Tomorrowland publishes 2025 Sustainability Journey, highlighting major steps in circularity, renewable energy, mobility and biodiversity

Antwerp, Belgium – July 24 – Tomorrowland has published its third Sustainability Journey, documenting the progress and concrete actions taken across Tomorrowland Belgium and Tomorrowland Winter in 2025 to reduce environmental impact and accelerate the transition towards more sustainable festival operations. The 2025 report highlights major milestones in waste management, renewable energy, sustainable mobility, water conservation, circular systems and biodiversity, while outlining the long-term ambitions towards 2030.

Circularity at scale: moving towards a zero-waste festival model

In 2025, Tomorrowland Belgium achieved a 45% recycling rate across the festival grounds, measured outside DreamVille. The result reflects the transition towards more circular systems, including the full implementation of the festival’s smart reusable cup system.

Developed together with Belgian partners Aucxis, CupNation, deSter and Weezevent, the RFID-based system was rolled out across Tomorrowland Belgium in 2025. Every reusable cup, plate, bowl and piece of cutlery is connected to the visitor’s cashless card, enabling visitors to return items through dedicated Cup Return Stations and receive an automatic deposit refund.

Across the festival grounds, 900 custom-designed CALYX sorting bins supported the separation of 15 different waste streams. More than 500 Recycle Team volunteers operated 70 mobile collection points and distributed 25,000 recycle kits to visitors.

Additional circular initiatives included:

First fossil fuel-free main festival site

One of the biggest operational milestones of 2025 was the transition from conventional diesel to HVO100 biofuel across the main Tomorrowland Belgium festival site. In partnership with Comfort Energy, HVO100 replaced fossil diesel for energy generation, resulting in a 54% reduction in energy-related emissions compared to 2024. This marked the first year that fossil fuels were eliminated from on-site energy generation at the main festival site.

A 500 kWh battery storage system was also introduced at DreamVille to reduce peak demand and optimise generator use during camping operations.

Tomorrowland Winter has operated without fossil fuels for on-site energy generation since 2024, combining grid connection with HVO100 and achieving an estimated 80–90% reduction in energy-related carbon emissions compared to previous diesel-based systems.

Reducing emissions through sustainable mobility

Mobility remains one of the key areas where Tomorrowland continues to work towards reducing its environmental footprint.

In 2025:

Saving water and closing resource loops

Water conservation remains a key focus within Tomorrowland’s environmental strategy.

At Tomorrowland Winter, vacuum toilets reduced flush water consumption by more than 90%, saving approximately 606,000 litres of water in 2025.

A pilot project with HappeeServices collected 2,000 litres of visitor urine, transforming it into bio-fertiliser used in French agriculture. This circular solution supported the fertilisation of approximately 800 hectares of farmland and avoided an estimated 70 tonnes of CO₂-equivalent emissions linked to synthetic fertiliser production.

By 2030, Tomorrowland aims to save 10 million litres of festival water annually compared to the 2019 baseline.

Protecting biodiversity around the festival site

Beyond reducing its operational footprint, Tomorrowland continues to invest in restoring natural ecosystems around De Schorre.

The six-year biodiversity partnership with Natuurpunt at Kleiputten Terhagen, a 325-hectare nature area adjacent to the festival site, reached an important milestone in 2025. The area now ranks 7th in the Flemish bee species ranking, with:

Innovation driving the future of sustainable events

Innovation continues to play an important role in transforming festival operations.

In 2025, Tomorrowland introduced the ECO2JET system, replacing traditional CO₂ jets on selected stages. The technology creates the same visual smoke effects without emitting CO₂ and eliminates the need for gas bottles.

Together with industry partners, Tomorrowland is also participating in SUSTAFEST, a Flemish Government knowledge-sharing initiative connecting major Belgian festivals to address shared challenges around energy, water and circularity.

Looking ahead to 2030

The 2025 Sustainability Journey marks another step in Tomorrowland’s long-term ambition to reduce the environmental impact of large-scale events.

The focus for the coming years remains clear: increasing circularity, reducing emissions, protecting ecosystems and developing innovative solutions that can contribute to a more sustainable future for festivals and the wider events industry.

Tomorrowland’s 2030 sustainability ambitions include:

The full Sustainability Journey 2025 report is available at: https://www.lovetomorrow.com/sustainability-journey