Decathlon Campaign Urges Festival-Goers Not To Abandon Their Tents

Around 250,000 tents are left behind at festivals across the UK each year with most going to landfill. Leading outdoor retailers Decathlon are trialling a new campaign aimed at reducing the number of their entry-level tents that are abandoned at festivals during the summer. The first stage of the No Tent Left Behind campaign is a trial period for tents purchased in 2023, and returned before the 21st July. The trial is running to coincide with Glastonbury Festival in order to assess uptake before the campaign is evolved for future festivals. Chris Allen, Sustainability Leader at Decathlon UK, said:

‘Festival season is one of the busiest periods in our stores because of our wide camping offering. We know single-use tents are an environmental problem, and aim to reduce the amount left behind with our No Tent Left Behind campaign. We’re deeply committed to reducing our environmental impact, and will give a full refund in the form of a gift card on this tent to demonstrate our commitment to encouraging people to bring their tent home.’

As part of the campaign, customers are encouraged to make a ‘Festival Tent Pledge’, and upon doing so will be offered the chance to return the Quechua MH100 2 person tent (RRP £29.99) after use, providing it is complete and in working order. Customers that participate will be credited with a £29.99 gift card to spend in store or online. The price of the tent makes it one of the most likely tents to be left behind by festival-goers and the new cash back initiative hopes to incentivise customers to return the tent for it to be resold as part of the Second Life range, ultimately prolonging the lifespan of tents and reducing single-use consumption.