AEG Europe’s 2024 London festival series has achieved certification from not-for-profit sustainability specialists A Greener Future (AGF).
American Express Presents BST Hyde Park has been awarded the Greener Festival highly commended certification, with All Points East accredited in the commended category.
Attended by hundreds of thousands of music fans, and with line-ups featuring performers including Stevie Nicks, Andrea Bocelli, Loyle Carner and LCD Soundsystem, AEG’s 2024 London festival series at Hyde Park and Victoria Park were the most sustainable to date, with several new initiatives contributing to minimising the environmental impacts across the Capital’s green spaces.
A Greener Future is the founder of the world's first sustainability standard for festivals and events, and its framework has been used to guide, assess and certify hundreds of events, festivals, and venues worldwide since 2007, providing independent audit and external verification to organisers.
AGF’s Highly Commended accreditation awarded to BST Hyde Park signifies a well-managed, environmentally aware festival, which has taken significant steps to reduce waste, reduce its greenhouse gas emissions and engage the audience in sustainability initiatives.
AEG Europe achieved certifications for both London festivals after onsite visits by qualified assessors, leading to detailed analysis of areas of sustainability including transport, energy and power, waste, water usage, local environment, CO2 and food and beverages.
During this summer’s BST Hyde Park and All Points East festivals, a number of sustainable initiatives were implemented including removing carbon emissions with Carbon Char Store and partnerships with fan travel tracking tool, Lowr, and Keep Britain Tidy.
An improved waste segregation system and on-site baling of waste at BST Hyde Park also saw AEG able to improve recycling rates year-on-year.
Jim King, CEO of AEG Presents’ European Festivals division, said: “Achieving certification from A Greener Future is more than just a milestone for us; it’s a commitment to our fans, our artists, and the communities we serve. Our fans have always shown us that they care deeply about sustainability, and by meeting these rigorous standards, we’re honouring not only our values, but theirs. I’m incredibly proud of what our team has achieved.”
Natasha Wales-Dixon, senior assessor of A Greener Future, said: "BST Hyde Park was notable this year for its efforts to reduce impact through onsite baling of waste, which in turn reduced the impact from vehicles required for transport from site. The improvements made to sorting and compacting waste locally to the site were considered very impressive by AGF assessors and was noted to decrease the impact of the event significantly. These efforts were coupled with excellent communication to the teams onsite, including contractors and volunteers, related to their understanding of why waste segregation is so important and the role they play in it.”
She added: “In addition to the waste segregation, BST Hyde Park implemented a food grading system which analyses the carbon impact of meals served onsite, and whilst in its infancy, this will undoubtedly evolve and offer further improvements in coming years."
AEG’s various sustainability initiatives across its venue and festival portfolio include the first carbon-removed concerts held during The 1975’s residency at The O2 Arena in February 2024.
Sam Booth, AEG director of sustainability, said: “In an industry where it’s tough to bring down emissions, our commitment to sustainability extends beyond rhetoric, to tangible actions that set new benchmarks for the live industry. We’re pleased to see that the teams responsible for driving our sustainable initiatives forward have been recognised by AGF. Accreditations like this demonstrate to both those operating in the live sector, and the fans we entertain, that as a leader in the space we’re helping to not only preserve the planet but also the future of live entertainment.”
AEG has recently announced the first headliners for BST Hyde Park 2025, with performances from Noah Kahan, Hugh Jackman, Zach Bryan and ELO. Next year’s All Points East will also see the reunion of The Maccabees, who will headline Victoria Park in August 2025.
PHOTO: BST Hyde Park (credit: Lou Morris)
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