The topic of sustainability in the outdoor events space is not new, with the UK and European festival industry often flying the flag for ‘out of the box’ thinking when it comes to lowering the environmental impact of live shows. These incentives have varied in scale dramatically but one common thread we often see is that all these actions are there to demonstrate that productions don’t have to always be run the ‘same old way’ – from questioning how to power a show to the types of equipment used during a performance.
This certainly seemed to be a recurring theme speaking to some of those involved in ACT 1.5, with everyone excited to cast off the shackles of ‘this is how it’s always been done’ as they put on an outdoor performance that aimed to reduce carbon emissions.
ACT 1.5 – in reference to the United Nations Paris Agreement on Climate Change’s 1.5° decarbonisation measures – is headed up by Lead Producer, Mark Donne in collaboration with Robert Del Naja and Massive Attack with major support from the band’s Manager Marc Picken and Jim King of AEG Group. The project’s first event took place in August 2024 on the Bristol Downs, headlined by Massive Attack with support from DJ Milo, Sam Morton, Lankum, and Killer Mike.
“The origin of ACT 1.5 was quite simple – Massive Attack had reached the point of never wanting to tour again because of their awareness of the climate issues and not seeing any action within the events sector to counteract these problems,” explained Donne.
Having known the band for a long time, when they expressed these feelings, Donne made the point that if they were to completely move away from live shows, the industry would “always find another headliner” – making the point that with the bands clout they could enact real change.
Donne, alongside the band, started to consider ways to tackle the affect that live events have on the environment head on. He used audience travel as an example. By most estimates, audience travel makes up 80% of all events carbon emission but is often not discussed within the sector.
“If any other sector had 80% of its emissions coming from one place but only ever discussed the remaining 20%, they would be ridiculed!” he asserted, making the point that for ACT 1.5 movement to prove their worth, the collective had to consider every single aspect of an event to make any real change.
Key to ACT 1.5 and the resulting Bristol event was the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research. Donne and the ACT 1.5 team back in 2019 had commissioned the Centre to develop a decarbonisation roadmap for the live music sector – the Super Low Carbon Live Music Roadmap. This set targets for different sources of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) associated with putting on live events that align with the scale and urgency of meeting the Paris Agreement. It was this roadmap that provided the framework for ACT 1.5.
During the build and at the show, data on energy use, artist and crew travel, equipment transport, audience travel, as well as food and goods consumed was collected by A Greener Future (AGF) and compared against the Tyndall Centre’s Super-Low Carbon Live Music Roadmap. “The Tyndall Centre work in many different sectors, including construction and maritime shipping, meaning they came into the project with an objective scientific approach,” highlighted Donne.
Six months following the Bristol event, in February 2025, the Tyndall Centre delivered the report – revealing the data gathered for the entire industry to pore through and gain an insight into what was achieved. It’s also worth noting that the Bristol event was only the first phase of a wider project, with the second phase exploring how the sustainability model worked across the host city of Liverpool for an event that took place in November – the results of which will be published later this year.
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Words: Stew Hume
Photos: ACT 1.5 and AGF
