Greener live experiences

As summer beckons in the Northern Hemisphere, marketers are looking to partner with large-scale event organizers, who also have sustainability on their minds.

In the U.K. alone, the British Arts Council estimates that live music produces almost 405,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions each year. Concert and event organizers are facing up to this and bringing brand sponsors and partners along with them on their own journey to net zero.

This includes Live Nation, which produces over 20,000 shows annually for more than 2,000 artists. These range from Beyonce’s World Tour to festivals like Camp Bestival. The company’s “Green Nation” charter is seeing it work toward a 50% reduction in scope one and two greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, aiming for all its owned and operated venues and offices and live events to be powered by 100% renewable energy by the same year.

As it phases out the use of single-use plastics at festivals, Live Nation has signed Liquid Death, which is sold in recyclable tallboy cans, as its exclusive water partner for venues across the U.S. In the U.K. it is already working with partners, including U.K. grocer Co-op, to reduce the carbon footprint of on-site activations.

“We know that live musicgoers are motivated to engage in sustainable practices at live events, and so we want to make sure we’re providing sustainable options for fans that are easily accessible and convenient to use,” Lucy August-Perna, director of global sustainability for Live Nation, said in a statement last year.

As the world reopens, making sure there’s a planet to stay reopen in is top of mind for customers. For brands, engaging consumers IRL can no longer come at the cost of the environment.

This story is part of Adweek’s The State of Sustainability digital package, which spotlights climate-focused marketing solutions across the beauty, experiential and media spaces, and examines how an industry that was built to drive consumption is adapting to reduce its impact.