BRITISH rock band Coldplay, formed in London in 1997, are to minimize greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from logistics and have chosen to collaborate with DHL - a leader in sustainable transport and logistics solutions.

When Coldplay first announced the Music of the Spheres World Tour in 2021, they pledged to reduce their GHG emissions by more than 50 per cent compared to their previous 2016-17 tour, according to a blog from DHL.

"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 per cent compared to 2016-17.

"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 percent of the CO2 emissions."

DHL then deployed its GoGreen Plus solution, which proved pivotal for Coldplay, the blog added, according to Mumbai's STAT Trade Times.

"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 said in a statement that direct GHG emissions from the first two years of the tour are 59 per cent 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 tonnes. That's a fuel life-cycle reduction of 85 per cent per flight, resulting in a 31 per cent 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."

Phil Harvey, band manager, Coldplay says: "We've been highly impressed by DHL's commitment to sustainability."

Tickets for Coldplay's three concerts in Hong Kong's new Kai Tak Sports Park in April 2025 have already gone on sale.