With 45,000 other fans, I went to a Coldplay concert last month. It had been 20 years since my last one and this time was a very different experience. The technology wasn’t just a flashy addition, it was an essential part of the sustainable show.

Concert-related CO2 emissions come from a wide range of sources — travel, ticketing, audience electronics, energy consumption for staging, lighting, sound, ventilation, hotel stays for attendees, band members, and crew, as well as waste from packaging and plastics.

After launching “Everyday Life” in 2019, Coldplay told the BBC that they would stop touring until they could ensure it could be done sustainably.

“We’re taking time over the next year or two to work out how our tour can not only be sustainable but how it can be actively beneficial,” frontman Chris Martin said.

Fast forward to 2021 and the announcement of their Music of the Spheres Tour, where the band vowed to cut direct carbon emissions by 50 percent, covering every aspect of production and travel.

Among the innovations used to cut their carbon emissions: Energy centers placed around each venue consist of 44 sustainable tiles for fans to dance on and 15 kinetic bikes that generate energy to help power the show. Data collected from these centers records the amount of energy produced during specific songs, shows and across tours.

On average, these installations — along with solar panels set up around the stadium — generate about 17 kWh each night, enough to power the center stage.

The band also encourages concertgoers to use public transportation and shuttle buses organized for the event; set up water stations around the venue; and requests that fans bring refillable bottles.

Every flight, including freight and charter, uses sustainable aviation fuel, and the stage is built with reusable and recycled lightweight materials.

In 2023, the band reported powering 18 shows from a portable battery system made from recycled BMW i3 batteries. Over 2022–2023, they also achieved a 59 percent reduction in CO2 emissions compared to their 2016 tour.

But it’s not all about direct emissions and energy consumption.

Coldplay also focuses on food and waste management. So far, 72 percent of all tour waste has been sent for reuse, recycling or composting. They’ve also donated nearly 10,000 meals from tour catering to the homeless over the same two-year period.

For each ticket sold, a tree is planted, and the band partners with several sustainability-focused organizations, including ClientEarth and One Tree Planted. To top it all off, Coldplay’s tour merchandise is made from organic and recycled materials.

It seems like they’ve got the bases covered. But is it enough?

Carbon Market Watch praises the band’s efforts but points out that some information is missing from their data — such as emissions from fan travel. They also suggest the numbers could be reduced by playing fewer concerts.

The data and sustainability claims have been audited and verified by the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative.

“For some time now, Coldplay has been leading by example in taking seriously and acting on the various interrelated environmental and social challenges facing humanity; climate change, biodiversity loss, air and water pollution, environmental injustice and more,” says John E. Fernández, director of the MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative.

“With each subsequent year of their tour they demonstrate an evolving vision and expanded commitment to move the entire music industry toward true and humane sustainability and planetary resilience. From collecting unprecedented amounts of data to taking specific actions today based on rigorous analysis, Coldplay is modelling a trajectory toward a low-carbon, biodiverse and equitable future,” he adds.

After all, they’re one of only a few taking such measures.

Comprehensive industry-wide data is scarce. That’s why MIT is conducting its own research, led by Fernández and MIT research scientist Norhan Bayomi of The Climate Machine, an MIT Environmental Solutions Initiative research group.

“This latest analysis of Coldplay’s impact on the environment from touring is again setting a new standard for the entire music industry. The data and the methods of analysis support the conclusion that substantial progress has been made to reduce emissions in touring,” Fernández says.