Charter

As a festival and as a team we deeply value diversity and inclusion. We recognise and celebrate diversity in our audience and the team that brings Rockstar Energy presents Leeds Festival to life. We will not tolerate discrimination because of someone’s disability, religion, race, gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity in any form. Discriminatory words or actions have no place at Rockstar Energy presents Leeds festival.

Festivals bring together music fans of different backgrounds.

At Festival Republic/Live Nation (FR/LN) we are committed to doing everything we can to promote a culture of inclusion and accessibility for all of our customers.

We aim to provide, and constantly improve on, accessible infrastructure and services, delivered in a way that respects the needs of each individual and does not exclude anyone

We celebrate difference and believe that there is strength in diversity. We welcome all people equally, on, behind and in front of the stage. We have a comprehensive diversity training programme at Festival Republic that is available to each employee.

We recognise that there is a widely reported gender imbalance on the performers at Pepsi MAX presents Leeds Festival. Less widely reported is the same or greater imbalance in some of the producing roles but it is equally on our agenda.

Only 17% of songwriters and composers signed to publishers and fewer than 20% of artists signed to record label rosters are female*and it is in this context that the challenge of achieving equal gender representation needs to be viewed.

Originally started in 2017, we have now reworked and relaunched the groundbreaking ReBalance programme – featuring six emerging women and gender-expansive artists – creating change both on stage and behind the scenes. In addition to the bespoke development opportunities they receive, each artist also gets five days in a studio to record and finish a project, led by a woman or gender-expansive producer and engineer. The offering also includes gig and festival slots, as well as industry masterclasses and other learning opportunities.

The original programme started as an initial three-year projection, halted by the pandemic of 2020. The project provided studio time, mentoring and festival slots to 33 people, many of whom have gone on to sign label deals or work permanently within the industry.

Since 2018 we have committed to increasing the percentage of women and gender-expansive stage managers at our festivals too, from 11% in 2018 to a total of 32% on average across our events in 2021. This far surpasses the industry average and we are looking to do the same in many more roles across our festivals. In 2021 we also contracted the first all-women stage crew at Download Pilot Festival.

We are not passive about the work that needs to be done. ReBalance is a proactive initiative, aimed at creating change within our sector.

We have a huge number of agencies that work at Pepsi MAX presents Leeds Festival to keep everyone safe. Festival Republic and Live Nation have developed a safeguarding policy that outlines our statement of intent towards the well-being and human rights of children, young people and vulnerable adults, and outlines the strategies that we have in place to safeguard customers and staff from abuse, which includes harm and neglect.

Together, as a team, we strive to offer a 24/7 all-inclusive safeguarding system meaning whatever support or treatment is required, it can be provided as quickly as possible within the festival site.  We believe that no one should experience abuse of any kind, and that we have a duty of care to protect customers and staff as much as is practicable and proportionate.  This is regardless of age, disability, gender, race, domestic situation, religion, belief, or sexual orientation.

Helping us deliver our Safeguarding policy are:

Brook – Who offer judgment-free sexual health advice and contraception. They are active in the campsites.

Festival Angels – Active throughout the campsites and offering food in the village, the Festival Angels provide a friendly face and listening ear for festivalgoers.

Salvation Army – The Salvation Army have volunteered at Rockstar Energy presents Leeds Festival for decades, providing emotional and practical support for festivalgoers at their popular tea tent.

Samaritans – the volunteer team are expertly trained at listening and providing comfort to those in need.

ITHINC – For when that friendly face isn’t quite enough, our welfare team provide a warm and comfortable place to stay for however long someone may need. They work hard towards the right outcome depending on the case. This might be providing professional advice, involving the parent(s) and guardian(s), linking in with our partner agencies or enabling everybody to feel safe and happy once more to enjoy the duration of the festival.

Open Road – Providing our Safeguarding coordinators

Code Blue UK – Providing medical care and additional safeguarding team support.

Safe Hubs – the hubs are situated in each campsite to provide practical support for campers as well as being able to signpost festivalgoers to other key services.

The Welfare Crew – Staff the safe hubs with their trained staff and volunteers.

Narcotics Anonymous – Providing free literature and daily recovery meetings.
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In the past we have worked with also worked with Safe Gigs for Women to raise awareness for unwanted attention at gigs and we plan to work with them again this year.

We’re committed to preserving the live music experience and inspiring climate action at our shows. Guided by the Live Nation Green Nation Sustainability Charter, our goal is to cut carbon emissions by 50% by 2030.

Our dedicated sustainability team embeds sustainability action into Leeds Festival and continually looks to improve and introduce new initiatives.

We know that we cannot tackle climate change alone. That’s why we collaborate across the music industry to amplify change. We proudly support initiatives like Vision for Sustainable Events, contribute to The Show Must Go On Report, and the Green Events Code of Practice. We’ve also signed up to Music Declares Emergency.

Explore what we’ve achieved so far at Leeds Festival:

Every year the carbon footprint of each show is measured and audited across all key impact areas in scope 1&2, including energy use, water, and waste.

Energy is our biggest emissions challenge and our top priority. Here’s how we’re tackling it:

• 100% renewable power for all show generators using Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) biodiesel from recycled cooking oil.

• Smart fuel monitoring to right-size generators and cut consumption.

• LED lighting and efficient power planning for every site.

• Active exploration of potential grid connections to reduce reliance on generators.

• Using battery storage and solar hybrids generators where possible.  

• Through our membership of Powerful Thinking we are constantly working to reduce the power consumption at the festival to a minimum.

• We encourage everyone to travel via public transport, including Big Green Coach and provision of shuttle buses from local areas, and encourage carsharing.  

• We track staff and contractor travel to understand and reduce impact.

• We work closely with our contractors to find efficiencies when moving equipment between shows, significantly reducing trucking miles.  

We are committed to implementing closed-loop waste management systems at Leeds Festival and work to support the development of a circular economy.

We apply the waste hierarchy, prioritising waste reduction, followed by reuse and then recycling, energy recovery and disposal. Leeds Festival is zero waste to landfill, and we aim to achieve a 50% (or higher) material recovery rate by 2030.  

• We use Compostable serveware only, and plastic cutlery and straws banned since 2009.

• Everyone is actively encouraged to bring their own reusable bottle to the festival.  

• All water and soft drinks are served in cans. Other drinks are served in paper cups or recycled plastic bottles with a minimum of 30% rPET content.  

• Separate waste streams across our sites encourage everyone to sort their waste and recycle.  

• Our Recycle to Win scheme gives customers the opportunity to win prizes for recycling in the campsite, incentivising positive environmental practices.  

• The deposit return scheme has a 10p return on paper cups, cans, and bottles, encouraging recycling in the arena.

• Recycling bags are distributed to campers, and we have plenty of recycling points in all campsites.  

• We encourage that vendors should be local to the festival and track the vegetarian and vegan options available to festivalgoers.

• We track the environmental credentials of vendors including use of free range, MSC Good Fish Guide, Red Tractor Assured, Fairtrade, and Organic produce.  

• Crew catering does not serve high-carbon food such as beef, and we encourage at least one meat-free day per week in crew catering.

• We measure the amount of water consumed, and self-stopping taps are in operation to minimise water wastage.

• We are committed to collecting and redistributing any surplus food from the festival, and work with local foodbanks and organisations to help us do this.

We engage with fans, artists, and local partners to make sustainability a key part of the festival experience. Our recent projects include:

• Giving a platform to groups such as Climate Live, Oxfam, and Music Declares Emergency.  

• We have a green team in the campsites, engaging with festival goers in the campsites about the sustainability initiatives.

• We take into account ecologically sensitive areas or artefacts of heritage or cultural significance on our sites and work within any local conditions and carry out environmental impact assessments if required to protect local flora and fauna.