In 2019, Coldplay announced that they would not tour again until they could do so in a more environmentally friendly fashion. When they headed out on the road last year in support of 2021’s Music Of The Spheres, they did so with new initiatives in place, hoping to reduce the carbon emissions from their 2016-2017 stadium tour by 50%. In a new report on their website, the band has detailed their progress on that front.

The band says they’ve cut down carbon emissions by 47% on a show-by-show basis. Some of their methods for doing so include running the entire show on an electric battery system powered by solar installations and fan-generated power through kinetic dance floors and power bikes, as well as waste reduction, reusing LED wristbands from night to night, and having 5 million trees planted via the organization One Tree Planted (one for each concert goer). John E. Fernandez, a professor with the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative, has assessed and verified the data and issued the following statement:

Based on a detailed review of the work of Coldplay’s sustainability team in assessing and advising the band and management on the CO2e impact of touring, we fully endorse this effort as critically important, scientifically rigorous and of the highest quality.

MIT ESI endorses this work as an important and substantive step toward a new era of eventually achieving carbon neutral music events by major artists. The band deserves significant praise in commissioning the work and acting as the vanguard for the global music industry as it begins to take seriously the reality of living and making music in the Anthropocene.

Coldplay also shared a message:

When we first announced the Music Of The Spheres Tour, we hoped to make it as environmentally beneficial as possible and reduce our direct carbon emissions (from show production, freight, band and crew travel) by 50%. We’d like to share how it’s been going; some things work and some things need improving.

The emissions data from the first 12 months of the tour has now been collated, assessed and independently validated by Prof. John E. Fernandez of the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative.

On a show-by-show comparison, the Music Of The Spheres Tour has so far produced 47% less CO2e emissions than our last stadium tour (2016-17).

This is a good start – and something that our incredible crew should be very proud of – but clearly there’s still room for improvement.

Now that we’re into the second year of the tour, we’ve started to run the entire show (audio, lights, lasers etc) from an electric battery system that allows us to use 100% renewable energy as efficiently as possible. We have been using electric vehicles and alternative fuels wherever we can, as well as reducing waste and plastic usage to a minimum.

Thankyou to all the brilliant people and creative minds who’ve helped us so far.

Thankyou too, SO MUCH, to everyone who’s come to a show and made all of this possible. You have helped charge the show batteries on the power bikes and kinetic dance floors; travelled to shows by foot, bicycle or public transport; used the recycling bins; ride-shared; brought refillable water bottles; returned the LED wristbands after the show. And just by coming you have had a tree planted, and helped a range of environmental organisations like The Ocean Cleanup and ClientEarth (a team of lawyers who defend the environment).

Thankyou all and hopefully this time next year we will have made big improvements. If anyone has any ideas please feel free to send them via this link.

With love
Coldplay

The full report is viewable here.