DHL and Coldplay: Making music tours more sustainable – one concert at a time

When Coldplay first announced the “Music of the Spheres” World Tour in 2021, they pledged to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by more than 50% compared to their previous 2016-17 tour. With a global reach like no other band today, Coldplay knows a thing or two about the logistics of massive world tours and playing to millions of people. The band understood that minimizing emissions from freight and transportation would make a big impact – especially air transport, which is unavoidable on world tours like these and accounts for a large share of the GHG emissions.

Two years into the world tour, the band has cut overall GHG emissions by a remarkable 59% compared to 2016-17. How did they do it? Read on to find out.   

To minimize GHG emissions from logistics, Coldplay teamed up with DHL, making us the tour’s Official Logistics Partner. The band wanted to collaborate with a leader in sustainable transport and logistics solutions who shared their vision and had the tools to help make it a reality.

We started with a carbon intelligence and monitoring system for a holistic view of the tour's CO2 footprint, going beyond transportation and logistics. This analysis was the foundation for identifying where best to optimize operations. We saw that transporting the equipment by air accounted for over 80% of the CO2 emissions. 

Next, we deployed our GoGreen Plus solution, which proved pivotal for Coldplay. GoGreen Plus uses carbon insetting, which allows our customers to directly 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.

Coldplay recently released a statement reporting that direct GHG emissions from the first two years of the tour are 59% less than their previous stadium tour (2016-17), adding that DHL has been instrumental in minimizing emissions from freight and transportation. A big part of this was utilizing SAF to cut GHG emissions from charter flights for freight by 1,078 metric tons. That’s a fuel life-cycle reduction of 85% per flight, resulting in a 31% decrease in the total CO2 footprint of transportation in 2023 and making a significant contribution to lowering the band’s overall air travel emissions.

We have facilitated six charter flights to transport gear and equipment for Coldplay's “Music of the Spheres” World Tour so far in 2024, with more to come.

But the magic doesn’t stop there. 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.

During the European leg of the world tour, we helped collect used wristbands and transported them between venues in trucks powered by sustainable fuels, cutting the band's emissions even more. 

DHL and Coldplay’s partnership proves that the music industry can significantly reduce the environmental impact of live music events. We understand that there is a long way to go, but we also know that by working together, the world’s leading band and the world’s leading logistics company can help set the stage for a greener future.