Tents used at Electric Picnic in Laois can be returned for 100% store credit in new initiative

A leading retail store is encouraging the re-use of tents by offering festival goers the chance to recoup half the cash value or 100 percent in store credit if they return festival worn tents.

Decathlon Ireland announced the offer in their “No Tent Left Behind’ pledge which is designed to make sure tents are brought back from summer festivals.

The timely initiative is being announced just weeks ahead of this years Electric Picnic Music and Arts festival in Stradbally.

Launched in Ireland for the first time earlier this summer, the initiative is designed to tackle one of the most visible environmental issues associated with festivals and outdoor events: tents being abandoned after just a single weekend and ultimately ending up in landfill.

“As thousands of people prepare to pack their wellies, sleeping bags and tents for a much-anticipated weekend of music and camping, Decathlon is encouraging festivalgoers to think ahead and make packing up their tent part of the journey home,” the retailer said in a statement.

The ‘No Tent Left Behind’ initiative encourages customers to purchase a selected Decathlon tent, enjoy it throughout the summer and return it to a Decathlon retail store in Ireland by Saturday, September 5, along with their purchase receipt. In return, customers receive 100% of the original purchase value back on a Decathlon gift card or 50% cash refund.

Returned tents are refurbished and resold through Decathlon’s Second Life programme, extending their lifespan and making quality outdoor equipment more accessible to others. The initiative is operating as a dedicated pilot programme in Ireland this year, following its success in the UK, where it has evolved from a single-product trial into a nationwide programme.

Festival tents can contain a significant amount of plastic and other materials, meaning something left behind in a field after a few nights of camping can have an impact long after the crowds have gone home.

“Decathlon’s pledge is designed to make responsible camping easier and more rewarding by giving eligible tents another life rather than allowing them to become waste. As part of the Irish pilot programme, the initiative applies to a strictly limited selection of entry-level festival tents* that are among the types most commonly abandoned at outdoor events,” the retailer said.

Director of Sustainability & Circular Economy at Decathlon UK & Ireland, Chris Allen said: “As we head into one of the biggest weekends of the summer festival season, we want to remind people that packing up your tent should be just as much a part of the weekend as pitching it in the first place."

“Our ‘No Tent Left Behind’ Pledge is about making that choice as easy as possible. Bring your eligible tent home after the festival, return it to us by the deadline, and we can give it another life through our Second Life programme. Small changes in how we camp can help create a much more responsible festival culture.”

Whether heading off for a final festival weekend, squeezing in a late-summer camping trip or escaping to the countryside, Decathlon is encouraging people to enjoy the outdoors without leaving their equipment behind.

The message for festivalgoers packing their bags next week is simple: enjoy the weekend, pack up your campsite and make sure your tent makes the journey home too.

Eligible tents must be returned to a Decathlon retail store in Ireland with the original purchase receipt no later than Sunday, September 6, 2026 to qualify for the pledge.

For more information, check out decathlon.ie and follow @decathlon_ireland on Instagram.