Coldplay has achieved a remarkable 59% reduction in carbon emissions during the first two years of their eco-friendly Music of the Spheres world tour, which concluded its performances at Croke Park, yesterday.
The ‘Yellow’ hitmakers played in Dublin from August 29 to September 2, leaving fans with the reassurance that their journey to the concerts had a minimised environmental impact.
Back in 2021, Coldplay pledged to cut their tour emissions by at least 50%, implementing eco-initiatives such as electricity-generating dancefloors, exercise bike power, bamboo sets, solar panels, reduced air travel, and tree planting for each ticket sold.
Over the course of the tour, they planted seven million trees and diverted 72% of tour waste for recycling and composting. The energy generated from solar panels, kinetic dancefloors, and power bikes increased from 15 to 17 kWh per show, helping to power a smaller stage area and charging stations for the crew. Additionally, the band funded two solar-powered devices to remove ocean plastic.
MIT’s Environmental Solutions Initiative verified these achievements. Coldplay expressed gratitude to their touring team and fans for contributing to these efforts, noting significant progress while acknowledging that more work remains to be done.
A report from July 2023 showed a 47% reduction in emissions, with the final tally now reaching 59%. Amid increasing scrutiny of musicians’ environmental impacts, other artists like Massive Attack and Billie Eilish have also committed to greener practices, further highlighting the shift towards sustainability in the music industry.
