Ecology
How can a brand called Who got the flower?! not care about the environment? Our love for nature and our desire to preserve it have always been at the heart of everything we do. Starting with the 2024 edition, we’ve stepped up our efforts. And we don’t plan on stopping there!
I'm working on making the Wgtf?! more eco-friendly. My job is to compile a large dataset on the festival to calculate its carbon footprint and come up with ways to improve it.
A carbon footprint is a set of methods used to measure the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by a project. It helps identify the factors that contribute most to emissions and, subsequently, develop measures to reduce those emissions.
Calculating our carbon footprint has allowed us to measure the progress we've made.
The result: a 26% reduction in CO2 emissions per festival-goer! A big thank you to all the partners, volunteers, and festival-goers who worked together to make this a success. Our efforts have paid off, so let’s keep it up! Here are our eco-friendly measures for 2026.
As in 2024, the organizing team made a bold decision: to bring in the French guest artists by train, bus, or carpool, but not by plane. Air travel emits 80 times more CO2 than the TGV. This decision aligns with the measure adopted by the Citizens’ Climate Convention in 2020.
So what about you? How are you getting there?
Every French artist, or artist residing in France, invited by the festival travels using sustainable transportation.
The festival collaborates with several hip-hop events to coordinate the travel schedules of international dancers. Together, we aim to create a major French/European hip-hop event to encourage artists to stay in the region longer and thereby reduce the number of round-trip flights.
Festivalgoers who choose to ride their bikes or take public transportation will receive a free drink with every drink they purchase. The person who covers the longest distance will walk away with a one-of-a-kind screen-printed T-shirt!
To enter the cycling challenge: log your bike route on a platform like Strava, Géovélo, or Komoot, and take a photo of yourself on your bike! To enter the public transit challenge: show your ticket and a photo of yourself on the train or bus at the ticket office, and you’re in!
This year, we’re offering bike-sharing services. You can borrow a bike to ride home, get to the campground safely, or take a ride to Les Lônes! More information is available at the ticket office, and reservations can be made at the festival’s luggage storage area.
7 out of 10 drivers are alone in their cars. This year, WGTF?! is launching a photo contest! Send us your best selfie. The most creative (and the most entries!) will be rewarded—and so will their cars!
Every year, the volunteer T-shirts are reused. With its 190 volunteers, the festival thus prevents the emission of over a ton of CO2—the equivalent of more than 2,000 vegetarian meals!
In partnership with the R de récup recycling center and screen printer Zoal_encre, WGTF?! offers a range of clothes you can upcycle right on the spot! You can also bring in your old clothes to give them a new look! The launch of the thrift shop has reduced CO2 emissions from the merchandise sector by 13%.
To reduce its environmental impact, WGTF?! is doing away with live streaming and 4K.
This year, the festival’s challenge is to encourage food trucks to reduce their carbon footprint. To that end, we’re working on a charter designed to help our food trucks transition to organic and locally sourced ingredients. We also provide two-thirds of the vegetarian food options!
We’re proud to say that all of our beverages come from within a 50-kilometer radius! And yes, WGTF?! It’s global in scope but benefits the local community.
With Mamizinz (the chef), everything is vegetarian and locally sourced! For several years now, our catering manager has been providing vegetarian meals made with ingredients from local producers to our volunteers and guest artists. Our partner Biocoop is helping us make the switch to organic! A big thank you to them.
In partnership with the local printing company Notre Dame, the festival reuses its signage materials. This means we avoid producing over 100 kg of PVC every year!
All of the festival’s tableware is reusable: bottles, eco-cups, plates, cutlery, and more. There will be designated drop-off points where you can return your dirty dishes. A team of volunteers will be in charge of washing them. Every year, we wash over 3,500 plates!
At WGTF?!, the stage design is carefully planned so that it can be reused year after year. The Hip-hop Village is a prime example. We build it using recycled materials, which are repaired and upgraded every year. In 2025, the pop-up shop run by our partner R de recup helped enhance the outdoor stage design.
At WGTF?! we reduce, we reuse, and whatever’s left: we recycle! Recycling stations are set up throughout the festival, and compost bins are available for food waste.
This is a must-have for the festival. By installing dry toilets, we’re able to save 44,000 liters of water over the three days of the festival. 44,000 liters of water is almost as much as the average annual water consumption of a French person (54,000 liters).
Throughout the three days of the festival, a booth will be staffed by various partners and volunteers. Come chat, share ideas, and learn about the festival’s environmental initiatives. Outdoor botany workshops will give you the chance to explore the local flora.
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