Op weg naar een circulair en klimaatpositief festival

The sustainable mission of Into The Great Wide Open

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A social and circular society is the future. To achieve this, a sustainable transition is necessary. Into The Great Wide Open and Lab Vlieland view festivals as the ideal testing ground, driver, and platform for this transition. The urgency is high, and Into The Great Wide Open is eager to take on the challenge with the ambition of becoming a fully circular and climate-positive festival.

What does circular and climate-positive mean for ITGWO?

Circular: no waste burning or dumping; all materials must be reused, recycled, or composted. Purchased products must be second-hand, refurbished, biobased, or made from recycled materials.
Climate-positive: net capturing more CO₂ than emitted, both in scopes 1, 2, and 3, as well as for historical emissions.

Achieving this ambition is a huge task that ITGWO wants to accomplish together with artists, volunteers, staff, partners, suppliers, and visitors. The approach consists of four clear steps:

Prevent and reduce: organize energy and material use as efficiently as possible.
Switching: use renewable energy sources such as solar and wind energy and employ waste-free materials.
Cleaning up residual emissions: store unavoidable emissions in stable carbon storage.
Cleaning up historical emissions: compensate for all greenhouse gas emissions from previous editions.

By collecting data about its footprint for years, ITGWO has a clear picture of the current situation. The most recent data shows that the festival is getting closer to its goals.

Progress and results

CLIMATE EMISSIONS AND CLEANUP

Energy: in 2023, ITGWO ran 85% on solar energy from Vlieland. In 2024, this rose to 95%, partly due to Greener batteries and a green hydrogen generator from Watermeln, which powered an entire festival location.
In 2025, ITGWO will continue on its chosen path and aim for 100% Vlieland solar and NL wind energy; this year we should make it happen.
Construction: in 2024, the entire festival switched to emission-free construction equipment. Electric forklifts, gators, and vans replaced all fossil fuel alternatives. This led to almost zero CO₂ emissions, nitrogen deposition, particulate matter, and construction noise.
In 2025, ITGWO will build on this by organizing a large part of the logistics system - both on the island and on the mainland - fossil-free and sometimes even emission-free.
Travel: thanks to the Good Travel program, emissions from visitors have already decreased further and further. In 2025, for the first time, less than half of the visitors (51%) traveled fossil-free to the festival. That is a decrease of 20% compared to 2018. The Good Travel surcharge will therefore remain €15 in 2026, making fossil travel options relatively more expensive and the incentive to travel fossil-free to the festival stronger. Add to that the Fossil-free Important People (FIP) campaign and the many fossil-free travel options, and sustainable travel becomes the most logical, affordable, and fun way to travel.

Transition Fund: Sustainable Financing

The budget created through the Good Travel program goes into the Transition Fund. The Transition Fund is an innovative financial model that enables ITGWO to accelerate its own sustainable transition, by both introducing an internal carbon price of €90 per ton and making a sustainable transition budget available. Read more about the transition fund here.

ON THE WAY TO CIRCULAR

On the way to 0 waste, ITGWO set new records again. The use of 100% reusable tableware, absence of waste bins (collection points and post-separation), and rigorous waste management led to a reduction of residual waste to just 50 grams per visitor per day in 2024. This is one of the lowest figures in the sector and only 14% of the national average. In 2025, ITGWO aims for at least an equal achievement.

ITGWO AS A PLATFORM FOR SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION

This year, all emissions-free energy, emissions-free transport & construction equipment, and biobased building materials projects have been consolidated in the brand new Construction Site of the Future. With an extensive program featuring major construction partners and the Doen Foundation, ITGWO this year can not only pursue its own ambitions but also contribute even more to the sustainability of the construction sector. Active collaboration with pioneers and companies shows how festivals can serve as drivers of innovation and as an inspiring example for others.

With a clear vision, innovative solutions, and joint efforts, ITGWO is making great strides towards a circular and climate-positive future.