Op weg naar een circulair en klimaatpositief festival
The sustainable mission of Into The Great Wide Open
Projects
Content
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 incineration or dumping; reuse, recycle, or compost all materials. Purchased products must be second-hand, refurbished, biobased, or made from recycled materials.
Climate-positive: sequestering more CO₂ than is emitted, both in scope 1, 2, and 3, as well as for historical emissions.
Achieving this ambition is an enormous task that ITGWO wants to accomplish together with artists, volunteers, employees, partners, suppliers, and visitors. The approach consists of four clear steps:
Avoiding and reducing: organizing energy and material use as efficiently as possible.
Switching: using renewable energy sources such as solar and wind energy and implementing waste-free materials.
Cleaning up residual emissions: sequestering unavoidable emissions in stable carbon storage.
Cleaning up historical emissions: compensating for all greenhouse gas emissions from previous editions.
By collecting data about its footprint for years, ITGWO has a clear picture of the current state of affairs. The most recent data shows that the festival is increasingly closer to its goals.
Progress and results
Energy: in 2023, ITGWO runs on 85% solar energy from Vlieland. In 2024, this rose to 95%, partly due to a green hydrogen generator from Watermeln, which provided power to an entire festival site.
Construction: the festival fully switched to emissions-free construction equipment. Electric forklifts, gators, and vans replaced all fossil alternatives. This led to nearly zero CO₂ emissions, nitrogen deposition, particulate matter, and construction noise.
Mobility: thanks to the Good Travel program, visitor emissions further decreased. With a €10 incentive per ticket, visitors were encouraged to travel fossil-free.
Transition Fund: sustainable financing
The budget created through the Good Travel program went to a new Transition Fund. The Transition Fund is an innovative financial model that ITGWO actively shares with other organizations to accelerate their sustainability. This fund finances:
The cleaning up of unavoidable emissions from 2024.
The compensation of historical emissions.
Projects that further help reduce emissions, internally and in the supply chain.
Circular waste management
On the way to 0 residual waste, ITGWO broke records again. The use of 100% reusable dishes, the absence of waste bins (collection points and post-separation), and rigorous waste management resulted in 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.
ITGWO as a platform for sustainable innovation
By positioning the festival as a construction site of the future, ITGWO has not only supported its own ambitions but also contributed to the sustainability of the construction sector. Active collaboration with pioneers and companies shows how festivals can function 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.
