Green Guardians 2022: d&b, Ecolibrium, ECC, Focusrite
The Green Guardians is spearheaded by IQ and an expert panel of sustainability experts to recognise suppliers who are improving the live music business when it comes to being more environmentally friendly.
Our international panel of judges this year includes representatives from A Greener Festival, Green Events & Innovations Conference, Greener Events, Green Operations Europe (Go-Group), Julie’s Bicycle, Le Réseau des Femmes en Environnement, Sustainable Event Alliance, Sustainable Event Solutions, Tour Production Group, and Vision:2025.
The 2022 list of Green Guardians includes 20 entries across a wide range of event suppliers and solutions providers, all of whom are working tirelessly to reduce the carbon footprint of the live entertainment business.
IQ will publish entries across all categories over the coming weeks. Catch up on the previous installment profiling KB Event here.
d&b audiotechnik
The sustainability strategy of d&b audiotechnik is informed by two major forces: climate neutrality legislation and the 17 sustainable development goals set by the UN. The company recognises the negative repercussions the entertainment world can have on the environment and places a greater focus on topics such as reduced power consumption in new products (such as its XSL Series); noise management through its NoizCalc and ArrayCalc software; and monitoring sustainable production methodologies. Through these initiatives, d&b has achieved EMAS certification, as well as participation in the WIN-Charta programme to ensure the sustainable practices maintain momentum.
In 2020, d&b launched its Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) programme to help reduce the environmental impact of touring and fixed installations. In order to prevent equipment ending up in a landfill, they decided to enter the circular economy. This remanufacturing programme allows customers to reap the benefits of a rider-friendly sound reinforcement system whilst contributing to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and consumption of raw materials.
In April 2022, ecolibrium published the Sustainable Travel Guide for Artists and the Music Industry
Ecolibrium
Since 2015, the charity ecolibrium has been leading the live event industry’s approach to tackling carbon emissions from travel. Founded by event organisers and guided by a board of trustees who lead on sustainability strategy across the touring, music, and live events industry and beyond, ecolibrium provides tools, advice, and resources to support their community of events, artists, suppliers, and companies to take action on travel emissions.
Since embarking on their mission, they have helped their members and event audiences to invest over £225k (€260k) in climate solutions projects: carbon balancing the equivalent of over 19.3m car miles. They have two climate programmes: Trees+, which supports planting and ecosystem restoration and preservation projects benefiting communities and protecting biodiversity in areas already experiencing the effects of climate change; and Energy Revolution, which invests in community-owned energy cooperatives, giving the power of clean electricity generation back to local people to build healthier, financially stable communities.
In April 2022, ecolibrium published the Sustainable Travel Guide for Artists and the Music Industry providing up-to-date information, best-practice tips, and inspiration to empower the live music industry to understand and take action on travel impacts.
Every Can Counts had a presence at 16 major events around the UK
Every Can Counts
Every Can Counts is a not-for-profit communications programme working to inspire, encourage, and empower people to recycle their empty drink cans. The initiative’s vision is for a 100% recycling rate for drink cans, and it works towards this by raising awareness about the benefits of recycling cans, and by making it easier for people to recycle when they’re out and about. Festivals and events are a big part of the programme’s focus, and this summer, Every Can Counts had a presence at 16 major events around the UK.
Every Can Counts delivers engaging activations in the event space that make recycling fun while also educating people and encouraging long-term behaviour change. The initiative also runs a recycling rewards exchange at a number of festivals, where attendees bring their empty cans to the Every Can Counts Recycling Hub and exchange them for rewards ranging from temporary tattoos to festival t-shirts and even festival keyrings made from recycled cans.
The programme has also become well-known for its impressive array of interactive installations, from voting bins to can cages. This year, highlights included collecting cans in the iconic Boomtown can-cage letters and creating a six-metre wall of art from recycled cans at Download Festival.
This year Focusrite is using verified carbon offsets to achieve carbon neutrality against Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions
Focusrite
Music and audio products manufacturer, Focusrite Group, has an ambition to become industry leaders in environmental sustainability and reveals a three-pronged approach to this goal:
Addressing its internal operation footprint
Getting its own house in order is essential as Focusrite has the most control over this. The Group says it is making good progress by purchasing renewable energy everywhere it’s available, and this year it is using verified carbon offsets to achieve carbon neutrality against Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions.
Focus on products
Hardware products are Focusrite’s biggest environmental footprint, so it is conducting detailed lifecycle assessments across its portfolio to understand the environmental hotspots across a range of metrics beyond just CO2. By embedding sustainability within product development, it is making changes to reduce impact. The first step was to use recycled aluminium on its Scarlett range, while more recently it started using recycled ABS plastic in the new Vocaster range.
Lead the industry
Focusrite’s footprint only extends so far, but if it can influence the whole industry it could achieve much more. The group is being transparent about progress and methodology, and it has become a founding member of Greeningmusic.tech – a new working group on environmental sustainability that it is encouraging other music tech companies to join.
See the full list of 2022 Green Guardians in IQ 114 here. The next edition of the Green Events & Innovations Conference will take place on Tuesday 28 February, more information here.
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Ecolibrium balanced six million travel miles in 2021
Ecolibrium says it balanced the equivalent of six million miles of live event travel carbon emissions in 2021.
Founded in 2015 by UK festivals Boomtown, Secret Garden, Shambala, Bluedot and Kendal Calling, Ecolibrium is a charity focused on galvanising the music industry to address the negative impacts of travel.
Members are supported to measure and record carbon emission from travel, engage in initiatives to reduce travel impacts and donate to carbon-balance remaining emissions.
Last year’s balance was achieved through donations from over 35 members, including EMI Records, Universal Music UK, Wilderness Festival and All Points East.
The donations are channelled into Ecolibrium’s two climate solutions programmes: Trees+, to support ecosystem regeneration and protection, and Energy Revolution, which invests in community-owned renewable energy generation.
“In 2022 [Ecolibrium] will support our network to explore systems and technology to reduce emissions from travel”
Ben Robinson, Ecolibrium trustee and director of Bluedot and Kendal Calling, says: “This year has shown that the Ecolibrium community has a hugely positive impact and that by working together as an event and music industry collective all our actions are amplified. In 2022 we will support our network to explore systems and technology to reduce emissions from travel and widen the community to help more events and artists tackle their emissions.”
Highlights of Ecolibrium members’ support in 2021 include partnering with Universal Music UK to measure and carbon balance staff travel miles from its UK offices. Ticket agent TicketSellers, meanwhile, supported 13 of their festival clients to balance the equivalent of over 690,000 travel miles (190 tonnes of CO2e) by embedding Ecolibrium’s carbon calculator as part of their ticket check out.
Music Declares Emergency, in association with Bird on Wire and Adapt, collected carbon-tackling donations from tickets sales of their Climate Music Blowout event, and The Showman’s Show measured and balanced all delegate fossil fuel miles associated with their 2021 event.
Other festivals, events and companies that balanced their audience or staff miles include: All Points East, Balter Festival, Brainchild, Camp Kin, Elderflower Fields South, Emc3, Festival of Thrift, Gaia Nova, GT Bicycles, Malvern’s Classic, Illusive Festival, Into the Trees Festival, Just So Festival, Love, Saves the Day, Shambala, Threshold Sports, Timber Festival and Wilderness.
Since Ecolibrium launched, the charity has planted more than 40,000 trees, protected more than 15,000 acres of rainforest, launched 10 renewable energy projects and balanced more than 19,000,000 travel miles.
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