SUSTAINABILITY
LOVE SAVES THE DAY
© Mike Massaro
Green shoots
A growing number of event and festival organisers are creating sustainability charters and manifestos. Here, events professionals discuss their sustainability plans and initiatives
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n 2019, Coldplay made a huge public statement and told fans that the band would no longer tour until they had worked out how to do it in a more sustainable way. Fast forward two years and Coldplay has announced that they will begin a world tour in March 2022, powered by solar tiles, HVO fuel, and kinetic energy. They will also plant a tree for every ticket sold, build the stage from low-carbon materials, and provide each tour venue with a sustainability rider, requesting best environmental practices. The tour – Music Of The Spheres – will hit the UK in August. Its announcement comes with a comprehensive set of sustainability initiatives and environmental commitments, including ethically and sustainably sourced merchandise, Sustainable Aviation Fuel, and renewable, super-low emission energy. Together with Green Nation, Live Nation’s sustainability platform, Coldplay will be a “special artist advisor”, ensuring the sustainable practices developed on the tour are shared, adopted, and scaled through the rest of the live touring industry.
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In a statement, the band said that playing live is why Coldplay exists. But whilst they love playing live, they are conscious that the planet is facing a climate crisis. The band commented: “We’ve spent the last two years consulting with environmental experts to make this tour as sustainable as possible, and, just as importantly, to harness the tour’s potential to push things forward. We won’t get everything right, but we’re committed to doing everything we can and sharing what we learn.”
RECOGNISING IMPACTS
Such a joined up, partnership approach is widely accepted as the way forward. Information sharing is vital and it’s as important to educate people internally and externally if progress is to be made. Roy Luxford, programme director at Edinburgh International Festival (EIF), concurred. New ways of working can only be achieved through knowledge sharing and collaboration.
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