The O2 in London has announced that it has been awarded ‘Commended’ status as ‘A Greener Arena’.

The certification is awarded by A Greener Festival (AGF), a not-for-profit company and sustainability expert, dedicated to helping events, festivals, and venues around the world to become more sustainable.

The ‘Commended’ status recognises arenas that show ‘demonstrable improvements’ and ‘a significant engagement in reducing negative environmental and social impacts’.

This certification follows a year of sustainability initiatives at The O2. In February, the AEG Europe venue made history by hosting the world’s first carbon-removed arena events at The 1975’s four headline shows, resulting in the extraction and removal of 545.9 tonnes.

The venue has also optimised energy efficiencies within the arena and made ‘significant’ enhancements to waste management, with the full deployment of reusable cups and the installation of new waste sorting facilities both back and front-of-house.

“We’ve made incredible strides at The O2 this year”

On its path to net zero, the 20,000-capacity arena has invested in electric powered vehicles to eradicate its fossil fuel emissions altogether, with works continuing into 2025 with the installation of electric forklifts for use across the full site.

“From history-making moments like our carbon removed events, to the essential works we’ve done behind the scenes to create efficiencies and minimise waste and emissions, we’ve made incredible strides at The O2 this year and we’re proud to have this recognised by A Greener Future,” says Sam Booth, director of sustainability at AEG Europe.

“The path to net zero is one that is constantly evolving, and we’re committed to continued innovation so that we can deliver world-class, sustainable events for our fans, bands, and brands.”

Claire O’Neil, CEO at A Greener Future, adds “We’re really happy for The O2 and want to congratulate their team for all of their efforts to run a greener arena. When one of the most iconic venues takes visible action for a more sustainable live sector it reverberates throughout the industry. With all shoulders to the wheel, we look forward to seeing what will come next!”

In 2022, The O2 became the first arena in England to achieve its Greener Arena certification.

The O2 recently announced record-breaking ticket sales in 2024, with over 2.6 million tickets sold – a 3.5% uplift on 2023’s previously unsurpassed figure.

Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.

Glasgow’s OVO Hydro has been announced as the first arena in the world to achieve A Greener Arena (AGA) certification for its commitment to sustainability.

Awarded by A Greener Festival (AGF), AGA takes a holistic approach to sustainability, not only looking at emissions and environmental impacts but also people, inclusion and wellbeing.

The award was officially presented to the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) venue at today’s Green Events and Innovations Conference (GEI), presented by AGF in partnership with the International Live Music Conference (ILMC)

Assessors highlighted the Hydro’s commitment to reducing emissions, enhancing local biodiversity, and being an instrument of positive change on the arena tour circuit. They also praised the venue’s use of 100% renewable electricity, elimination of single use plastic cups at live events saving two million cups per year, campus wide sustainable food strategy and expansion plans for electric vehicle charging points, in addition to its “outstanding” programme for inclusion, health and wellbeing for staff through the dedicated people department.

“Being the first arena in the world to accomplish this is a huge achievement”

“More than ever we are focused on the impact our business has on the planet and are proud to be awarded A Greener Arena certification,” says Debbie McWilliams, the SEC’s director of live entertainment. “Receiving such an accolade is further proof of our commitment to delivering a greener future for our events.

“Being the first arena in the world to accomplish this is a huge achievement and we hope this paves the way for others to follow. It is a significant milestone on our journey towards net zero by 2030, and a real credit to the team who work so passionately on implementing our sustainability strategy.”

Title partner OVO Energy supported the venue’s goal to achieve ‘Greener Arena Certification’ through funding of specific carbon-reduction and environmental initiatives. As part of the assessment, AGF will also share actionable recommendations with the Hydro team that are designed to further evolve the venue’s ongoing certification assessments in years to come.

“We’re delighted for the team at the OVO Hydro, and we hope that this leads the way for more arenas to get involved in the process”

“We’re proud to work with partners who support our commitment to drive progress to zero carbon living,” says James Watts, OVO Energy’s head of PR & sponsorships. “By becoming the world’s first arena to achieve the ‘A Greener Arena’ certification the OVO Hydro is sending a clear signal to the industry that lower-impact live events are possible.

“We will continue to support the OVO Hydro to further reduce its carbon footprint, so fans and artists alike can perform in a venue that’s supporting our collective goal; saving the planet.”

The milestone supports the SEC’s overall sustainability ambitions and adds to the moves it has already made towards reducing its carbon footprint and achieving net zero by 2030.

AGF co-founder Claire O’Neill adds: “A Greener Festival was launched in 2007 and since then we’ve assessed over 1,000 events, tours and venues across five continents, providing the first and only sustainable event certification including on site assessment of practical implementation and independent verification across 11 categories of event analysis, and the first dedicated arena certification. We’re delighted for the team at the OVO Hydro, and we hope that this leads the way for more arenas to get involved in the process.”

Get more stories like this in your inbox by signing up for IQ Index, IQ’s free email digest of essential live music industry news.