What to know
- The stadium diverted 65 per cent of waste from landfills and piloted a reusable cup program with a 97 per cent return rate, with plans to expand in 2026.
- Sustainability efforts include reducing single-use plastics, offering water refill stations, and switching to compostable foodware and canned water.
- Partnerships with local organizations helped redirect 2,000 surplus meals and locally sourced food options.
It’s Earth Month, and Toronto’s Rogers Stadium is marking the occasion by revealing its progress in reducing the environmental impact of live events.
From special lighting to sound design to air conditioning, the things that make live events unforgettable for attendees, also have a great impact on the environment.
According to a 2020 study by the University of Glasgow, the U.K. music industry alone emits 540,000 tons of greenhouse gas equivalents into the atmosphere every year. On top of concerts other live events, such as sport matches also put this number up.
On top of gas emissions, the University of British Columbia suggests that these events also generate a tremendous amount of waste, from serving food and drinks to selling merchandise.
It is with the objective of tackling this issue that Live Nation launched its Green Nation back in 2019, as a form of commitment to lower the environmental impacts of live events and reduce waste.
Here’s how Rogers Stadium is reducing waste
This year, the company is revealing the progress it has made on adopting sustainable practices since launching the initiative.
Last season, the Rogers Stadium managed to divert 65 per cent of waste from landfills by adopting a 24/7 operation to sort materials into different streams in collaboration with Impact Cleaning.
The stadium also implemented a re-usable cup program, which was piloted during Coldplay’s concerts last summer, achieving a 97 per cent return rate over 115,000 cups. The venue hopes to expand the program to all concerts in 2026.
Also in an effort to reduce waste, the company says it redirected 2,000 surplus meals during the first season, to help fight local food insecurity. The program, in partnership with La Tablée des Chefs and Freedom City, is also set for an expansion this year.
In partnership with Liberty Oak View Entertainment, Rogers Stadium staff says the venue also prioritizes sourcing food and beverage products locally, including plant-based options.
The company says in also made progress in reducing single-use plastic usage, by switching to compostable foodware, paper cups, and canned water. The use of plant-based disposable cups avoided over 550,000 single‑use plastic water bottles and Draft Top can cutters also reduced the need for over 320,000 extra cups, according to staff.
The stadium also offers free water refill stations on-site to help fans avoid the use of single-use plastic bottles. In addition, it also offers aluminum canned water across the venue.
