Smukfest takes circular solutions to the next level

Last year, 20 new ReTent accommodation units were put to the test at Smukfest. This year, that number has grown to 220. What began as a student project has, in just a few years, developed into a tangible circular solution that is now being tested on a much larger scale – and across several Danish festivals.

The development of ReTent is a great example of what can happen when a challenge is made tangible and multiple stakeholders come together to solve it.

A few years ago, engineering student Victoria Bolther Rugaard investigated the climate impact of the thousands of tents that Smukfest purchased and resold to festivalgoers each year. The findings were surprising: the tents accounted for a significant share of the festival’s CO₂ footprint. At the time, Smukfest was purchasing around 5,900 tents a year, presenting a clear environmental challenge that needed to be addressed.

That became the starting point for ReTent.

From student project to company

The goal was to develop an accommodation solution that could be used again and again – while also meeting the practical demands of a festival.

ReTent is made from recycled plastic and built from modules that can be dismantled and packed flat, making them easier to transport and store between festivals. If a part breaks, the component can also be returned, granulated and used to make new modules.

Last year, 20 ReTents were tested at Smukfest. Feedback from festivalgoers has since been used to refine the solution – right down to the size of the door, making sure there is enough room to bring those all-important crates of beer inside and keep them dry.

In 2026, the pilot has grown to 220 ReTents at Smukfest. Another 40 have already been used at Roskilde Festival, and a further 100 will subsequently move on to Tønder Festival. The ambition is for each ReTent to be used at least ten times.

The project has also evolved organisationally. What began as an idea and later became a business is now a jointly owned company, with Smukfest and Victoria Bolther Rugaard each holding a 50% stake.

Fewer single-use tents

For a circular solution to make a real difference, it needs to replace something else.

That shift is now becoming visible. Three years ago, Smukfest purchased around 5,900 conventional tents. This year, that figure has fallen to around 4,100. The plan is to increase the number of reusable accommodation units in the coming years while reducing the number of single-use tents accordingly.

ReTent also demonstrates that circular design is about more than materials alone. When a product is designed to be used again and again, durability, repair, transport, cleaning and storage become equally important parts of the equation.

There are still challenges to overcome, however. Among them, the project has encountered regulatory issues relating to the movement of recycled materials across national borders.

The best sorting starts before the bin

ReTent is just one part of Smukfest’s circular efforts.

At the festival’s sorting facility, around 20 people work to ensure that materials are separated into fractions that are as clean as possible. Several hundred mini-containers circulate between the festival site and the sorting area, where they are emptied, cleaned and sent back into circulation.

But experience also shows that technical systems cannot do the job alone.

Smukfest has therefore made a targeted effort to provide information and guidance to volunteers, food stalls and other stakeholders. And it appears to be working. According to waste management partner Marius Pedersen A/S, sorting errors in the mini-containers have fallen significantly compared with last year.

People also play a crucial role out among the festivalgoers.

The festival’s 62 recycling guides move around the campsites, encouraging guests to sort their waste and clean up after themselves. Their approach is deliberately informal: quizzes, competitions, humour and conversations rather than finger-wagging.

As the head of the recycling guides explains, their most important tool is building relationships. It is about meeting festivalgoers where they are and making it easy and fun to do things differently.

At the sorting facility, the initial impression is also that there is simply less waste being left behind in the forest than in previous years. It is too early to draw any firm conclusions, but both drivers and staff have noticed the change.

The festival as a laboratory

Smukfest is also working with circular solutions in other areas.

This year’s merchandise T-shirt, for example, contains 30% fibres from discarded textiles, including textile waste collected in Skanderborg Municipality. The festival has ordered 16,000 T-shirts, using its purchasing power to help create demand for new material solutions.

At the same time, the festival is working to increase its use of grid electricity rather than generators and is in the process of seeking Nordic Swan Ecolabel certification for the event.

What these initiatives have in common is that Smukfest serves as a place where solutions can be developed, tested and then taken further.

This is also at the heart of the value-chain collaboration in Closing Loops: a circular economy is rarely created by one company alone. It takes someone to develop the product, others to supply the materials, someone to manufacture it, others to use the solution – and many who are willing to create the demand.

With ReTent, that circle has grown since last summer.

From 20 to 220 in just one year. And perhaps more importantly: from a pilot at a single festival to a solution that is already moving on to others.