Green Guardians 2024: Coldplay, Pixmob, Showpower & more
Welcome to the first part of IQ Magazine’s 2024 Green Guardians – our annual recognition of those eco-warriors and innovators at the forefront of the battle to make the live entertainment industry more sustainable.
The Green Guardians is spearheaded by IQ and an international panel of sustainability experts to highlight and congratulate companies and organisations who are improving the live music business when it comes to being more environmentally friendly.
This year’s list includes 22 entries across a wide range of event suppliers, campaigners, 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 days, and you can find the whole cohort in the latest edition of IQ here.
In 2019, Coldplay said they would not tour again unless they could do so in a sustainable way. Having set ambitious targets to cut carbon emissions, the band confirmed this year that they had exceeded expectations as their Music of the Spheres World Tour continues to raise the bar.
When the tour was announced in late 2021, the band revealed a 12-point plan for cutting their carbon footprint, including a pledge to reduce emissions from production, freight, and travel by at least 50% compared with their previous A Head Full of Dreams stadium tour.
In June, the group announced they had smashed their target: “We’re happy to report that direct CO2e emissions from the first two years of this tour are 59% less than our previous stadium tour, on a show-by-show comparison,” the band said in a statement. “These figures have been verified by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative.”
The ongoing trek has seen an 86% average return and reuse rate of LED wristbands, with 33 European shows powered entirely by a tour-able, recycled battery system. Additionally, over 20 partnerships with green travel providers have helped fans get to the shows via carbon-low transport, making an impact onstage and offstage.
Working with Coldplay and their ambitious green touring goals, PixMob developed the world’s first compostable wristband (the ultrabright 7-LED wristband) for the active Music of the Spheres World Tour.
The device is manufactured using a plant-based plastic derived from renewable sugarcane from Thailand. It is designed for refurbishing onsite using simple tools. Each wristband works for three shows, after which it requires a change of battery and sanitisation before being reused. At the end of the product’s life, the plastic casing is removed and decomposes in two months in an industrial composter or two years in regular compost. The electronics are sent to electronic recycling centres.
The company says that since launching its recycling programme, more than 3m wearables have been recycled, and PixMob’s touring crew has recovered over 86% of wristbands at each Coldplay show – a notable achievement as fans tend to keep them as souvenirs.
Coldplay, with the help of PixMob, reduced the carbon footprint of their Music of the Spheres Tour by 59% compared to their previous outing.
Netherlands-based Showpower Global has been working alongside ZAP Concerts to install and manage the SmartGrid battery power system on Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres World Tour. The mobile touring system provides 100% of the band’s main stage with battery and renewable power, where available.
The team behind SmartGrid report that road-tested technology is greatly improving the reliability, efficiency, and performance of the machinery, which is being updated on a venue-to-venue basis.
For the recent European leg, Showpower first used SmartGrid in Athens before taking it to Bucharest, Budapest, Lyon, Düsseldorf, Rome, Helsinki, Munich, Vienna, and Dublin. The company says that consistently powering a major global tour with the same battery system while crisscrossing different countries is a world first for touring artists and stadium shows.
By the end of the European leg, the system had been deployed at all 33 stadium shows, proving its effectiveness for entire tour legs and making it a viable option for other sustainability-conscious touring acts. In addition, 10m tickets have been sold and 10m trees committed to being planted.
As one of a rising crop of young acts who are placing sustainability at the heart of their careers, Lime Cordiale are looking at every aspect of their activities to ensure they are minimising their carbon footprint. Working with Suitcase Records, they became the first Australian band to release an album, Enough of the Sweet Talk, on vinyl using EcoVin, a new low-carbon PVC that reduces the CO2 output of standard vinyl by 92.5%. The band is also working with US-based thrift store retailer Savers to produce merch on upcycled tees.
In partnership with FEAT.Live, a $1 Solar Slice from every ticket sold across the Enough of the Sweet Talk Tour will go towards decarbonisation and action on climate change, while on their upcoming UK and Europe tour, the band will travel on a bus running on fuel produced from HVO, reducing fuel emissions by up to 90%. To achieve this, the band’s tour bus supplier, UK-based Vans for Bands worked with their engineering team to ensure that the busses would run efficiently on HVO.
Vans for Bands also worked with their wholesale fuel supplier to ensure that the entire tour could be run on HVO, due to its limited distribution across Europe. It’s one of the very first times a tour has been run end to end on the emissions-reducing fuel.
FEAT.Live is an Australia-based, artist-led agency working to address climate change by using the music industry’s influence. The organisation aims to improve the environmental impact of festivals and tours by supporting sustainable practices through its Solar Slice ticket surcharge.
To date, FEAT.Live has promoted renewable energy by encouraging investments in large solar farms; solar and battery setups for backstage areas; hybrid lighting towers; and electric tour vehicles. Their Solar Slice projects have also supported bush regeneration, rainforest plant- ing, and ocean conservation efforts. Between 2024 and 2026, FEAT.Live plans to dial in on rewilding and restoration.
The agency is partnering with conservation groups to help meet the United Nations’ goal of restoring 30% of the world’s land and seas by 2030. They will help artists invest in First Nations-led projects to restore degraded landscapes and manage these areas long-term. Additionally, FEAT.Live is developing a project to help the live entertainment industry cope with the risks of extreme weather events.
EarthPercent is the music industry’s climate-focused foundation. It aims to make the planet a stakeholder in music by working with artists and industry groups who donate a small share of their revenue. This money is then used to support climate justice and environmental organisations.
To date, the foundation has distributed over $1m to its grant partners, guided by an advisory panel of climate experts, scientists, and youth activists. Artists like Moby and Swedish House Mafia have recently joined in, pledging a percentage of their earnings to the planet.
This year, EarthPercent launched Sounds Right, a multi-partner initiative that recognises nature as an official artist on streaming platforms. Artists including Brian Eno and David Bowie, Ellie Goulding, and Umi, V from BTS released tracks featuring the sounds of nature, whose streaming royalties fund her conservation via EarthPercent.
With more tracks being released later this year, this initiative is projected to raise $40m by 2030. The organisation is also expanding its Earth As Your Cowriter initiative, through which artists can credit the Earth as a collaborating songwriter, raising funds through publishing royalties.
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IQ 130 out now: Adele, Rock in Rio, Green Guardians
IQ 130, the latest issue of the international live music industry’s favourite magazine, is available to read online now.
In our bumper September edition, Adam Woods goes behind the scenes of Adele’s historic Munich residency while Gordon Masson talks to the team behind Rock in Rio as the iconic event turns 40.
Elsewhere, ROSTR and IQ analyse the lineups and bookings of 50 top European festivals and the Green Guardians 2024 list is revealed.
This issue also delves into the live music markets in Ireland and Singapore and notes some of the best innovations that debuted during the festival season.
To wrap up the season, Roskilde’s Signe Lopdrup and Isle of Wight’s Caroline Giddings discuss the triumphs and tribulations of their 2024 events.
For this edition’s columns, Pax Nindi champions change in festival production and Pascal Van De Velde outlines Gent Jazz Festival’s transformation.
A selection of magazine content will appear online in the next four weeks but to ensure your fix of essential live music industry features, opinion and analysis, click here to subscribe to IQ – or check out what you’re missing out on with the limited preview below:
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Green Guardians 2023: Powersoft, SBM, SES, Vestas
Welcome to the fourth and final part of IQ Magazine’s 2023 Green Guardians – our annual recognition of those eco-warriors and innovators at the forefront of the battle to make the live entertainment industry more sustainable.
The Green Guardians is spearheaded by IQ and an international panel of sustainability experts to highlight and congratulate companies and organisations who are improving the live music business when it comes to being more environmentally friendly.
This year’s list includes 20 entries across a wide range of event suppliers, campaigners, 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 days. Catch up on the previous instalment profiling Octopus, Overdrive Energy Solutions, REVERB, Satis & Fy and Support + Feed here.
Powersoft has ingrained energy conservation into its core values since its inception.
The company’s mission revolves around crafting energy-efficient products and lessening environmental impact while offering substantial economic benefits to users.
At the forefront is Powersoft’s ground-breaking (Pulse Width Modulation) technology introduced in 1995. This innovation, now an industry standard, excels at converting mains energy to usable power and recycling reactive energy from speakers. Powersoft products showcase this through ultra-high efficiency (0.95-0.99%), reducing energy needs for the same power output.
The benefits produced by the adoption of this technology include:
- Energy savings and lower carbon footprint (equivalent CO2 emissions) with a reduction of approximately 40% compared to amplifiers without power factor correction for the same output power.
- Reduced heating generation due to lower RMS currents from the mains.
- Reduced logistic costs due to the decreased weight and volumes.
- More flexibility in mounting options, thanks to the lower thermal dissipation values that also help to keep cooling costs down.
This unwavering pursuit of efficiency finds its pinnacle in the present with Unica, the next-generation amplifier platform. As the embodiment of the company’s “green audio power” ethos, Unica exemplifies how innovation and efficiency can harmoniously coalesce to shape a greener, more resonant future.
Sustainable Better Merch has merged the rhythms of the music industry with the values of sustainability, and the result is a journey that’s as purposeful as it is innovative.
Straight out of the heart of Stockholm, Sustainable Better Merch crafts solutions that sync clients’ artistic visions with ethical choices. Its offerings go beyond just products; they’re an expression of artistic identity. Whether you’re looking for a handful of items or a full-blown merchandise extravaganza, sustainability remains at the core of everything the company does.
Its organic range, meticulously woven from 100% organic cotton, carries certifications like the Global Organic Textile Standard and the Soil Association (UK). The company insists on responsible production and has managed to reduce the carbon footprint of its organic shirts by a staggering 89% through renewable energy and smart farming practices. And that’s not all. Its recycled products blend 80% combed organic cotton with 20% recycled post-consumer polyester.
All its recycled and organic products are made in factories that are audited by the Fair Wear Foundation, an independent, non-profit organisation whose main focus is improving the textile industry’s working conditions.
Ready to take a risk-free leap? Launch a pre-order campaign and watch the magic happen. Sustainable Better Merch will set up a web shop where fans can order your merchandise within a set peri- od. After the campaign closes, the company will print and send out exactly what’s ordered.
It’s a win-win – less waste, more sustainability.
Curated by international artist relations expert Stefan Lohmann, Sustainable Event Solutions (SES) provides anyone working in the live events sector with a readymade online checklist to improve their green credentials.
In addition to the SES Checklist, Lohmann has compiled a database of hundreds of suppliers, contractors, venues, and even accommodation providers who are working toward improving the environment.
The SES website also champions a 16 Step Initiative to help the event industry to become more climate-neutral and sustainable and achieve a minimum standard for climate-neutral, sustainable events by 2025.
The SES platform also includes a Sustainability Rider, which is designed to help event organisers consider the “three pillars of sustainability” – environmental protection, social justice, and economic efficiency.
“It is crucial to ask the right questions and make the right demands of suppliers, partners, and service providers,” states Lohmann. “For this purpose, I have developed the Sustainability Rider and Checklist in cooperation with experts, which also includes publicly available information and existing environmental laws. Ideally, the Checklist becomes a logical part of contracts, requirements, and offers for suppliers and trades.”
With a vision to become the global leader in sustainable energy solutions, everything Vestas does revolves around the development and deployment of sustainable energy solutions.
Every day, its 29,000 employees help to create a better world by designing, manufacturing, installing, developing, and servicing wind energy and hybrid projects all over the world. With +169 GW of wind turbines installed in 88 countries, its sustainable energy solutions have already prevented 1.5bn tonnes3 of CO2 being emitted into the atmosphere and contributed to a more sustainable energy system.
The Denmark-headquartered Vestas has more than 40 years of experience in wind energy and was the first company to reach the 100 GW landmarks for both the installation and service of wind turbines. As such, it believes it has already played a crucial role in laying the foundations for the sustainable era and that it is uniquely positioned to show the pathway to a sustainable planet.
Wind energy is Vestas’ heritage and core competence. It believes wind will form the backbone of the sustainable energy systems of the future, and it remains focused on developing solutions that accelerate the energy transition and strengthen the company’s continued leadership in wind.
You. Smart. Thing. is a leading travel-demand management platform for destinations, venues, and events. It is used to enhance visitor experience and engagement whilst reducing the disproportionate carbon footprint created by visitor travel.
The platform comprises an easily embedded web-based travel as- sistant interface for visitors, an intuitive travel assistant configuration dashboard, and a comprehensive data analytics and insights suite. The travel assistant interface utilises state-of-the-art web-based technology making it easy to implement. There’s nothing for visitors to download or install; it’s intuitive, mobile-optimised, and integrated with client systems such as websites, mobile apps, ticket booking systems, and marketing communications.
The service was used by Anjunabeats to generate personalised low-carbon travel plans for Above & Beyond fans attending this year’s On The Beach festival in Brighton, UK, reducing the event’s carbon footprint by an estimated 36% compared to industry averages for similar-sized festivals.
You. Smart. Thing. reduces travel emissions, which typically make up most of an event’s carbon footprint, by integrating venue, local authority, national highways, and transport operator datasets to generate recommended low-carbon routes. Curated ‘last-mile’ routes are also configured to improve venue accessibility and wayfinding, whilst auto- mated travel-plan updates mitigate the risk of delays or disruptions and can even recommend discounted travel and accommodation.
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Green Guardians 2023: Octopus, REVERB, Satis & Fy
Welcome to the third part of IQ Magazine’s 2023 Green Guardians – our annual recognition of those eco-warriors and innovators at the forefront of the battle to make the live entertainment industry more sustainable.
The Green Guardians is spearheaded by IQ and an international panel of sustainability experts to highlight and congratulate companies and organisations who are improving the live music business when it comes to being more environmentally friendly.
This year’s list includes 20 entries across a wide range of event suppliers, campaigners, 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 days. Catch up on the previous instalment profiling Eviny, GMC Events, LOTUS Producciones, Morgenwelt and Music Declares Emergency here.
Octopus is an online marketplace for trading second-hand professional equipment in categories like audio, lighting, staging, video etc. The company believes that there is way too much good and functional equipment simply just stored away, gathering dust, in warehouses – or even worse: at the landfill. Equipment that might be old and out-dated for a certain application could turn out to be just the right fit for another: this is where Octopus comes in. Trading second-hand gear is good for the wallet – and the environment!
Octopus, launched in April 2022, is run by a Norwegian production company called Spectre, who continuously adds features and updates functionality.
Spectre exec Frode Eggum Have, tells IQ that most deals are straight B2B, “but we also have quite a few freelance technicians on both sides of the trade.” He continues, “The size of the businesses that use Octopus vary from freelancer all the way up to larger rental houses with 100+ employees. We also have special features made
for brokers, and we see that some of the bigger deals are often done with a broker sitting between the buyer and the seller.”
Overdrive Energy Solutions is committed to reducing and even- tually eliminating diesel generators in live events.
Founded by veteran production staff with sustainability engineering backgrounds, the company’s systems serve the demands of touring and festivals while reducing their carbon footprint. These solutions allow for much more flexible power layouts, reducing the cost and complexity of power distribution, making sites safer and healthier for artists, staff, and audiences alike.
For 2023, Overdrive has been focused on demonstrating sustaina- ble energy’s practical benefits, deploying the largest temporary solar farm ever used in North America for Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion, which saw a 95% reduction in diesel use compared to previous years. Afterwards, Overdrive went to Coachella/Stagecoach, where it replaced generators at 14 remote locations with solar/battery systems, saving hundreds of gallons of fuel and reducing production workload.
Overdrive next went to Shoreline Amphitheatre for the Google I/O conference, where the attendee registration area used onsite battery/solar systems for sound, lighting, computers, communication gear, and restroom trailers. Overdrive also completed its first touring project by providing sustainable energy for the VIP activation on Dead & Company’s Final Tour.
In August 2023, Overdrive once again deployed the largest solar field yet for a North American concert, with over 60 kW feeding 1.4 mW of energy storage. This ran the floor package for Billie Eilish’s headliner set at Lollapalooza completely with energy captured onsite.
Leading the green music movement since 2004, REVERB partners with artists, festivals, and venues to reduce their environmental footprint while empowering millions of fans to take action on today’s most pressing environmental issues.
Working with artist partners like Billie Eilish, The 1975, Odesza, Harry Styles, Dave Matthews Band, Boygenius, Jack Johnson, The Lumineers, Dead & Company, Tame Impala, and many more, REVERB has created and executed comprehensive sustainability and fan engagement programmes on over 350 tours, 60 festivals, and 7,000 concerts. Positive impacts to date include neutralising 375,000+ tons of CO2e, raising over $12m for environmental causes, hosting over 5,000 NGOs in fan-facing Action Villages, and preventing the use of over 4m single-use plastic bottles at concerts.
REVERB recently launched the Music Decarbonization Project to fund and advance innovative climate solutions that directly eliminate carbon emissions created by the music industry. In 2023, this music industry-supported campaign focused on replacing highly polluting diesel generators with solar-charged battery systems – creating the largest 100% solar-powered festival main stage in North America at Willie Nelson’s Luck Reunion; next-generation solar-powered festival light towers at Coachella; and integrating solar-charged battery systems for Billie Eilish’s headline set at Lollapalooza.
Satis & Fy have been active in the live music industry for more than 25 years. With ten offices across Germany, the Netherlands, and the USA, the company looks after numerous touring acts, some of whom they have been involved with since their beginnings in the business. They also count the likes of Rock am Ring and Rock im Park among their clients.
The company employs teams of experienced and highly specialised sound engineers, lighting, media and stage designers, as well as stocking touring road-and rider-suitable equipment from various brand-name manufacturers. Additionally, Satis & Fy boast extensive rehearsal studios and offer access to a complete equipment pool.
The company’s philosophy is that sustainability should not be an abstract concept but rather one filled with life. It therefore reviews all facets of its actions in an effort to try to have a more sustainable effect. All of its departments join forces to contribute to this effort, putting the environment, society, economy, and culture at the heart of every project it undertakes.
Founded by Maggie Baird, mother of Billie Eilish and Finneas, Support + Feed combats the climate crisis and food insecurity by working toward a global shift to an equitable plant-based food system. Driving culture change through multiple strategies, the programme has reached global audience awareness of 95m, and delivered more than 300,000 urgently needed meals and pantry items through a consistent presence in 11 major US cities and through partnerships in the EU, UK, and Australia, with a growing footprint in London.
Artist collabs have included working with Janelle Monáe’s Wondalunch team to deliver more than 4,000 meals and pantry items in Los Angeles; going on world tour with artists such as Billie Eilish and Paramore to share the organisation’s calls to action and featured food drives; and supporting Pharrell’s Something in the Water Festival and presence in Virginia Beach with a meal programme and plant-based educational programming.
Alongside Billie Eilish and Reverb, Support + Feed co-presented the first Overheated climate summit in 2022, a two-day event held at The O2 Arena. In August, Overheated returned to London at Flipper’s Roller Boogie Palace to bring together climate activists, musicians, and designers to discuss the climate crisis and the work that is making a meaningful difference. Sessions discussed the impact of our food systems, sustainable fashion, eco anxiety, technological innovations, and actions we can all take to mitigate climate change.
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Green Guardians 2023: Eviny, GMC Events, LOTUS
Welcome to the second part of IQ Magazine’s 2023 Green Guardians – our annual recognition of those eco-warriors and innovators at the forefront of the battle to make the live entertainment industry more sustainable.
The Green Guardians is spearheaded by IQ and an international panel of sustainability experts to highlight and congratulate companies and organisations who are improving the live music business when it comes to being more environmentally friendly.
This year’s list includes 20 entries across a wide range of event suppliers, campaigners, 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 days. Catch up on the previous instalment profiling Big Green Coach, Biopak, Green Producers Tool, Greener Power Solutions and ZAP Concepts here.
The renewables company Eviny is one of Norway’s largest energy and technology groups. It works with future solutions for the production and distribution of green and climate-friendly energy and to make it possible to use clean, renewable energy everywhere. Its goal is to work toward a future with zero emissions.
With 1,500 employees and nearly 500,000 customers, Eviny has been involved in establishing green jobs and infrastructure in local communities over several generations.
It uses the energy it generates via hydropower and other renewable sources to build out and operate tomorrow’s infrastructure in fibre, electricity, and district heating networks; digital communication; solar-and wind-power plants; lightning chargers for electric cars, trucks, and excavators; and one of the world’s first networks for the rapid-charging of electric boats.
Eviny also work for electrification through emission-free construction sites, aquaculture, and ports. It supplies concerts, festivals, and other events with batteries, and it provides clients with consultancy and contractor service.
With over 20 years’ experience, GMC Events is one of the UK’s leading live event production agencies, specialising in festivals, music, and extreme sporting events. GMC Events is dedicated to creating the most memorable, iconic, and efficiently delivered events across the globe for a long-lasting shared experience.
The company values its time more than ever and extends this philosophy to all staff who work with them on their shows. Work-life balance is extremely important, and energy and enthusiasm need to be given the respect they deserve. Looking after their staff is at the top of GMC’s agenda when planning any event.
Having worked internationally on hundreds of events, GMC’s music industry clients include the likes of Boomtown Fair, Shambala Festival, Bestival, Arcadia Spectacular, and BST Hyde Park.
Chile-based LOTUS Producciones has set a sustainability benchmark due to its green guidelines not only in Chile but also in the South American region. The company’s production workflow has its own sustainability strategy and action plan, which it applies to more than 30 events annually. LOTUS has an ambitious strategy and commitment to all these events, due to the urgency that is needed to deal with the climate crisis.
Their strategy is based on three pillars:
1 People: accessibility and universal inclusion.
2 Environment: aiming for carbon neutrality, compensation, and water and energy efficiency.
3 Community: building a legacy regarding the space to satisfy their needs.
The biggest event developed by LOTUS is Lollapalooza Chile, the country’s biggest music and cultural festival. One of Lollapalooza’s main priorities is to change the way the community understands our relationship with the environment and the importance of its preservation.
Accordingly, one of LOTUS’s sustainability objectives is to decarbonise Lollapalooza. The company is proud to announce that during the 2023 edition, the Aldea Verde Stage was 100% powered by 155 solar panels for three days.
For the 2024 edition, they also plan to run the Kidzapalooza and two other stages using solar panels, powering more than 20,000 m2 with clean energy! This will be a national and international milestone.
Morgenwelt GmbH has been pioneering sustainable events for more than ten years. Managing director Björn Hansen has been active since 1999 as an organiser of a wide variety of live formats, all of which have one thing in common: a special sustainability claim.
Since the founding of Morgenwelt, the company has implemented countless events as a service provider for various municipalities, public utilities, and companies, but also on its own initiative, thus gaining many years of expertise and building up a large network of service providers and partners.
All Morgenwelt’s formats and the work it does for clients take special account of the efficient and economical use of the necessary resources. Its aim is to prove that sustainability and fun are by no means mutually exclusive.
The agency produces attention-grabbing highlights across a portfolio that ranges from specialist conferences, seminars, and incentives to company celebrations, festivals, and major events.
The company’s services include approval procedures, catering offers, barriers, stages, and internal and external communication with all trades, exhibitors, and artists.
Morgenwelt staff package even unwieldy topics such as renewable energies, resource efficiency, and sustainability into exciting and entertaining live experiences – for every age, every target group, and every budget.
Climate protection is close to the organisation’s heart. That is why sustainability is not a a trend or box-ticking exercise for Morgenwelt – it is part of their DNA and a matter of course in everything they do: the question of whether there is a sustainable solution always comes first in any task.
Music Declares Emergency is a group of artists, music industry professionals, and organisations that stand together to declare a climate and ecological emergency and call for an immediate governmental response to protect all life on Earth. It believes in the power of music to promote the cultural change needed to create a better future.
Music Declares Emergency launched in the UK in 2019 and now has groups in 14 countries including France, Germany, Canada, the US, Brazil, and Indonesia. The declaration has 3,500+ artists, 1,560+ organisations, and 1,700+ individuals as signatories. It works with culturally influential artists to normalise the call for urgent climate action. Artists supporting the campaign include Billie Eilish, Radiohead, The 1975, Willow Smith, Bonobo, Jarvis Cocker, and The London Symphony Orchestra.
Music Declares Emergency’s campaigns include the globally recognised #NOMUSICONADEADPLANET campaign bringing the call for urgent climate action into music and cultural spaces; and Fan Club for Climate – a growing community of music lovers taking action together on climate.
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Green Guardians 2023: Big Green Coach, Biopak, ZAP
Welcome to the first part of IQ Magazine’s 2023 Green Guardians – our annual recognition of those eco-warriors and innovators at the forefront of the battle to make the live entertainment industry more sustainable.
The Green Guardians is spearheaded by IQ and an international panel of sustainability experts to highlight and congratulate companies and organisations who are improving the live music business when it comes to being more environmentally friendly.
This year’s list of Green Guardians includes 20 entries across a wide range of event suppliers, campaigners, and solutions providers, all of whom are working tirelessly to reduce the carbon footprint of the live entertainment business.
One of the goals of the Green Guardians initiative is to point decision makers toward suppliers who can help them to improve their environmental credentials. We hope the products, services and initiatives profiled will make a meaningful contribution to cleaner concerts and festivals around the world in the years ahead…
Big Green Coach is the UK’s largest carbon-neutral event travel provider. The company prides itself on doing its part to tackle the environmental impact that travel has on the live events industry, and in 2022 alone, it balanced 824 tonnes of carbon through verified carbon standard ecosystem restoration and protection projects.
With audience travel accounting for almost 80% of carbon emissions for live events, it’s never been more important to think about travel choices. Coach travel is already the greenest option for eventgoers, taking cars off the road and using less land for parking.
Going further in their green efforts, Big Green Coach’s work with Cool Earth means they have now sponsored close to 2m sq.ft. of Amazon rainforest for ten years.
In 2022, all of their coach services were carbon neutral. Emissions for every return trip were worked out and then offset by investing in sustainability projects with Ecolibrium.
BioPak creates sustainable packaging that puts the planet first. They champion the transition to a circular economy with industry-leading products made from plants. BioPak’s product range is predominantly made from renewable materials and is certified compostable. Switching to BioPak packaging, in conjunction with a waste-collection service solution, enables businesses to divert their food and packaging waste from landfill and convert it into nutrient-rich compost. BioPak is dedicated to reducing consumption of fossil fuel-based plastic so future generations can grow and thrive in a better world.
BioPak is currently working on plans to provide a number of high-profile music festivals with plastic-free packaging and com- postable packaging solutions. As experts in food & drink packaging, BioPak is working with festivals’ sustainability teams to provide them with on-site composters, to help them dispose of packaging in the most environmentally friendly way. With the help of BioPak’s packaging impact calculations, they can then quantify the positive impact that these changes have made, identifying how much plastic has been avoided, and how much compost has been created in its place.
Green Producers Club provides a research-based climate tool, Green Producers Tool, tailored to multiple industries within the creative and culture sectors, that both measures emissions and facilitates reduction.
Since the launch last September, Green Producers Club now counts more than 130 organisations using the tool to ensure reductions in their events, festivals, and productions. Members are spread across Norway, Denmark, Sweden, and Germany. The Green Producers Club has offices in Oslo and Copenhagen and is planning to expand with offices in Stockholm, Helsinki and Reykjavik by the end of 2024.
The Club facilitates local support and hosts club meetings for members to ensure sharing of knowledge. These meetings are widely popular and are always packed with people and organisations eager to learn and exchange experiences.
The emission factors in the tool, now counting more than 1,500, are calculated by the acclaimed Cicero – Center for International Climate Research. Green Producers Club will continuously develop the tool according to member feedback, new technology and research, and aims to be the most cutting-edge, user-friendly tool in the market.
Greener Power Solutions has already powered multiple events across the Netherlands, Belgium, the UK, and Switzerland, and is expanding further. It can provide battery power to practically any location, from a single cabin up to the main stage of a music festival.
Greener’s batteries reduce an event’s carbon footprint, prevent local air pollution, eliminate noise, and save money compared to diesel generators – providing clean energy for all events, anywhere.
In April this year, the Dutch company expanded its operations into the United Kingdom with a new office in Bristol, where it is collaborating with rental partners to replace their diesel generators with batteries.
“No other supplier in the United Kingdom has a rental fleet of batteries with a power of more than 100 kVA”
“No other supplier in the United Kingdom has a rental fleet of batteries with a power of more than 100 kVA,” explains Greener CEO Dieter Castelein. “Greener will be the first to offer these services on a large scale. In the market, the demand for smaller hybrid units has already been proven, and it seems the time has come to work with larger battery systems.”
To achieve its ambitious growth targets and scale up from a capacity of 20MWh in 2023 to 60MWh by the end of 2025, Greener is focusing on emerging markets such as the EV charging market and the energy grid.
By replacing polluting diesel generators with its batteries, Greener has saved nearly 4m litres of diesel and 12m kg of CO2 emissions since its inception.
ZAP Concepts offers consultancy in energy and sustainability; specialising in energy assessment, measurement and logging, together with the design of optimal power supplies for live events through the use of its unique and internationally awarded Smart Power Plan.
As well as working for many internationally renowned festivals and events like Glastonbury, King Charles III Coronation Concert, Ultra Miami, The Ocean Race, Mysteryland, etc, the ZAP Concepts team also works for Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres Tour.
Having assessed the energy consumption of the show, together with Hope Solutions, Coldplay’s creatives and production, ZAP Concepts developed, together with Konik (UK) and Beck (DE), a unique mobile touring battery system.
With the important ongoing support of Coldplay’s touring production management, a ZAP team operates the mobile touring battery system on many of the European shows, contributing to a 47% reduction in direct CO2e emissions compared to Coldplay’s previous world tour.
- IQ will publish entries across all categories over the coming weeks. The full Green Guardians 2023 list appears in issue 122 of IQ Magazine.
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IQ 122 out now: Stephan Thanscheidt, Sziget and more
IQ 122, the latest issue of the international live music industry’s favourite magazine, is available to read online now.
The September edition charts Stephan Thanscheidt’s journey from playing in punk bands to the CEO of FKP Scorpio, and analyses the lineups of 50 top European festivals, in collaboration with ROSTR.
Meanwhile, Mark Beaumont visits Sziget as the event celebrates 30 years and Adam Woods gives us the low down on the lowlands for this issue’s Netherlands market focus.
Elsewhere James Hanley shines a light on ten of Europe’s brightest indie festivals and finds out what makes them so special and, IQ reveals the Green Guardians 2023, our annual guide to the eco-warriors and innovators striving to make our venues and events more sustainable.
Plus, leading production managers weigh in while we profile several innovations new for the 2023 season.
For this edition’s columns and comments, Shain Shapiro discusses how we should be leading the change when it comes to supporting our local venues, and Michael Kümmerle explains how TikTok wants to expand promoters’ horizons.
As always, the majority of the magazine’s content will appear online in some form in the next four weeks.
However, if you can’t wait for your fix of essential live music industry features, opinion and analysis, click here to subscribe to IQ from just £8 a month – or check out what you’re missing out on with the limited preview below:
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Green Guardians 2022: Sunbelt, Tait, Power Logistics
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 instalment profiling My Cause, Reverb and Smart Power here.
Sunbelt Rentals
Sunbelt – one of the UK’s largest rental equipment providers are big on all things that matter, from equipment and service to sustainability and trust.
Whatever the sector, project, or challenge, Sunbelt Rentals have the solution, offering the expertise, the equipment, and
the team to make it happen.
The company boasts a nationwide portfolio of plant products, specialising in site storage and welfare facilities, plus a comprehensive range of tools available for buy or hire.
Alongside day-to-day equipment supplies, they can also provide a full range of market-leading, environmentally friendly temporary infrastructure solutions to help bring events to life.
Whether clients need complete event management or have a very specific requirement, Sunbelt can help. From planning, plant, and power, to access, safety, and welfare.
As existing energy contracts expire, TAIT intends to replace them with new green contracts
Tait
At TAIT, staff are committed to championing a sustainable future for the entertainment industry.
In 2022, the company rolled out a global training programme for all TAIT employees in Europe and North America. The initiative includes seminars and practical workshops introducing the concepts of working toward the linear economy; waste and energy hierarchies; embedded carbon; lifecycle analysis; material choices; and whole systems thinking.
From 1 January 2022, all travel for employees based in North America and the UK was booked and managed through one travel company. This initiative gives TAIT clear visibility of its travel emissions from a project and internal perspective. It says that it is continuing to collate emissions data on Scope 1 & 2 and will include travel in its Scope 3 data collection in 2022. This data will be used to create the company’s carbon reduction policy.
TAIT’s new UK premises at Haverhill, due to open later this year, will incorporate solar panels above the office space and a rainwater harvesting system for the building. EV charging points have been installed with the infrastructure to increase capacity as more people make the switch to using electric cars.
As existing energy contracts expire, TAIT intends to replace them with new green contracts, switching its gas and electricity suppliers to those who specialise in renewable sources. By 2025, all of the company’s UK locations will run on green energy.
The Power Logistics team has been involved with Radio 1’s Big Weekend, BST Hyde Park, Extreme E and Boomtown
Power Logistics
Continually investigating new and alternative methods to make the events it supports and the day-to-day activities of the company as carbon efficient as possible, Power Logistics offers sustainable power and lighting solutions.
The team has been involved with numerous high-profile events in 2022, such as Radio 1’s Big Weekend, BST Hyde Park, Extreme E, Boomtown, and the Platinum Jubilee celebratory events in London. Delivering green-power solutions was paramount at all of them.
Power Logistics’ award-winning green credentials include the use of Green D+ HVO, utilising the smallest generators possible on a load-demand system, power monitoring, LED tower lights, and site lighting as standard practice at the events it serves.
Whilst implementing battery energy storage systems is commonplace at projects that benefit from the technology. The team is currently exploring innovative solutions, including hydrogen power, solar, and the incorporation of second-life batteries to optimise energy usage for event utilities reducing fuel and carbon emissions.
Devising and implementing an advanced energy management strategy, Power Logistics reduced fuel consumption at this year’s Radio 1 Big Weekend by 34% from 2019, even though its overall capacity was 25% bigger. It also reduced the number of generators onsite from 30 to 17 compared to 2019, contributing not only to fuel savings but also to a huge reduction in transport.
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Green Guardians 2022: Gem-Stage, Instagrid, GPC
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 instalment profiling Native Events here.
Gem-Stage
Gem-Stage was launched in Europe in 2019 in collaboration with EU/Interreg NWE, just three months prior to the pandemic. The mission: demonstrate sustainable energy usage at event sites.
Since 2020, GEM has visited several European festivals where it has provided wind, solar, light, and hydrogen/hydrozine. And with an added professional stage (6 x 8 meters), GEM has become a fully operating, colourful and eye-catching entity that is an attractive addition to any event.
The stage includes a 90kWh battery storage and can provide energy for a live show of up to eight hours. Among the events that have hosted GEM-Stage are Pohoda (Slovakia), Rock for People (Czech Republic), Boomtown (Belgium), Eurosonic Noorderslag (The Netherlands), and Vestrock (The Netherlands).
In 2023, GEM-Stage is planning to spread its wings and visit more places and meet more people, in order to spread its message and demonstrate the benefits of sustainable energy.
Instagrid has developed an advanced portable power battery as a power supply for professional applications
Instagrid
Instagrid specialise in high-power portable battery systems that enable reliable and efficient access to clean and affordable electricity for anyone, anywhere, and anytime. Specifically, Instagrid has developed an advanced portable power battery as a power supply for professional applications, to replace highly polluting fossil generators.
The reduction of size and weight is achieved by proprietary power converter technology with a modular design. This gives users the ability to achieve unprecedented power levels, making instagrid products among the most advanced portable battery systems in the world.
Instagrid’s innovative technology helps professionals in areas such as construction, events, film/TV, and public sectors to work with more comfort, achieving greater productivity and efficiency. For the events sector, the compact and lightweight battery brings convenience by providing flexibility and independence from site generators. The power system is easy to move around a festival or venue, wherever electricity might be needed.
In the UK, the ONE Max product powered everything from site cabins to pressure washers, welders and mobile PA systems during the build, show, and break at festivals including Shambala and Secret Garden Party.
Green Producers Club provides a research-based climate tool that both measures emissions and facilitates reduction
Green Producers Club
Green Producers Club provides a research-based climate tool, Green Producers Tool, tailored to multiple industries within the creative and culture sectors, that both measures emissions and facilitates reduction.
All producers and purchasers of events, concerts, festivals, film & television, and soon theatres, can now measure emissions from transport, energy consumption, food & beverage, recycling & waste, accommodation, machinery & construction, art department, venue management, equipment for both stage and film, as well as miscellaneous purchases.
The tool is developed by producers for producers, and is thus intuitive and relevant. It calculates emissions from activities immediately, which is helpful when planning future activities. The emission factors in the tool are calculated by the acclaimed Cicero and based on international databases and cutting-edge research into lifecycle emissions as well as direct emissions.
Green Producers Club will continuously develop the tool according to new technology and research. The Club facilitates seminars and workshops, and gives decision makers reliable analysis on where to implement measures that have an effect.
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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Green Guardians 2022: Native Events
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 instalment profiling d&b audiotechnik, Ecolibrium, Every Can Counts and Focusrite here.
Native Events
Over the past five years, consultancy group Native Events has been working really hard to help the events and cultural sectors in Ireland transition towards a more sustainable and circular future.
Native Events was born of a frustration with the needless waste and impact that gigs and events were having in Ireland and the lack of progress being made within the creative industries there.
They started with solar arrays and batteries to power stages and activations and a suite of upcycled furniture and decor, using salvaged materials from exhibitions.
The team has been pushing the conversation in Ireland towards environmental and social responsibility and has partnered with Julie’s Bicycle to establish Julie’s Bicycle Europe. Together they have launched an innovative carbon calculator – specifically designed for the arts – in Ireland, so that creatives can measure, account for, and reduce their environmental impacts. Using this tool with their clients throughout 2022, they have been moving towards reporting and bench-marking for the sector.
Native Events was born of a frustration with the needless waste and impact that gigs and events were having in Ireland
Coming back to live events following the pandemic has been challenging, but the team at Native Events has stayed committed to their vision. Their work with Body&Soul Festival this year saw the introduction of a biodigester, which broke down food waste and compostables onsite; a switch from diesel to 100% HVO-powered generators; and the use of natural, waterless toilets site-wide, saving on chemical use and transport.
Also in 2022, they have been working on a hugely ambitious carbon neutrality project with Dublin PRIDE LGBTQ+ Festival. Further exciting projects this year include energy monitoring for the Heineken Greener Bar at Electric Picnic, aimed at reducing energy consumption, and the creation of a festival campsite based on circular economy principles; a partnership with the Waste Management Regional Offices – an industry-wide consultation on the elimination of single-use plastics at Irish events; and the co-creation and publication of guidelines for sustainable festivals with Failte, Ireland’s Tourism Board.
Native Event’s aim for 2023 is to continue their work with Ireland’s live events industry, whilst expanding their consultancy work to help organisations understand their environmental impact and develop a strategy for how they can get where they need to be. Creating sustainable events and cultural activities is no longer a choice – it is action – and Native Events are proud to be at the forefront of action in Ireland’s creative sector.
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.
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.