We like the place where Pohoda is. That’s why it’s natural for us to approach it with respect. It is also natural for the community of people who meet at the festival, even in the time outside the festival, so green solutions are a long-standing natural part of Pohoda.

Michal Kaščák, Pohoda Festival

Energy

• Mobile solar lighting of the grounds 
• 40% of electricity from the fixed network thanks to the use of temporary transformer stations

Waste

• Separation points - waste treatment assisted by volunteers
• Collection of raw materials
• Special separation of certain types of waste—toothbrushes, clothing
• Reusable cups 
• Compostable dishes and composting on site
• Personal ashtrays, smoking in the family park and festival tents is forbidden

Hygiene

• Above standard number of toilets
• Vacuum toilets that saves water
• Flushing of the toilets using utility water from our own wells
• Chemical toilets with bio-concentrate and gentle long-term disposal of waste
• Non-stop service & crew Chemical sisters & Toi Toi Police
• Repaired water supply to the airport—elimination of water tanks
• Drinking water free of charge

Merchandising

• A Pohoda Shop will be set up at the airport, where you can purchase festival merchandise (clothing for children and adults, raincoats, towels, caps, and other items), as well as merchandise from performing artists (most commonly CDs, vinyl records, clothing, pins, and more).

• This year, we designed and produced T-shirts and hoodies entirely to our own specifications—from the selection of colors and the origin of the cotton to the weight of each material. Production took place in Portugal at a GOTS-certified factory that meets the highest standards of quality and sustainability. Our goal was to create clothing and items that are not only beautiful and functional but also environmentally friendly. 

• The production and lifecycle of goods have an impact on humanity’s environmental footprint. The extraction and processing of raw materials, as well as manufacturing processes and transportation, all contribute to greenhouse gas emissions, water pollution, and the depletion of natural resources. That is why we consider it important to focus on this issue, as the production of merchandise is often overlooked, despite its impact on the environment.

• Every step in the supply chain has the potential for improvement, especially when guided by certifications such as GOTS (Global Organic Textile Standard) and responsible sourcing models, such as manufacturing within the EU.

• GOTS certification ensures that the entire textile production process—from raw material sourcing to environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing—is carefully monitored. This certification not only guarantees environmental sustainability but also protects human rights and ensures fair working conditions. It serves as a practical tool for verifying traceability, maintaining consumer trust, and minimizing environmental damage.

Community

• Multi-generation festival
• Family Park for families with children
• Volunteer programme
• No festival VIP zones
• Barrier-free area and reduced fees for disabled visitors and their assistants
• Non-profit organizations zone
• Discussions and workshops
• Free tent camps & wide offer of different types of accommodation
• Involvement of local suppliers, producers, and retailers
• Artist village common for all artists at the festival
• Limited capacity to ensure enough room for visitors
• "Together to the Pohoda" – an eco-friendly form of shared transportation

 Teresa Moore, A Greener Festival (UK) director awarding the Green Operations Award:

Pohoda for us stood out this year not only for the work it’s done on moving to more sustainable energy sources when it partnered with a local energy provider to plug in stages and stands to the main grid, creating a mobile solar power plant. Not only for its efforts to reduce its travel emissions by partnering with the national train company to operate special festival trains across the country, promoting festival buses, developing carpooling #spolunapohodu, and providing bicycles on site for staff and artists to use. Not only for its efforts to reduce festival waste by introducing waste separation in 2006, organic waste separation in 2015, implementing a refundable beer-cup system, and the introduction of compostable food packages.

We award their work not only for their social consciousness in promoting the principle of equality by having no VIP area and providing a barrier-free festival open to all with provision for the disabled, families with children and so. Not only for its work to develop information and educational platforms with its discussion stage for environmental issues as well as its shared tent “NGO Passage” housing some 30 nongovernmental organisations.

We acknowledge not just this work, impressive as it is, but creating all of this and more despite a limited infrastructure and support system in their country, particularly in their early days. This festival has championed these initiatives and leads the way for other festivals in the country and more widely in their region by showing what can be done with belief and determination. They are a shining example, an individual, great and leading European festival!