Coldplay is a band with an environmental conscience and wants to make its world tours greener. That’s why the band has teamed up with DHL, the world leader in sustainable transport and logistics. DHL shares the band’s vision and has the resources and expertise to make it a reality. As the official logistics partner of the “Music of the Spheres” tour, DHL has helped to more than halve the total emissions of the tour compared to Coldplay’s previous tour.
Coldplay’s Ambitious Sustainability Goal
When Coldplay announced the “Music of the Spheres” World Tour in 2021, they pledged to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by more than 50% compared to their previous 2016-17 tour. With their global reach and millions of enthusiastic fans attending their concerts, Coldplay understands the logistics of major world tours better than almost any other band.
Coldplay has realized: minimizing emissions from freight and transportation would make a big impact on the overall environmental footprint of the tour – especially air transport, which is unavoidable on world tours like these and accounts for a large share of the greenhouse gas emissions. By the end of 2024, two years into the world tour, the band, with the help of DHL, had cut its total greenhouse gas emissions by a remarkable 59% compared to 2016/17.
A Duet with the Leading Company for Sustainable Logistics
Taking music touring to the next level of sustainability was both challenging and inspiring for DHL. First, a carbon intelligence and monitoring system was introduced to get a holistic view of the tour’s carbon footprint beyond transportation and logistics. This analysis was the basis for identifying where best to optimize operations.
This revealed that transporting the equipment by air accounted for over 80% of the CO2 emissions. Next, DHL implemented a customized GoGreen Plus solution. This proved pivotal for Coldplay to achieve its own sustainability goals.
How DHL cuts emissions for Coldplay
DHL's GoGreen Plus service offers a multi-faceted approach to minimizing emissions. GoGreen Plus uses carbon insetting, which enables customers such as Coldplay to reduce emissions at the source, for example by using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) in air transport. Air freight carriers use the SAF purchased via GoGreen Plus, and the band receives emission reductions through an external verification and certification process. On the ground, DHL’s fleet of electric vehicles and trucks powered by HVO from organic waste further reduces emissions throughout the tour logistics chain.
Coldplay’s 2023 tour year in logistics data
- total tonne-kilometres: 2,515,318
- air freight accounts for four-fifths of freight movements, ocean freight for about one-fifth, and road freight for 3%
- total freight footprint: 3,491 tonnes CO2e (Well-to-Wheel – WTW)
- air freight footprint: 1,264 tonnes CO2e WTW
- savings through the use of SAF: 1,078 tonnes of CO2e WTW (85% savings compared to conventional fuels)
- reduction of the total CO2 footprint of transport: 31%
- reduction of the carbon footprint of the entire tour operation: 59% (compared to the 2016-17 tour)
As the tour’s official logistics partner, DHL have been instrumental in minimizing emissions from freight and transportation and will continue to offer solutions to minimize logistics-related emissions: from packing efficiency, to advanced biofuels on sea and air, to electric vehicles on land.
Coldplay band statement
A Sky Full of Stars – and below, the concert arenas light up sustainably
Coldplay takes a holistic approach to sustainability. Also when it comes to the concert experience. One of the most captivating elements of Coldplay’s concerts is the LED wristbands concertgoers receive when they enter the venue. The wristbands light up in sync with the music, creating a sea of colors that pulse with every beat. The effect connects the audience and the band in shared moments of joy.
What is sustainable about it? Well, the wristbands are not thrown away, they are reused. During the European leg of the world tour, DHL helped to collect the used wristbands and transport them between venues using trucks running on sustainable fuel to further reduce the band’s emissions.
We’ve been highly impressed by DHL’s commitment to sustainability.
Phil Harvey, Coldplay Band Manager
DHL and Coldplay Make a Perfect Duo for Higher Power and Lower Emissions
DHL and Coldplay’s partnership proves that the music industry can significantly reduce the environmental impact of live music events. Success requires the right adjustments and finding reliable logistics partners with expertise and a vision for sustainability.
There is still a long way to go to achieve the net zero concert experience. One of the world’s most popular bands and the world’s leading logistics company are working together to reach the first milestone. Whether in sports, culture, production, or logistics: the path to the future can only be sustainable.
