Entrepreneurs give new life to abandoned festival tents: 'I never thought these tents would be as throw-away as they are'

After the UK's Creamfields and Leeds festivals in 2023, Lauren Mason and Benjamin Harman collected 50 tents and 30 sleeping bags left behind by concert-goers.

"I never thought these tents would be as throw-away as they are," Mason told the BBC . Now, the two Sheffield locals have upcycled those discarded items into products like lunch bags , scrunchies , and carry totes as part of their new company, Retribe.

The BBC reported on the festival waste problem and Retribe's answer to it, adding that an estimated 250,000 tents are left at UK music festivals each summer, per the Association of Independent Festivals. According to Mason, festival-goers incorrectly believed that their tents would be cleaned up or donated to charity.

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These tents and sleeping bags add to a growing problem creeping up in landfills — textile waste. For instance, more than 100 million tons of clothing is dumped into landfills each year, according to Earth.org . This not only leads to mountains of garbage, but it can also turn into an environmental hazard, as textiles can leach toxic chemicals and dyes into the groundwater and soil. Plus, they release methane, a powerful planet-warming gas, as they break down.

Retribe is one of a number of do-good companies looking to combat this problem. For instance, Patagonia's Worn Wear program accepts used clothing and gear in exchange for store credit. Then, the company resells or recycles these items. The North Face has a similar initiative.

"We're raising awareness so that people stop doing this," Mason told the BBC, which reported that the 2024 Leeds Festival took action by partnering with a local sports and outdoor equipment store that rented returnable tents to concert-goers on-site.

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Meanwhile, on its website, Retribe sells itself on the uniqueness of its products.

"Our fabrics are recycled from products that would have gone to landfill," one product description read . "They are not perfect, which is part of our charm. ... No one's perfect, so why should your product be? Embrace it! Just know you have saved something from waste."