Sustainability

On Event

Like many business organisations and major sporting events, Badminton Horse Trials believes it has a responsibility to play its part and help protect our environment both now and for the future.

Staging an event that includes a retail village of over 450 tradestands and 180,000 spectators is challenging, but by working closely with our contractors and suppliers and communicating to our visitors that attend each year we believe we can all make a real difference.

We certainly don’t anticipate we will get it right straight away. However, we are investing significant time exploring the latest initiatives and technology relevant to temporary venues and the associated costs attached to making our event more sustainable.

In 2019 we introduced a number of improvements to our waste collection and recycling as well as ensuring that our food concessions and caterers served their food products using sustainable products and packaging.

Whilst our policies are under constant review, we want to share with you our latest plans for the 2021 event as we look to make it the most sustainable Badminton Horse Trials to date:

• Continue to work with our caterers to ensure all food and drink served onsite is, reusable, recyclable cardboard or compostable products. In addition we will be introducing ‘keep cups’ at the main public bars. Visitors will be charged an additional £1 on each initial drink which will be served in a hard reusable plastic cup, which will then be exchanged for a clean cup for each subsequent drink.
• Going ‘plastic bottle free’ – our concession stands will no longer be able to sell any drinks in plastic bottles and will only stock ‘canned’ drinks.
• We’ve teamed up with canned water supplier Naïve Water who will be the exclusive canned water provider for the event offering both still and sparkling water.
• More visible and accessible water stations in the tradestand area for visitors to top up their own bottles.
• Reviewing and working with all our event contractors and suppliers to ensure we are partnering with those that deliver our requirements in the most eco-conscious and energy efficient way as possible.
• Where feasible working with local contractors to reduce miles driven.
• Using recycled paper for the event programmes – a popular event memento.

How you can play your part:

• Bring your refillable water bottles (and bowls for thirsty dogs!) and top up using our free water stations around the event.
• Remember your reusable coffee cups and receive 25p off your cup of tea or coffee at our concession stands.
• Our main Public Bars will serve drinks in ‘keep cups’ to minimise the amount of single use plastic used on the event site.
• Please remember to bring your own reusable shopping bags.

Further information can be requested via info@badminton-horse.co.uk