The Green Rider will act as a helpful guide for incoming productions, with recommendations for how to make more sustainable choices and reduce their overall environmental impact
The venue’s Green Rider, which is being shared with promoters and artist teams visiting The O2, acts as a guide for incoming productions and tours, outlining considerations and recommendations of how to make more sustainable choices and reduce the environmental impact of live events.
This includes best practice recommendations for how to reduce CO2 emissions, make more sustainable choices for equipment and materials used, reduce waste and energy consumption, and monitor carbon footprint, alongside an appendix containing useful resources and local suppliers.
“We have a responsibility to help drive forward the sustainability agenda for international touring and live events, and that’s exactly what we’re trying to do with The O2’s Green Rider,” said Sam Booth, director of sustainability at AEG Europe.
Booth added, “Working closely with organisations like A Greener Future, we’ve identified key areas where the environmental impact of a tour can be significantly reduced… our ambition is to create a blueprint for shows visiting the arena moving forwards, and for the wider live industry.”
Further initiatives
The creation of a Green Rider follows the announcement that The O2 will be hosting ‘carbon removed’ events as part of a worldwide arena first, in collaboration with carbon removal experts CUR8 and sustainable event specialists A Greener Future.
These pilot events, taking place at a headline show by the 1975 at the venue in February 2024, will use a portfolio of carbon removal methods to physically extract the carbon generated by the events from the atmosphere and store it.
Adam Pearson, commercial director at The O2, said of this recent announcement, “The O2 arena hosts over 200 events a year with some of the biggest acts in the world, so we have a massive opportunity here to really drive the sustainability agenda forward in our industry.”
The O2’s sustainability practices and commitments sit under the venue’s broader umbrella initiative ‘Good Vibes All Round’, which was launch in 2019 and underpins The O2’s CSR work across the four pillars of sustainability, accessibility, charity, and community.
A greener future
The O2 was the first arena in England to achieve its Greener Arena certification from A Greener Future in December 2022.
Changes included the procurement of green electricity to the implementation of digital ticketing and major reductions in single-use plastic within the arena, a back of house recycling programme, state-of-the-art waste compound, green cleaning program, onsite wormery and Eco-Digester.
Alongside The O2’s catering partner Levy UK + Ireland, a plant-forward menu with 70% plant-based options has been launched in the arena, alongside a food waste collection initiative with local sharing app Olio, which sees leftover food items collected from the venue and distributed to those in need within the local community.
These measures all contribute towards Levy’s commitment to reach net zero at The O2 arena by 2025.
