You’ll be seeing a lot less plastic at Leeds, Reading, Latitude, Wireless and Download festivals very soon – because their parent company, Live Nation, has pledged to ditch all single-use plastics by 2021.
It’s the latest move in the entertainment industry to weigh in on the plastics debate – and follows Glastonbury, the UK’s biggest festival, to ban the sale of plastic bottles in a bid to reduce its impact on the environment.
“The adverse effects of climate change are undeniable, and we want to use our place on the world stage to be part of the solution,” said Michael Rapino, president of Live Nation. “Together our concerts, venues, festivals and offices around the world are setting new sustainability standards for live events.”
[Read More: Why is there plastic in my can of beer?]
Earlier this month, The Association of Independent Festivals (AIF), a membership body for 60 independent festivals, called on people to take their tents home with them and stop using single-use plastics.
The AIF wants to reduce the estimated 250,000 tents left at music festivals across the UK every year – most of which aren’t collected by charities and can’t be recycled, meaning they end up in landfill.
The average tent weighs 3.5kg and is mostly made of plastic – the equivalent of 8,750 straws or 250 pint cups, the AIF said.
It’s also calling on retailers to stop marketing the tents as single use, by promoting them specifically for festival use and selling them cheap.
If you’re heading to a festival this year and want to reduce your impact on the environment, have a read of our eco-friendly festival guide here.