Venue announced over 500 tonnes of carbon were removed from the atmosphere to compensate for emissions from four headline shows
The O2 in London has today revealed the results of a pilot project that saw it invest in carbon removal credits to tackle emissions from the hosting of four headline shows this February from award-winning band The 1975.
The venue said it worked with carbon removal experts CUR8 to fund the removal of 136.46 tonnes of carbon dioxide per show, equating to 545.9 tonnes across the four shows - the equivalent of the annual emissions from the electricity usage of 395 average homes.
It said the investment through CUR8, which works with a host of emerging carbon removal developers to offer a series of carbon removal portfolios, now provides a "blueprint for a more sustainable live event model utilising carbon removals".
The O2 owner AEG Europe also worked with sustainable events consultancy A Greener Future to select a portfolio of scientifically verifiable carbon removal methods, including enhanced rock weathering and biochar projects.
The carbon removed was in line with estimates for the carbon footprint of each show, including fan travel to and from the venue, which accounted for around 75 per cent of the total emissions associated with each individual concert.
The pilot was funded by a combination of investment from the venue and a 90p contribution from fans, which was incorporated into the original ticket price. The O2 and CUR8 also each donated an additional one per cent on top of the cost for each tonne of carbon removed to EarthPercent, a climate foundation geared towards identifying and funding impactful climate solutions in the live entertainment industry.
The O2 said its analysis also revealed only 3.95 per cent of the nightly carbon footprint came from arena operations, where emissions have been driven down in recent years through its installation of LED lighting and screens across the arena, which saved over 300,000kwh of energy in 2023 alone.
Similarly, food and drink served at the venue accounted for around 7.5 per cent of the carbon footprint - a share that has been reduced through the adoption of a new menu from food and drink provider Levy UK + Ireland that generated 30 per cent less carbon emissions compared to the regular offering. Furthermore, The O2 has invested in a permanent reusable cup scheme and cup-washing machines powered by electricity from renewable resources, further reducing waste and emissions at the venue.
Sam Booth, director of sustainability at AEG Europe, said: "With the success of this world-first pilot series of arena events, we've proven that it's possible to run an arena-size live show which doesn't compromise on a great fan experience but still accounts for the impact it has on the environment. We hope this serves as a wakeup call to the wider industry that carbon removals are a viable solution that can be used to operate live events, but they need buy-in from everyone in the live ecosystem in order to be a success - from venues and promoters right the way through to artists themselves. We're fully committed to continuing to innovate and find even more ways to make our world-class events across AEG Europe more sustainable, as we strive for a low-carbon future for the live industry."
Mark Stevenson, co-founder and chief impact officer at CUR8, said the pilot project had "demonstrated the art of the possible".
"We cannot have a live music industry where the only route to net zero is to not exist," he said. "By using carbon removals to mitigate the complex 'audience travel' or 'scope 3 emissions' problem, all within the existing business model of live events, these concerts demonstrate a possible future - one that speaks to life well lived on a planet well loved."
The news comes just days after a major row over the role of carbon credits in counting towards corporate net zero targets, after the board of the Science Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) signalled it could support a relaxation of the group's rules to allow for the wider use of carbon credits to meet net zero supply chain goals.
The proposals were broadly supported by carbon credit providers and business groups, but sparked a fierce backlash from green NGOs and some SBTi employees who argued the wider use of carbon offsets without sufficient guardrails and quality assurances risked distracting from the need to cut emissions at source.
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