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AEG Europe Shares BST Hyde Park Sustainability Plan
When BST Hyde Park kicks off tomorrow, June 28, it will come with green initiatives, that include carbon removals and menu labelling, making the it AEG Europe’s most sustainable festival yet.
“The company has has heralded the 2024 season as their most sustainable run of festivals to date,” according to a press release from AEG Europe, which also runs All Points East in London; Rock En Seine in France; as well as Country To Country in several European markets.
Partnerships with Lowr and Keep Britain Tidy further illustrate the company’s commitment to use “the influence of live entertainment to preserve the planet and safeguard it for future generations.”
Speaking to sustainability measures at BST Hyde Park, AEG Europe’s director of sustainability, Sam Booth, commented, “Over the course of 10 shows across three weekends, we will have the opportunity to engage with hundreds of thousands of fans. We are acutely aware of our position and believe we have a responsibility to influence fan behaviour and drive sustainable change and in doing so, we’re helping to not only preserve the planet but also the future of live entertainment.”
AEG Europe’s sustainability measures in place at BST Hyde Park 2024 include:
– Eliminating scope 1 & 2 emissions, as well as carbon removals & carbon labelling, to eventually achieve net zero emissions. In February 2024, AEG Europe hosted the world’s first carbon-removed concerts at The O2 in London, which saw the extraction and removal of 545.9 tonnes across four shows. According to AEG Europe, that’s “the equivalent yearly electricity usage of 395 average homes.” The team at BST Hyde Park is now acting on key learnings from those events, “continuing to reduce emissions while pursuing accurate measurement for the remaining unavoidable ones. Using Biochar for carbon capture, BST Hyde Park will then fund the removal of all Scope 1 and 2 emissions, making this AEG Europe’s most carbon-friendly festival series to date,” the press release states.
The AEG team has also worked with A Greener Future to measure the environmental impact of each meal served across the festival, and ensure this information is across all menus, with a traffic light system to highlight the most environmentally friendly offerings.
– Effective waste management: BST Hyde Park will use “100% compostable serveware across the site, with a limited reusable cup system being trialled in controlled areas. Waste handling has also been improved, with clearer signage, an on-site waste baler, and on-site crews to help fans separate their waste correctly.”
AEG Europe is working in partnership with Keep Britain Tidy on a new waste reduction initiative for 2024. Portable ashtrays will be handed out to combat the UK’s largest source of litter, and an e-cigarette recycling scheme will be implemented across the site of BST Hyde Park to dispose of soft plastics and batteries.
– Data capture & partnering with sustainable fan travel platform Lowr, which created a platform for ticket holders to log their journey to the event, and help the festival understand and quantify the full carbon impact of audience travel – by far the biggest variable in the sustainability equation.
– Sustainable energy & power supply: BST Hyde Park will receive its power supply from both biodiesel generators and batteries this summer – after successfully trialling a new battery system at the event in 2023.
BST Hyde Park 2024 kicks off with a day dedicated to classical music on Friday, June 28, and closes with a performance by Stray Kids, July 14. In between, Robbie Williams, Shania Twain, Andrea Bocelli, Stevie Nicks, Kylie, Kings of Leon, SZA, and Morgan Wallen are all going to headline a day, each bringing a host of incredible guest artists with them.