The importance of protecting the environment and the environment-conscious way of life from the point of view of the Earth and its inhabitants seems to be obvious to everyone today. From this conviction, the organizers of Sziget Festival have always considered an exceptionally important task to protect the flora and fauna of the festival’s scene, this unique green area in Budapest and when necessary the rehabilitation of the land. The organizers accept the responsibility of the contract which demands to rebuild the place back into its original condition. Moreover, over the obligatory expenses, they spend millions of forints to improve the whole area.

All this however is only a necessary but not sufficient effort for the long-term protection of the Festival’s surroundings. In order to achieve success, the enviroment-conscious way of thinking needs to be ”implanted to people’s minds” and Sziget Festival, which attracts 400 000 visitors during its one-week program is the perfect occassion for this. The Festival’s organizers have been maintaining a very good relationship with the different ”green” organizations for years. Today, Zöld Udvar (Green Courtyard) has become a little town within the Festival, where different enviromentalist groups can introduce themselves. Besides the national green organizations, the international Green Peace has been present at the Festival for years. The mutual efforts of the organizers and the environmentalist leagues prove that Sziget Festival fulfills a pioneer and determining key role in the popularization of environment-conscious thinking.

Sziget’s Organizational Office (Sziget Szervezőiroda) made a professional conception worked out at the end of 2000 in order to protect and improve the conditions of Hajógyári Sziget more consciously than ever. The name of the project was "Cleaner Sziget – Festival in an environment-conscious environment". With this initiative a process started: the selective collection, transporting and recycling of waste materials accumulating during the time of the festival. By today, selective waste collection is an organic part in the "every day life of the Festival" and this is not only unique concerning the other festivals in the country, but exemplary in developing an environment-conscious attitude in Hungary.

Sponsors as well have realised the importance of the selective treatment of waste materials. There has been an action plan for years now, which is highly successful and aims at inspiring visitors to collect the throw-away plastic cups by rewarding winnings. The same successful plan applies to the collection of the so-called PET bottles.

The organizers and participants of Sziget Festival - which has gained international recognition over the years – not only think comprehensively about the five continents when compiling the cultural programmes. They believe that the natural environment needs to be protected, because it has a leading role in making mankind’s culture so colourful and comprehensive.

There is no better place to advertise the importance of the thought of sustainable development than in one of the most considerable multicultural festivals in the heart of Europe. Starting from this, Sziget’s Organizational Office intends to do everything in order to make entirely the most of this possibility and ask all visitors who come into or stay outside the island of Sziget to help reaching this goal.