Coldplay have successfully reduced their carbon emissions by 59 per cent during the first two years of their eco-friendly Music of the Spheres world tour.
The band in 2021 announced their intention to make tours eco-friendly by reducing their carbon emissions by at least 50 per cent, and said they had a plan for how they would make it happen.
The plan included using a dancefloor that generated electricity when fans danced on it, powering shows with exercise bicycles, making sets with bamboo, installing solar panels, reducing air travel, and planting a tree for every ticket sold.
The latest update on their progress states that the band planted seven million saplings to honour their promise and diverted 72 per cent of waste generated from their tours for reuse, recycling, and composting.
The energy produced by in-venue solar panels, kinetic dancefloors, and power bikes increased from 15 to 17 KwH per show which was enough to not only power one of the smaller stage areas, but also provide crew with phone, laptop, and tool-charging stations.
Two solar-powered “ocean cleanup river interceptors”, which extract plastic from the ocean, were deployed and funded by Coldplay.
The figures have been verified by the environmental solutions initiative at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, according to the band.
In a statement, the band said: “We’re happy to report that direct CO2 emissions from the first two years of this tour are 59 per cent less than our previous stadium tour in 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 thankyou 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 seven 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.”
The previous report, which was released in July 2023, showed the band had achieved a 47 per cent reduction in carbon emissions.
Musicians have come under fire recently for the negative impact they leave on the environment, with popstar Taylor Swift’s private jet use being heavily scrutinised for its carbon footprint.
Several bands and musicians have now declared their intentions to tackle their environmental impact.
Massive Attack have teamed up with climate scientists to map their carbon footprint while on tour.
Billie Eilish released her recent album on recycled and eco-vinyl and has stated that every tour venue of hers will host a ‘Billie Eilish Eco-Village’, where fans can learn about the climate crisis.
