Coldplay puts sustainability at the forefront of their world tour, using innovative energy-producing practices such as a power-producing dance floor to combat the high-emission live music industry.
In 2023, live music in the U.S. generated greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 3.1 million cars. In the U.K. alone, the music industry emits 540,000 tons of greenhouse gases each year, which is equivalent to the emissions of 60,000 households.
Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres World Tour is the first global stadium tour to use deliberate sustainable practices to power the show and reduce its carbon footprint at this scale. Their policy is to reduce carbon emissions, reinvent sustainable and low-carbon technologies, and restore by funding projects that will draw down “significantly more CO2 than the tour produces.”
Coldplay puts sustainability at the forefront of their world tour, using innovative energy-producing practices such as a power-producing dance floor to combat the high-emission live music industry.
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Coldplay pledged to reduce carbon emissions from show production and freight, band and crew travel by 50%. Within the first two years of this tour, they reduced those emissions by 59% from their previous stadium tour by planning routes with minimal air travel and flying commercial when possible. For all flights, they use Sustainable Aviation Fuel, which reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 80% compared to regular jet fuel.
Inventing new green technologies was key in Coldplay’s sustainability plan. Fans can dance on the custom-made Energy Floors to convert their kinetic energy into power for the concert, or ride stationary bikes to help power the show batteries.
Each venue is also equipped with solar panels to help power the show and charge the show batteries. Low-energy LED screens, lighting systems and PA systems used up to 50% less power than their previous tour.
Coldplay created an app that encourages low-carbon transport and collects data on the total carbon footprint of fans’ travel to all shows. Using this data, Coldplay “will drawdown all of these emissions via nature-based solutions like rewilding and conservation.”
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