Coldplay Music Of The Spheres Tour.

How Coldplay’s Innovations Are Setting New Standards for Sustainable Events

Coldplay Music Of The Spheres Tour
Featured Image Credit: Stevie Rae Gibbs, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Environmental consciousness is crucial, and Coldplay’s innovations are setting new standards for sustainable events.

They give their fans the absolute show of a lifetime while encouraging them to join a more significant movement towards environmental responsibility. How are they doing it? They have implemented innovative solutions such as renewable energy, eco-friendly stage designs, and interactive experiences. In this article, we look at how Coldplay’s innovations are setting new standards for sustainable events.

Concerts and live events generate 405,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually

Concert Lights And Confetti.

According to the Tyndall Centre for Climate Research, concerts and live performances generate 405,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually.

When preparing to see your favourite artist, do you ever consider that the extensive travel of fans and performers, production equipment, and merchandise generates a significant environmental impact? The energy required to power live events also contributes to a large carbon footprint and the substantial amount of waste and plastics generated during these events.

Raising the bar: Coldplay’s vision for a low-carbon world tour

Coldplay Concert 2021.
Image Credit, Coldplay 2021. Raph_PH, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Back in 2019, Coldplay chose not to tour their album Everyday Life until they could offer not just sustainable but environmentally beneficial concerts.

In 2021, Coldplay announced the Music Of The Spheres Tour and committed to decreasing direct carbon emissions by at least 50%.

In June 2024, they announced that the direct CO2e emissions from the first two years of this tour were 59% lower than those from their previous stadium tour (2016-17). The MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative has confirmed these statistics.

Making their Music Of The Spheres Tour as sustainable and low-carbon as possible is guided by three fundamental principles:

  • Reduce: To reduce consumption, recycle and cut CO2 emissions by 50%.
  • Reinvent: To support new green technologies whilst developing new sustainable, super-low carbon touring methods.
  • Restore: To make their tour as environmentally beneficial as possible, fund a portfolio of nature—and technology-based projects and draw down significantly more CO2 than the tour produces.

These ambitions and goals naturally inspire other businesses committed to sustainability

From day one at A.M. Custom Clothing, we have built our business with sustainability in mind. We saw the poor ethical and environmental practices in fashion and retail. Our objective was to address these issues by concentrating on the millions of units manufactured annually for personalised workwear, uniforms, merchandise, and retail.

The European Commission and national consumer authorities discovered that 42% of environmental claims were overstated, inaccurate, or misleading. Our products are guaranteed to meet standards through reputable third-party certification, which is why some of the world’s most sustainable brands rely on us.

Bands like Coldplay are bringing sustainability to the forefront of people’s minds. By choosing us, you help us create a fairer, more sustainable textiles industry.

Harnessing the power of renewable energy, from solar to kinetic dance floors

Concert Dancing

Coldplay’s stage productions are powered almost entirely by renewable, super-low-emission energy. They avoid fossil fuels wherever possible.

How does Coldplay use renewable energy?

Solar: They use solar photovoltaic panels behind the stage and on top of PA and delay towers.

Kinetic floors: They place kinetic floors in various stadium areas. Fans moving and dancing can be transformed into energy to help power the show. Additionally, they set up power-generating bikes to enable fans to charge the show batteries!

Biofuels: They are utilising renewable diesel, a palm-oil-free HVO-type (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil) biofuel, produced 100% from renewable raw materials. Renewable Diesel use can lower generator carbon emissions significantly, meaning as much as 75 to 95% reduced emissions.

Battery system: A mobile, rechargeable show battery made from recyclable BMW i3 batteries has been developed in collaboration with BMW. This innovative technology allows them to power 100% of their shows with renewable energy no matter where they go.

Coldplay proves that large-scale concerts can be run sustainably without sacrificing the energy and excitement that fans expect from live performances.

We absolutely love that the interactive elements not only reduce the concert’s reliance on traditional power sources but also raise awareness about sustainable energy in a fun and engaging way.

Coldplay’s commitment to sustainable stage design

Coldplay Wristbands.

When it comes to stage design, Coldplay are making a huge effort. They adapt their shows to use local equipment, materials, and resources, carefully choosing building materials and show effects based on their environmental impact.

The audience wears reusable LED wristbands made from 100% compostable, plant-based materials. They have reduced wristband production by 80% by collecting, sterilising, and recharging them after every show. The wristband return rate averaged 86% during the tour’s first year.

Even the confetti used during the show is 100% biodegradable, and they are using a new generation of sustainable pyrotechnics.

Sustainable merchandise, on-stage costumes, and uniforms

Coldplay Clothing.
Frank Schwichtenberg, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Coldplay responsibly and ethically obtains all merchandise, staff clothing, and on-stage costumes. They opt for natural alternatives like organic cotton instead of plastics and polyester. Additionally, they make every effort to package merchandise in recycled paper, cardboard, or compostable bags. Coldplay ensures that all products are sourced from vendors who adhere to ethical work practices, including fair wages and favourable working conditions. This sets a new standard for sustainable event merchandise.

Do you need uniforms or merch that will align with your business’s sustainable values?

Recycled Clothing.

It excites us to see Coldplay taking this route as a business. We create custom, ethically sourced apparel for companies that want to align their branding with sustainable values. We only work with manufacturing partners who adhere to the highest ethical standards.

Whether you need embroidered uniforms for a large team or printed workwear to boost your brand recognition as a start-up, there’s no minimum order. Our partnerships enable us to hold one of the largest ranges of ethically sourced, sustainable wholesale clothing in the world.

Organising an event? We can even help event organisers source sustainable uniforms and promotional wear, ensuring that every detail of the event aligns with eco-friendly principles.

Click here to get started.

How are Coldplay recycling and minimising waste?

At their shows, Coldplay takes steps to reduce waste and encourage recycling. They collaborate with venues to eliminate the use of single-use plastic water bottles and offer reusable alternatives. They also set up recycling programs within the stadium. Additionally, Coldplay’s tour contributes to cleaning up waste beyond the concerts by supporting The Ocean Cleanup’s efforts. This includes sponsoring River Interceptors that remove tons of rubbish from highly polluted rivers before it reaches the ocean.

Recycling is one of the simplest ways any business can become more sustainable. Every day, the UK alone consumes over 35.8 million plastic bottles. At A.M. Custom Clothing, our recycled range is dedicated to repurposing this waste by utilising recycled plastic and reclaimed organic cotton to craft products like recycled t-shirts, hoodies, and bags. We also recycle branded workwear; you can learn more about that process here.

Engaging fans in sustainability, a movement beyond music

Rainbow Colours At Concert.

Coldplay’s commitment to sustainability goes beyond touring, as they engage fans in a movement towards environmental responsibility.

They thanked everyone who had attended a show and contributed to charging the show batteries on the power bikes and kinetic dance floors; everyone who had arrived by foot, bicycle, ride share, or public transport; everyone who had brought refillable water bottles or returned their LED wristband for recycling; and everyone who has purchased a ticket, as this means you have helped plant one of 7 million trees so far.

We love to see influential figures use their platform to promote a fairer, more sustainable world. Coldplay, Billie Eilish, and Jack Johnson are among the world’s most environmentally friendly major touring artists. As a special artist advisor for Green Nation, Live Nation’s sustainability platform, Coldplay collaborates to ensure that the sustainable practices developed during this tour are shared, adopted, and scaled throughout the industry.

Coldplay’s innovations are setting new standards for sustainable events, minimising their carbon footprint and maximising fan engagement. They are an unbelievably powerful example for the music industry and beyond.

Need sustainable apparel that embodies your environmental commitments?

Learn more about our sustainability standards and get a quote here. Businesses, brands and bands like you that partner with us for their custom clothing are leading the way in sustainability and transparency, wearing their values daily.

  • Shayle Hollie is a talented content writer for the A.M. Custom Clothing blog. She's well-versed in our world of design and sustainability, with an incredible ability to simplify complex topics into relatable and engaging blog content without losing depth.