THE O2 ANNOUNCES THE WORLD’S FIRST CARBON REMOVED ARENA EVENTS
- The O2 is the first arena worldwide to announce that it will be hosting ‘carbon removed’ events, in collaboration with carbon removal experts CUR8 and sustainable event specialists A Greener Future
- Taking place at The 1975’s headline shows in February 2024, will see the world-famous venue remove over 100 tonnes of residual carbon emissions per event, thereby neutralising the carbon impact, as part of an industry-leading pilot
The O2, the world’s most popular live entertainment, leisure and retail destination, has today announced that it will be hosting the world’s first carbon-removed arena events at The 1975’s headline shows in February 2024. These pilot events will use a portfolio of carbon removal methods to physically extract the carbon generated by the events from the atmosphere and durably store it out of harm’s way – a game-changing step on the path to helping the global live events industry reach genuine net-zero.
Since achieving its Greener Arena certification in December 2022, and being the first arena in England to do so, The O2, which is owned and operated by AEG Europe, has been working closely with A Greener Future on how to best quantify and reduce the emissions resulting from live events. For these pilot events, The O2 has also teamed up with CUR8, which specialises in the timely and durable drawdown of CO2, through high-quality carbon removal portfolios. With CUR8’s expertise, the venue can now predict the emissions of an event in advance of it taking place, based on expected outputs for categories including catering, travel/transport and electricity, which equates to over 100 tonnes per show for The 1975 at The O2.
Using this data, the cost of removing the carbon associated with the events can be folded into the existing business model. AEG Europe, alongside The O2 arena’s hospitality partner Levy UK + Ireland, have accounted for the removal costs in their operations, while emissions for audience travel are estimated based on travel surveys and covered by a 90p investment which has been incorporated into the event ticket price.
If successful, the intention for these pilot events is to create a best practice-model for venues, promoters and tours worldwide on how to execute a carbon-removed event, and more broadly, to encourage and inspire the reduction of carbon emissions in the live entertainment industry as it transitions to a low-carbon future.
Sam Booth (Director of Sustainability at AEG Europe) commented: “We’re incredibly proud to be hosting the world’s first carbon removed events here at The O2. The perfect large-scale carbon-free event does not currently exist, but while the industry continues to innovate and improve to reduce emissions to their lowest possible level, carbon removals will remain an important piece of the puzzle. As a world-leading venue, we have a responsibility to create a path for real change, and it’s our hope that this event will not only deliver the same best-in-class experience that fans expect at The O2, but also one that’s supporting vital climate work and is better for the planet. Thank you to The 1975, CUR8, A Greener Future and all of our partners who have collaborated with us on this – it’s going to be game-changing not just for us but the industry as a whole, and is a fantastic way to kick off an exciting 2024 at The O2.”
Mark Stevenson (Co-Founder and Chief Impact Officer at CUR8) added: “The world desperately needs to decarbonise, and we’ve been hugely impressed with the work that The O2 has been doing with A Greener Future to continually drive down their emissions. What’s great about these shows is that we can demonstrate that it is now possible fold the cost of removing the residual CO2 into the existing business model, such that fans won’t notice any difference in the gig experience. As The O2 continues to drive down emissions going forward, the investment per gig for carbon removals will only get smaller. It’s a complete win-win-win – for artists and their fans who care about the climate crisis, for venues and the live events supply chain, who can now realise a route to a scientifically and legally compliant net-zero position, while helping CUR8 to invest in building the carbon removals operating system for the planet.”
From the procurement of green electricity to the implementation of digital ticketing and major reductions in single-use plastic within the arena, The O2, which is visited by over 9 million people a year, has long been paving the way for greener arenas both in the UK and worldwide. A back of house recycling programme, state-of-the-art waste compound, green cleaning program, onsite wormery and Eco-Digester all also contribute to none of the venue’s waste going to landfill.
Continuing a path towards net zero, The O2 is also developing a Green Rider for incoming tours and productions – an industry-leading document containing recommendations for how to make more sustainable choices and reduce the overall environmental impact of live events, due to be released later this year.
The O2’s sustainability practices and commitments sit under the venue’s broader umbrella initiative ‘Good Vibes All Round’, which was launched in 2019 and underpins The O2’s CSR work across the four pillars of sustainability, accessibility, charity, and community.
For ticket information for The 1975’s headline shows at The O2, please click here. For further information on The O2’s sustainability practices and Good Vibes All Round initiative, please click here.
ENDS
For more information, please contact:
communications.team@theo2.co.uk
About The O2
The O2 is the world’s most popular live entertainment, leisure, and retail destination, and has been visited by over 100 million people since opening in 2007. Playing host to over 300 events a year, The O2 is home to The O2 arena which was recognised as Billboard’s ‘Venue of the Decade’ for the 2020’s, and ‘Venue of the Year’ at the 2022 LIVE Awards, as well as club-sized music venue indigo at The O2.
A full day-out destination, there’s plenty to explore at The O2 including the award-winning roofwalk attraction, Up at The O2; Outlet Shopping at The O2, with up to 70% off RRP on over 60 designer brands including adidas, Calvin Klein, Levi’s, Nike, Superdry, and Tommy Hilfiger; interactive football experience TOCA Social; London’s first iFLY Indoor Skydiving; ‘gaming battleground’ BOOM BATTLE BAR; Cineworld, London’s largest cinema with 19 screens; the 12-lane boutique Hollywood Bowl; Oxygen Freejumping trampoline park; immersive dining experience Mamma Mia! The Party; interactive photo experience Selfie Factory, and over 30 bars and restaurants. Conveniently located just 15 minutes from Central London, The O2 is easily accessible via road, tube, bus, or boat.
The O2 arena and Up at The O2 are owned and operated by AEG Europe. The Entertainment District and Outlet Shopping at The O2 are owned and operated by a joint venture between AEG Europe and Crosstree Real Estate.
For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.
About AEG Europe
Headquartered in London, AEG Europe is a subsidiary of AEG, the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company. AEG Europe’s extensive portfolio of live entertainment and sports assets across the region includes: an array of best-in-class venues, such as The O2 and Eventim Apollo in London; Barclays Arena in Hamburg; Mercedes-Benz Arena, Uber Platz and Uber Eats Music Hall in Berlin; and Accor Arena in Paris; as well as renowned music festivals, including American Express presents BST Hyde Park in London and Rock en Seine in Paris. Our venues host some of the world’s best sports events and are home to prestigious sports franchises, including AEG’s own Berlin Eisbären ice hockey team at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.
Colleagues across Europe work together to create world-class live entertainment and sports experiences. AEG’s venue teams develop and operate best-in-class arenas and districts; AEG Presents promotes and manages concerts and tours, oversees renowned venues and produces some of the world’s leading music festivals; AXS Ticketing connects fans to events through specialist technology solutions; and AEG Global Partnerships links corporate brands into the company’s world-leading network of assets.
About CUR8
Founded by serial fintech entrepreneur Marta Krupinska, renowned climate scientist Dr. Gabrielle Walker and systems change expert Mark Stevenson, CUR8 is the market maker for carbon removals. CUR8’s due diligence and monitoring underpins its ability to provide high-quality carbon removals portfolios that allow organisations to plot a path to genuine net-zero. By carefully procuring projects from selected global suppliers across the spectrum of nature and technology, including high-quality afforestation, durable soil carbon, biochar, enhanced weathering and direct air capture, CUR8 is supporting new startups and methods that will make a difference to the climate crisis. CUR8 is on a mission to facilitate 1 billion tonnes of carbon removals annually by 2050.
Notable carbon removals projects in the events space so far for CUR8 include festivals such as Luno presents All Points East and American Express presents BST Hyde Park, as well as Royal events such as The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Pageant and The Queen’s Funeral.
Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.
About A Greener Future
A Greener Future (formerly A Greener Festival) is a not-for-profit company dedicated to sustainability in the live sector since 2005, and founders of the world’s first sustainability standards for events. Committed to helping events, festivals, venues and organisations around the world to be greener, AGF provides certification, education, training, consultancy, resources and green riders. As well as supporting actions to reduce emissions and any negative impacts, AGF offer independent assessment and verification of events and venues sustainability claims through the AGF certification for events, festivals, venues, tours and suppliers. https://www.agreenerfuture.com/
About AEG Europe
Headquartered in London, AEG Europe is a subsidiary of AEG, the world’s leading sports and live entertainment company. AEG Europe’s extensive portfolio of live entertainment and sports assets across the region includes: an array of best-in-class venues, such as The O2 and Eventim Apollo in London; Barclays Arena in Hamburg; Uber Arena, Uber Platz and Uber Eats Music Hall in Berlin; and Accor Arena in Paris; as well as renowned music festivals, including American Express presents BST Hyde Park in London and Rock en Seine in Paris. Our venues host some of the world’s best sports events and are home to prestigious sports franchises, including AEG’s own Berlin Eisbären ice hockey team at the Uber Arena.
Colleagues across Europe work together to create world-class live entertainment and sports experiences. AEG’s venue teams develop and operate best-in-class arenas and districts; AEG Presents promotes and manages concerts and tours, oversees renowned venues and produces some of the world’s leading music festivals; AXS Ticketing connects fans to events through specialist technology solutions; and AEG Global Partnerships links corporate brands into the company’s world-leading network of assets.
More information about AEG Europe can be found at www.aegeurope.com.
