Decathlon has pledged to offer a full gift card refund for the return of every tent it sells this summer, to encourage campers and festival-goers not to abandon them.
The retailer’s No Tent Left Behind pledge builds on previous years to now include every Decathlon brand tent across both its Quechua and Simond ranges.
Customers who buy any of the tents online or in store between June 9 and September 14, and return it with proof of purchase before September 14, will receive the full purchase value back in the form of a Decathlon gift card, regardless of how much they have used it.
Those participating need to be a Decathlon member at the time of returning the tent.
Decathlon said the pledge allowed more customers than ever before to make responsible choices that countered the significant environmental issue of abandoned tents.
A typical single-use tent contains as much plastic as 9,000 straws or 200 bottles.
It also said the pledge lowered the barrier to outdoor adventures, and encouraged the curious to invest in a tent for a camping experience safe in the knowledge they could return it at the end of the season if their needs changed.
Decathlon UK sustainability leader Chris Allen said: “The evolution of the No Tent Left Behind promise reflects our deep commitment to circularity and listening to our customers.
“What started with one tent has grown into a commitment across our entire range, driven by the public’s desire to make more responsible choices.
“By making it easy and rewarding to bring tents back, we’re not only reducing waste across all camping activities, but also creating a vital supply chain for our Second Life programme, making quality outdoor gear accessible to even more people.
“This is about driving systemic change and changing camping culture for the better.”
Broadcaster Vick Hope, who is supporting this year’s campaign, said: “Whether you’re dancing at Glasto, on a hilltop, or roasting marshmallows with family, your tent deserves more than one weekend of glory.
“Decathlon’s pledge is brilliant because it simplifies doing the right thing.”
End-of-life tents from previous seasons have been repurposed and transformed into oversized flags bearing the message “I’m not leaving my tent behind, you shouldn’t either”, and will appear across festivals and campsites.
