes were apocalyptic! Boots, chairs, rubbish and tents, so many tents were abandoned. Over 80% of tents that year were left after a festival up north.

I filmed the waste left over and my ideas about what I could do with it and it went viral - all of a sudden I had this purpose and a company.

Fast forward a few years and I’ve been using my platform to educate people about the waste to put a stop to it, but this year, nothing had changed, I felt like I’d failed. This is when I decided to launch this petition and really aim to make a difference.

Please have a read, get in touch, sign the petition and spread the word. Let’s be the change together!

The issue:

The aftermath of music festivals is often a distressing sight: fields littered with tents, sleeping bags, and various camping gear left behind by attendees. These items contribute significantly to environmental pollution and create a monumental task for clean-up crews. Festivals should be joyous celebrations, not events that leave a heavy ecological footprint. It is time for festivals to step up and implement strategies to drastically reduce the amount of equipment left behind.

A staggering number of tents are discarded after festivals each year. According to a report from the Festival Waste Management Coalition, over 250,000 tents are abandoned annually in the UK alone, generating approximately 900 metric tonnes of plastic waste.

This waste not only harms the local wildlife but also poses a significant environmental threat as tents are made from materials that are not biodegradable or easily recyclable.

There are actionable solutions available that festivals can adopt to address this issue. One approach is the implementation of deposit schemes, where attendees pay a small fee that is refunded upon returning their camping equipment. Another effective strategy is to partner with local charities who can repurpose left-behind tents and gear for humanitarian aid. Additionally, educational campaigns targeting festival-goers before and during the event can raise awareness about the impact of waste and encourage more responsible behaviour.

Some festivals have already started to adopt these practices with great success. The Glastonbury Festival, for example, has seen a significant decrease in waste through their "Love Worthy Farm, Leave No Trace" initiative, which encourages attendees to clean up after themselves and reinforces the importance of preserving the environment.

For the sake of our planet, we urge all festival organisers to acknowledge their responsibility in mitigating environmental impact. Implementing systems to reduce waste and promote sustainability in festival operations is not only feasible but necessary.

Join the movement to make festivals eco-friendly and sustainable by adding your voice to this petition. Sign now and help ensure that our love for music and community does not come at the expense of our environment.

My three goals:

1. Pass legislation to impose a duty on festival organisers to responsibly manage waste left after festivals.
2. Educate organisers and attendees about sustainable practices.
3. Promote solutions to prevent landfill, through deposit schemes, tagging, and shared knowledge.