In the music industry a concert or even just the production of albums and singles generates a high environmental impact. It is estimated that a single concert can produce between 2 and 10 kgs   of CO2 per spectator, considering the huge amount of plastic and litter that is accumulated in the environment. In this regard, many artists are working to make the world of music more sustainable, including Coldplay, a British band formed in 1997 in London. The group conquered the world stage and managed to write their name in the history of music of the 2000s, thanks to their debut album “Parachutes”. Since 2000 they have committed themselves, in addition to pursuing their musical career, to make this industry eco-friendly. Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman and Will Champion are the leaders of this new green project. In 2019 the British band decided to stop the concerts, to make them more environmentally sustainable. In an interview with the BBC Martin explains how important it is for the band to carry out an initiative that can reduce plastic and use renewable energy such as solar energy, but above all to share awareness to the new generation. “We’re taking time over the next year or two, to work out how our tour can not only be sustainable, but also how it can be actively beneficial” -“Our dream is to have a show with no single use of plastic and to have it largely solar powered”. -Martin.
When Coldplay started their “Music Of   The Spheres”  World Tour in 2022, the goal was clear: make their tour even more sustainable and environmentally friendly! This initiative also includes very interesting technological aspects: charging their shows with bikes and dance floors, building bamboo sets and planting a tree for each ticket sold! The concert becomes an interactive concert, in which everyone participating can make an important contribution to the live experience. Study figures show that Coldplay have so far emitted 47% less carbon dioxide emissions during their world tour, compared to the 2016 and 2017 tours. The band is proud of the result achieved and has thanked all those who supported this project, obviously their audience and several environmental NGOs such as The Ocean Cleanup and ClientEarth (a team of lawyers who protect the environment). What are the key points of this ecological tour? Coldplay claimed to charge the show (audio, lights, lasers) thanks to electric batteries that allow to use 100% renewable energy in the most efficient way possible, in addition to solar energy they also use other ways to produce energy. To recharge the batteries of the show they use the energy generated by platforms installed on the lawn, such as dance floors, which use the kinetic energy produced by the public in motion, to generate electricity. In some lawn areas there are also simple bikes, mounted on special fixed structures, able to produce electricity through pedalling. Of course, these two solutions are not innovations created by Coldplay, however, it is the use of these alternative ways in a musical context, which makes this idea brilliant and functional! To avoid the consumption of plastic related to the light up bracelets, they ask all participants of the show to return the bracelet, so that it can be reused at the next concert. They use biodegradable confetti and help the environment by planting a tree at each ticket sold, to absorb a greater amount of CO2 than the one produced by the tour. The project was appreciated  and it’s hard to deny that Coldplay are pioneers for the future of sustainability in live music.  This is another reason why I’m crazy for them.