Featured Image: Drew de F Fawkes, CC BY 2.0
Image Description: Kylie Minogue performing at BST Hyde Park in 2015
AEG Europe placed sustainability at the forefront of its organisation of the BST Hyde Park multi-weekend festival, which kicked off on Friday featuring performances from the likes of SZA, Kings of Leon and more.
The London event is due to run over the next two weekends, with performances still to come from Morgan Wallen, Andrea Bocelli, Robbie Williams, Shania Twain, Stevie Nicks and Kylie Minogue (pictured).
Operator AEG Europe worked to eliminate as many scope 1 and 2 emissions as possible, and BST Hyde Park worked with Biochar to fund carbon capture. Additionally, AEG collaborated with A Greener Future to measure the environmental impact of meals served across the festival to ensure the information was available on all menus. A traffic light system was incorporated to convey this information and educate fans on their food choices, and the potential impact on the environment.
AEG Europe also committed to sending zero waste to landfill, while developing further initiatives to support a circular economy at its venues and festivals. BST Hyde Park has utilised – and will continue to do so – compostable serve-wear, as well as a reusable cup system trialled in controlled areas. Waste handling has been improved thanks to clearer signage, an on-site waste baler, and crews to help fans separate their waste correctly.
Working in partnership with Keep Britain Tidy, BST Hyde Park is aiming to change fan behaviour about the disposal of cigarette butts. Portable ashtrays will be handed out to combat the UK’s largest source of litter, while an e-cigarette collect-and-recycle scheme has been implemented across the site.
Data is important to analysing sustainability initiatives and finding out areas in which to improve. AEG Europe’s customer engagement teams partnered with sustainability platform Lowr, which created a bespoke platform for ticket-holders to log their journey. This information can then be used in subsequent years to create new policies and strategies to tackle these scope 3 emissions.
The London event benefitted from an enhanced power supply from biodiesel generators and batteries after trialling a new system at the 2023 edition.
AEG Europe’s director of sustainability, Sam Booth said: “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.”
Earlier this year, AEG Europe’s sustainability efforts were also highlighted as The O2 saw the removal of 545.9 tonnes of residual carbon during a pilot initiative across The 1975’s four-night residency.
Share this