Beats for Love
20 ǀ POSITIV 2/2026
UDRŽITELNOST
trends abroad, which is a great source of motivation
for us. It is mainly about having the right number of cups,
their design, distribution to the bars, collection points,
washing, storage and reuse.
The move to the new Beats for Love Universe cup
design, as well as to a new chapter of one-third-litre sizes,
makes sense to us mainly because we have managed
to drastically reduce single-use waste and because
it better reflects how visitors behave at the festival. Not
every drink needs the same volume, and more suitable
sizes help reduce waste, speed up service at the bars
and improve visitor comfort.
We do, of course, monitor and evaluate the return rate,
because that is what shows whether the system also works
in practice. At the same time, it is important to mention
that our older cup editions remain in circulation this year
as well. This means, for example, that a half-litre cup
from the first edition has already been used repeatedly
and is gradually offsetting its production footprint across
several editions of the festival.
A tree for every DJ. How did this idea come about,
and what comes after trees?
The idea of “Trees for Love” came from a simple
thought: when hundreds of artists and thousands
of visitors, including people from all over the world,
come to the festival, and the event naturally has a large
carbon footprint, we want to approach it openly.
We do not want to claim that planting trees will solve
everything. But we see it as one of the concrete steps
through which we address the festival’s impact, trying
to reduce part of its footprint every year and offset part
of it over the long term.
This year, in a village near Frýdek-Místek, where we
have our offices, we planted approximately 2,050 trees.
We do this together with the local grammar school,
which is important to us because the project is not
only about numbers, but also about a relationship
with the place, involving young people and providing
concrete help to our surroundings.
For us, the long-term impact is what matters most when
it comes to trees. A tree that takes root and can grow
for decades will continue to absorb carbon gradually,
even at a time when we ourselves are no longer here.
It is not an instant solution, but a responsible investment
in the future. And that is exactly how we approach it:
reducing the festival’s impact wherever we can, while
also supporting projects that make sense for our region
and for future generations.
Where is the circular economy still most painful
for you? Where would you like to be more sustainable,
but it is not yet possible?
The circular economy is still most challenging for us
where the ideal solution meets the reality of a festival
of this scale. On paper, we often know what would
be the most sustainable option, but in practice, safety,
supplier capacity, price, logistics, storage and, above all,
time all come into play. The festival is built within a short
period of time and everything has to work perfectly.
A major challenge for us is single-use or short-term
materials: shading materials, banners, signage,
decorations, some packaging, exhibition elements
and parts of the backstage infrastructure. We try
to design them so that they can be reused, re-sewn,
adapted or passed on, but this is not always possible.
Sometimes the visual identity, dimensions, partner, safety
requirement or the location itself within the festival site
changes.
In Brno, you are starting from scratch. How are you
transferring circular thinking into an entirely new
environment?
What we are bringing from Ostrava is, above all,
experience. We know that sustainability must not
be something that is added at the very end, when
the festival is practically finished. On the contrary,
sustainability has to be part of production planning
from the very beginning. The production team
is the same, so in everything where it is possible, we are
working in a very similar, if not the same, way.
In Brno, we are building on an already established
system, using proven procedures from Ostrava
and adapting them to the new environment, the new
site and local suppliers.
What can visitors look forward to this year? Are you
preparing anything you are doing for the very first
time?
This year, visitors can look forward above all to a packed
music programme across all four days, but at the same
time we want to show that a festival can operate
in a more modern and responsible way. We are
therefore gradually integrating sustainability directly
into the festival’s operation, from returnable cups
and waste sorting to local projects and the digitalisation
of the festival.
One of the new features is LoveID, through which we
are moving part of the visitor service and ticketing
into a digital format. This means fewer paper tickets,
less printing and fewer single-use materials. At the same
time, it helps us manage operations better and make
the visitor experience more comfortable.
We are also very pleased with this year’s merchandise,
much of which is new and has been created
in collaboration with the local artist City Folklore,
Petra Gherbetz. Through this, we want to show that
festival merchandise does not have to be just a fast-
consumption item, but can have a story, local relevance
and value that makes people keep it for longer.
Almost 5,000 people work on the fesval,
and through mulplier eects we create
approximately 900 year-round jobs.
| Text: Matěj Ohanka, foto: Beats for love, Anna Špundová