Our thinking

Clean up your (music) act

23 June, 2023

Festival season is well underway and as two hundred thousand people travel to this weekend’s Glastonbury festival , increasing attention is being paid to ensuring that not only festivals, but music events in general are more sustainable. This is welcome, given the wide-ranging environmental impacts associated with such events and the boom in live music over the past decade. The piles of fake neon feathers left around stadiums after Harry Styles’ concerts are only the most visible part of it – there’s the vast carbon footprint associated with travel, food, transport of equipment and sound.  

This year, several festival organisers have been implementing solutions to address their impacts ranging from sourcing local food to reducing emissions from transport. And Glastonbury has installed an on-site wind turbine with the potential to generate up to 300kWh a day, forming part of its efforts to meet the event’s energy demand from renewable sources.  

It’s not only organisers and venues that are addressing these impacts. Artists are starting to take responsibility for their impact and using their influence to positive change. Coldplay’s approach to sustainability and reducing greenhouse gas emissions for the World of the Sphere’s tour shows what artists can do in this regard. Their approach addresses food, material use, waste, transportation, energy consumption and water use. It also considers the potential for wider impact through nature restoration, participation in partnerships and engagement with fans (energy generating dancefloors, anyone?). 

Remembering that everyone has a part to play, event attendees continue to be engaged in the push to make festivals and gigs sustainable. Collaboration is needed to make this a success, demonstrated by event organisers and artists encouraging guests to opt for low-carbon modes of transport when travelling to venues, and to bring their own refillable cups and water bottles. To support the reduction of waste, Glastonbury has also included disposable vapes to its “do not bring” list.  

While the impacts are vast and the changes required for events such as festivals to claim they are truly sustainable will be huge, the industry appears to be moving in the right direction.  Coldplay reported a 47% reduction in direct emissions in their recent sustainability update, and eco-minded musicians can use the Super-Low Carbon Live Music Roadmap, developed by Massive Attack, to plan low impact tours from the outset. The only thing better than seeing your favourite artist live is knowing that it doesn’t have to be at the expense of the environment. Turn it up to 11!  

By Jovontae Catline