AEG Europe Announces Most Sustainable Festival Season to Date
June 27 2024 - 3:01AM
AEG Europe Announces Most Sustainable Festival Season to Date
Set in the heart of London and kicking off this
Friday, American Express Presents BST Hyde Park has become a
staple in the summer festival calendar, featuring legendary global
performers in the capital’s celebrated Royal Park. AEG Europe, the
world leader in live sport and entertainment and operator of the
iconic festival, has today announced their upcoming series will be
the company’s most sustainable festival yet, with several new
initiatives set to minimise environmental impacts.
Sustainability is a key driver behind the company’s business
decisions and with several new environmentally responsible
initiatives in place, the company has heralded the 2024 season as
their most sustainable run of festivals to date. From removing
carbon emissions to partnerships with Lowr and Keep Britain Tidy,
the company’s efforts illustrate their commitment to catalysing 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 says: “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 | Carbon Removals & Carbon
Labelling
Achieving net zero emissions is critical for the environment and
AEG Europe is already working toward a verifiable net zero
strategy. In February 2024, the company made history by hosting the
world’s first carbon-removed arena events at The O2 in London,
which saw the extraction and removal of 545.9 tonnes across the
four shows - the equivalent yearly electricity usage of 395 average
homes.
Acting on key learnings from the pilot events, the festival is
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 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. Not only does this help to educate fans in their food
choices, but it also acts as a reminder to traders of the impact
their ingredient choices can have on the world around them, helping
to encourage traders to think green for all future events.
- Effective Waste
Management
AEG Europe is committed to sending zero waste to landfill and is
looking to build on the principles of the circular economy to all
venues and festivals. BST Hyde Park will see the use of 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.
Working in partnership with Keep Britain Tidy, BST Hyde Park
will also see a new waste reduction initiative for 2024. In a move
to change fan behaviour around the disposal of cigarette butts,
portable ashtrays will be handed out to combat the UK's largest
source of litter. An e-cigarette collect-and-recycle scheme will
also be implemented across the site for the safe disposal of soft
plastics and batteries.
- Data Capture |
Partnering with Sustainable Fan Travel Platform Lowr
AEG Europe’s customer engagement teams have formed a partnership
with a sustainability platform Lowr. Lowr have created a bespoke
platform for ticket holders to log their journey to the event and
help the festival to understand and quantify the full carbon impact
of their travel. This information can then be used in subsequent
years to help inform policies and strategies for tackling this
large chunk of the festival’s impact.
- Sustainable
Energy & Power Supply
BST Hyde Park will benefit from an enhanced power supply from
both biodiesel generators and batteries this summer. After
successfully trialling a new battery system at the event in 2023,
the team has made significant energy efficiencies in a more
economical power supply. These enhancements ensure the entire
workflow operates at optimum efficiency to drive down overall fuel
usage across the site.
BST Hyde Park 2024 is one of the festival’s most musically
diverse years yet, featuring hundreds of global acts, and iconic
headliners including Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli, pop legends
Robbie Williams and Kylie, alongside country music royalty Shania
Twain and Morgan Wallen.
– ENDS –
Media enquires can be directed
to communications.team@aegeurope.com
- American Express presents BST Hyde Park
- American Express presents BST Hyde Park