Sustainability at Download

Download Festival has an impact on the environment because of the transport taken, energy used, waste generated, water use as well as the food and drink consumed. The Show Must Go On Report 2020 shows that the biggest impacts for Festivals are travel, energy and waste.

As set out in our Festival Charter we have a responsibility to preserve the live music experience for generations to come and the opportunity to use our platform to inspire global environmental action.

Our aim is to use 100% renewable energy from either biofuel or mains supply by 2030, and in 2024 we powered Download with a massive 97% Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO), from an 7% share of total fuel in 2019.  HVO is made from used cooking oil and is completely fossil fuel free.

The Rock Retreat was completely run on renewable solar and batteries in 2024 too.

We’ve made it easy for you to have the best time at Liquid Death Presents Download Festival while reducing your environmental impact.

If you’ve been to Download for the past decade-plus, you’ll have noticed that none of the traders are dealing with any single-use plastic and serve-ware. The same can be said for plastic bottles, with water and other drinks served in cans or paper cups.

• We encourage you to bring empty sports or metal refillable bottles of any size to refill at the water points for free.  You can also buy Download branded bottles.
• All paper cups, cans and bottles sold in the arena have a 10p deposit included in the price which you can redeem at the refund points in the arena (minimum return 5 for 50p)

Travelling to the festival makes up 80% of the total carbon emissions generated (source: The Show Must Go On Report, 2020). You could travel by lower carbon forms of travel to Download such as coach, train with direct shuttle buses to the festival or carshare to help reduce this. See our travel page for all options and check out this handy carbon calculator to see how much you could save in emissions if you came by train – I Came By Train | Sustainable Travel | Green Low Carbon Trains

£1 of our car parking passes are donated to Trees for Cities. To date, 22 Standard trees have been planted in Derby, with 18 people engaged in planting events. 2,150 whips were planted in Nottingham across three sites, engaging 85 people including 12 children. 1500 whips were planted in Kirkby-in Ashfield.

• These projects all contribute towards increasing canopy cover, increasing biodiversity and contributes towards carbon sequestration, improving air quality for local communities.

• Trees For Cities also hope to increase inequalities around access to green space as studies have shown a correlation between higher levels of deprivation and lower levels of access to quality green space.  These factors in turn lead to greater physical and mental wellbeing of local residents.

Using tents for the weekend only is a big no.  We’ve all seen those videos of sites covered in camping equipment that people have left behind and it is impossible for festivals to collect and reuse every one – in fact, most of them end up being burnt for energy. Invest in a decent tent that will last you the weekend and you can reuse for years to come.

If you have any broken tents chairs, gazebos and empty batteries, please take them to the Recycling Points in the campsites. Any non-perishable, unopened, food or hygiene products can be donated at the Help Hubs after the festival.

The Eco-Camp provides space for its campers to connect with and respects nature – a community who value spending time in the beautiful fields just as much as listening to their favourite bands. This is a place where everyone wants to keep their camp clean and recycling is second nature, a place to meet like-minded people.

There is no extra cost to stay in The Eco-Camp, it just requires every guest to sign up to the following principles:

1. All guests agree to being responsible for their gear and take responsibility for any waste they produce.
2.  All guests agree to separate their recyclables in the recycling facilities and put any residual waste in the bins provided.
3. All guests agree to leave the Eco-Camp exactly as they found it. All camping equipment that is brought in must be taken home again.
4. Guests are encouraged to have fun, play, explore, respect fellow campers, and enjoy the wonderful, natural surroundings.

Visit our Tickets page for the Eco-Camp tickets (note to access you must hold a valid weekend camping ticket to Download Festival).