Among the measures already taken have been a switch in fuel to hydrotreated vegetable oil ( HVO ), which is expected to considerably reduce emissions from fuel consumption . The sale of single-use plastic bottles was banned in 2019 , attendees are encouraged to bring their own reusable bottles and food serveware , while all food serveware at the festival is now compostable . To reduce the impact of audience travel , ticket buyers are encouraged to travel by public transport – with coaches running from 61 locations around the UK to the festival site near Winchester .

This year ’ s event also saw the unveiling of a new main stage called Origin , built using live plants , sustainable materials , and recycled elements from the previous main stage .

“ We ’ ve already made lots of quick wins but one of the most important steps is the work we ’ re doing with our staff , design teams and contractors to embed circular economy principles into everyone ’ s decision making ,” says Ford . “ One of our biggest impacts and areas to change is the way we design the festival and what we buy to build it .”

She says that to create a clear route map to Net Zero ,

This year ’ s festival included a stage made from recycled and sustainable materials

the Boomtown team has been measuring the event ’ s carbon footprint for years , but this year it also started measuring the impact of the supply chain in order to get a more complete picture .

Ford says the switch to HVO this year reduced the event ’ s overall footprint by 20 %: “ The HVO we ’ re using is produced from used cooking oil and complies with the Renewable Energy Directive ( RED II ) and the International Sustainability and Carbon Certificate system . The company we use is audited on this annually under the Renewable Fuel Assurance Scheme on their controls and processes for ensuring the provenance of the fuel .”

Other energy sources at Boomtown include the use of mains electricity to provide power to areas including campsites , a solar powered

Emily Ford

system to power IT masts , and the use of a hydrogen generator from Hydrologiq .

There is also a major push at Boomtown to reduce litter levels and encourage people to take their possessions , including their tent , home with them . Among the initiatives is a team of “ ecowarriors ” who move throughout the festival site encouraging attendees to respect the environment , they also reward the best efforts with free event tickets and merchandise .

Says Ford , “ After the two-year hiatus , we ’ ve had a lot of time to step back and really take stock of what Boomtown is , and what we stand for . We are absolutely committed to putting the environment at the core of everything we do .”