Live Nation bets millions on high-tech reusable cups to fight plastic waste
Imagine the aftermath of a festival: a sea of fans leaves behind, leaving behind a large number of empty water bottles, disposable cups, wristbands, coins, lost identities and possibly even used whipped cream chargers.
Despite all the environmental talk we hear from megastars, the carbon footprint of live entertainment has only recently received the attention it deserves. Trash is just one piece of that puzzle, and it's currently in the Live Nation spotlight as the events giant pumps $5 million into Turn Systems.
Turn aims to help venues get rid of single-use cups, and so far a series of trials show the system works, Live Nation claims. For venues, Turn provides reusable cups and collection bins, and operates its own dishwashers, which the company says are "700% faster than traditional dishwashers". For fans, reusable cups do not require a deposit and are given out by default. Once their drink runs out, a scannable code at the bottom of the cup opens a slot at the top for a custom-branded collection bin.
Turn the system collection tray. Seems a little slow judging just by this animated gif, but apparently it works. Image Credits: Turning Systems
For many people, that's all they'll see, but as an added incentive, fans can also sign up through an app to participate in giveaways for things like free products and "upgrades". VIP level," Live Nation's director of sustainability said. Lucy August-Perna on a call with TechCrunch. Behind the scenes, San Francisco-based Turn's software tracks how many cups come back into its system, and the company shares that data with venues.
Live Nation says it has tested the technology at several events this year, including Lollapalooza, which had a 93% return rate. It's not always that high; at the Sueños Music Festival in Chicago, fans returned just 58% of the cuts. "We've piloted [Turn] now in multiple venues and at major festivals and we were hoping to get the results we got," August-Perna said. Overall, "we've seen a cup return rate of over 90%," she added.
Although data is lacking on their precise global toll, it is clear that single-use cups are harmful to the environment. In the UK, the roughly 2 billion disposable cups that end up in landfill each year produce more than 152,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, according to a 2020 Guardian analysis - that's about as much CO2 as 33,000 gasoline-powered passenger cars emit every year. The rest of the world consumes far more disposable cups. Starbucks alone burns about 7 billion single-use cups each year (about half of the coffee brand's 34,000 stores are located in the United States).
Plastic and paper cups (usually lined with plastic
Imagine the aftermath of a festival: a sea of fans leaves behind, leaving behind a large number of empty water bottles, disposable cups, wristbands, coins, lost identities and possibly even used whipped cream chargers.
Despite all the environmental talk we hear from megastars, the carbon footprint of live entertainment has only recently received the attention it deserves. Trash is just one piece of that puzzle, and it's currently in the Live Nation spotlight as the events giant pumps $5 million into Turn Systems.
Turn aims to help venues get rid of single-use cups, and so far a series of trials show the system works, Live Nation claims. For venues, Turn provides reusable cups and collection bins, and operates its own dishwashers, which the company says are "700% faster than traditional dishwashers". For fans, reusable cups do not require a deposit and are given out by default. Once their drink runs out, a scannable code at the bottom of the cup opens a slot at the top for a custom-branded collection bin.
Turn the system collection tray. Seems a little slow judging just by this animated gif, but apparently it works. Image Credits: Turning Systems
For many people, that's all they'll see, but as an added incentive, fans can also sign up through an app to participate in giveaways for things like free products and "upgrades". VIP level," Live Nation's director of sustainability said. Lucy August-Perna on a call with TechCrunch. Behind the scenes, San Francisco-based Turn's software tracks how many cups come back into its system, and the company shares that data with venues.
Live Nation says it has tested the technology at several events this year, including Lollapalooza, which had a 93% return rate. It's not always that high; at the Sueños Music Festival in Chicago, fans returned just 58% of the cuts. "We've piloted [Turn] now in multiple venues and at major festivals and we were hoping to get the results we got," August-Perna said. Overall, "we've seen a cup return rate of over 90%," she added.
Although data is lacking on their precise global toll, it is clear that single-use cups are harmful to the environment. In the UK, the roughly 2 billion disposable cups that end up in landfill each year produce more than 152,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide, according to a 2020 Guardian analysis - that's about as much CO2 as 33,000 gasoline-powered passenger cars emit every year. The rest of the world consumes far more disposable cups. Starbucks alone burns about 7 billion single-use cups each year (about half of the coffee brand's 34,000 stores are located in the United States).
Plastic and paper cups (usually lined with plastic
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