Coldplay has reduced carbon emissions by more than 50% in their recent tour while making fans as environmentally aware as possible.
Around 151 million people attended nearly 55,000 events in 2024 through multinational entertainment company Live Nation, the owner of platforms like Ticketmaster. All of these people will need to travel in some regard to get to events and many will be using of single use plastics, like water bottles and snack packaging, to keep fuelled on the go. This is not to mention the emissions that artists themselves contribute from travelling to each tour destination with equipment.
This is something Coldplay has pledged to tackle in its most recent tour, with an aim to make fans as environmentally aware as possible.
How Coldplay reduces its CO₂ emissions
Coldplay reports that it reduced consumption and extensively recycles, cutting CO₂ emissions by more than 50%.
The tour has tried to make itself as environmentally beneficial as possible by funding nature and technology-based projects and drawing down significantly more CO₂ than the tour produces.
The tour is supporting:
- Reforestation
- Rewilding
- Conservation
- Soil regeneration
- Carbon capture and storage
Where the tour cannot reduce emissions, the band says it will tackle these using guidance from the Oxford Principles for net zero aligned carbon offsetting.
The band has teamed up with DHL, one of the leading companies in sustainable transport and logistics, offering solutions to minimise logistics-related emissions and other environmental impacts.
What is DHL doing to reduce the tour’s emissions?
DHL says that it started with a carbon intelligence and monitoring system to get a view of the tour’s carbon footprint, laying the foundation to identify where best to optimise operations.
Through monitoring, DHL found that more than 80% of the CO₂ emissions came from transporting equipment by air. DHL created GoGreen Plus, using carbon insetting allowing customers to directly reduce emissions at the source. For example, air freight carriers for the brand can purchase Sustainable Aviation Fuel from GoGreen Plus, resulting in a fuel life-cycle reduction of 85% per flight.
“We’ve been highly impressed by DHL’s commitment to sustainability,” says Coldplay’s Co-Manager, Phil Harvey.
During the tour, DHL transported the tour wristbands between venues in trucks that use sustainable fuel.
How is Coldplay using sustainable power?
In the build up to each show, solar photovoltaic panels are installed behind each stage to charge batteries for when the band arrives at the venue. Coldplay partnered with BMW to develop the world’s first rechargeable show battery, made from recyclable BMW i3 batteries, meaning 100% of the show could be powered with renewable energy.
The band installed kinetic floors around the stadium, meaning the fans’ dancing will help power the show through the energy captured.
Coldplay is also using renewable diesel, a biofuel made from hydrotreated vegetable oil.
How Coldplay makes its shows more sustainable
Coldplay says that stages are built from lightweight, low-carbon and reusable materials including recycled steel which can be reused or recycled at the end of the tour.
LED wristbands worn by audiences are 100% compostable, made from plant based materials, alongside being reused each show to reduce production by 80%.
The show now uses low energy LED laser and lighting systems and a PA system that uses up to 50% less power alongside reducing environmental noise outside the venue.
The band also uses 100% biodegradable confetti and a new generation of pyrotechnics that have less explosive charge and new formulas that reduce harmful chemicals.
Social and fan impact
Coldplay have partnered with SAP to create a free app that offers advice to fans on how to use low carbon transport to and from the show. All fans that commit to low carbon travel to the show will be rewarded a discount code.
The tour includes onsite activation energy zones, powered by solar and kinetic energy, that have interactive and educational experiences explaining clean technology and the natural world.
Fans are encouraged to bring refillable water bottles to the venue where refill stations will be provided for them.
Where possible, merchandise is made of natural fibres and recyclable elements and packaged in recycled paper or compostable bags.
Coldplay released a statement saying: “We’re happy to report that direct CO₂ emissions from the first two years of this tour are 59% less than our previous stadium tour (2016-17), on a show-by-show comparison. These figures have been verified by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative.
“We’d like to say a huge thank you to our incredible touring family and to all the brilliant people who’ve made this possible.
“Most of all, we’d like to thank everyone who’s come to a show and helped charge the show batteries on the power bikes and kinetic dance floors; everyone who’s arrived by foot, bike, ride share or public transport; everyone who’s come with refillable water bottles or returned their LED wristband for recycling; and everyone who’s bought a ticket, which means you’ve planted one of 7 million trees so far.
“As a band, and as an industry, we’re a long way from where we need to be on this. But we’re grateful for everyone’s help so far, and we salute everyone who’s making efforts to push things in the right direction.”
Original source: https://sustainabilitymag.com
https://www.animalagricultureclimatechange.org/billie-eilish-tour/
