Coldplay made good on its promise to make its Music of the Spheres tour as green as possible, nearly hitting its ambitious goal of reducing its carbon footprint by 50 percent.
The best part? Their accomplishments never came at the expense of spectacle, and their model may well serve as a blueprint for the rest of the touring industry to get more green without sacrificing the scene.
Backed up by Professor John E. Fernandez of MIT’s Environmental Solutions Initiative, who said: “We fully endorse this effort as critically important, scientifically rigorous and of the highest quality. The band deserves significant praise in commissioning the work and acting as the vanguard for the global music industry.”
Coldplay shared some of their 2023 tour sustainability stats:
It’s produced 47 percent less emissions than their last stadium tour.
Power for the show’s production (audio, lighting, lasers etc.) is provided from an electric battery system that uses 100 percent renewable energy (including, in part, by kinetic dance floors).
86 percent of the reusable, plant-based LED wristbands given out to the audience have been returned.
Two thirds of the tour waste has been diverted from landfills.
A tree has been planted for each concertgoer thus far - about 5 million to date.
Financial support has been provided to environmental organisations including ClientEarth,The Ocean Cleanup, Climeworks, Sea Shepherd, Project Seagrass, Sustainable Food Trust, Cleaner Seas Group, Food Forest Project, Knowledge Pele, Conservation Collective and others.
Looks like the tour brought in plenty of green, too - over 7 million tickets have been sold!