Sustainability at Anjuna
Being more sustainable requires us as individuals, communities, companies, and governments, to play a part in reducing environmental impacts to preserve the planet for future generations.
The effects of climate change are well documented. Human consumption of food, resources and technology are all contributing to escalating global temperatures and unpredictable weather systems.
We envision a future where all of us are more mindful of the environmental impact of our actions to mitigate this effect wherever possible - and adjust our actions to reduce those impacts.
On our part, we want to continue to run our business - creating community and life-affirming experiences through music, as well as supporting the livelihood of our artists and employees - but with an increased focus on lowered emissions, waste reduction, resource conservation, improved procurement and sourcing.
Greenhouse gas emissions are rapidly heating the planet and consequently affect the health of our environment. The Paris Agreement set out the goal to limit global average temperature rise to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. In response, many companies have made net zero pledges to reduce emissions by a minimum of 90% by 2050. Reaching this target requires radical business transformation and collective action on an unprecedented scale.
Given how urgently we all need to address the climate crisis, our goal is to reduce emissions by 50% from our business activities as quickly as possible within the next 5-10 years. We’re building a roadmap for how we can do this, and look forward to sharing more with you soon.
Keep scrolling to read our Sustainability Action Plan...
Feel free to send us your ideas around anything else we could be thinking about to [email protected]
Our Sustainability Action Plan
The core foundations of our Sustainability Action Plan plan will put into practice our commitments to become a more sustainable business:
- Take direct action to generate near-term carbon emissions reductions
- Set a price per tonne of CO2e for carbon emissions we cannot yet eliminate or reduce from our business activities, and use to fund industry initiatives and partners
- Engage with industry friends to support initiatives driving collective action
- Create empowering climate action experiences within the Anjunafamily and team at Anjuna HQ
- Use the IMPALA Carbon Calculator to produce carbon emissions screening reports on a financial year basis
Direct Action
To help express where we are taking direct action, we’re using a framework known as the Greenhouse Gas Protocol, which supplies the world’s most widely used greenhouse gas accounting standards. Actions we are taking are listed below:
Scope 1 Emissions
Scope 1 emissions are direct greenhouse gas emissions from sources that are owned and controlled by the organisation, such as natural gas combusted in boilers to heat facilities.
- Working towards collecting half hourly energy consumption (e.g. the number of kWh/units of energy used) at Anjuna HQ. This helps improve our understanding of energy usage, with the longer-term goal to reduce pressure on mains grid during peak hours
Scope 2 Emissions
Scope 2 emissions are indirect GHG emissions from the generation of purchased electricity, steam, heat or cooling consumed by the organisation. These emissions physically occur at the facility where they are generated but are associated with the organisation's energy use from their buildings.
- Energy supply comes from Octopus, a renewable energy supplier
- No Involved Group owned or operated vehicles
Scope 3 Emissions
Scope 3 emissions then include all other indirect emissions not included in scope 2, these can occur in the value chain including both upstream and downstream emissions. For example, this includes business travel where the company is not responsible for purchasing the fuel directly, the emissions associated with purchased goods and services, emissions from the disposal of waste generated in operations etc.
Recorded Music
- All sleeves from sustainably sourced FSC card and paper
- Removal of lamination from all sleeves and the use of only organic, non-toxic inks
- Discontinuing production of 180gsm records. Producing 140gsm records only. Based on averages this can reduce carbon intensity per record produced by approximately 7% (IMPALA Carbon Calculator Conversion Factor Methodology, 2023)
- Using card and paper-only CD packaging, ending the use of plastic digipaks
Soft Merchandise
- Using organic cotton wherever feasible
- Increasing focus on online/pre-event sales to avoid producing overstock
Distribution and D2C Fulfilment
- Using sea freight between pressing plants and distributors for larger projects, such as OceanLab box set
- Using paper and card-only packaging and tape for all recorded product D2C mail order fulfilment
- Using recycled plastic for soft merchandise D2C mail order fulfilment
Staff Travel
- Staff travel policy encourages the team to use a business-minded approach for travel, to reduce non-essential trips
- Overland travel for business trips prioritised wherever practicable
Streaming
- Through the IMPALA Sustainability Taskforce, and as part of the Music Climate Pact, the independent label sector is talking to digital service providers, including Spotify, YouTube and Apple, about what can be done to reduce emissions associated with music streaming.
- Read more in our FAQs
Events
Involved Productions Event Sustainability rider is shared as part of our show contracting process, and was created to start conversations with our event partners to work towards producing more sustainable shows together. The rider includes key impact areas for us to focus our efforts on:
- Energy: mains grid power, and renewable fuels are used where possible
- Freight and haulage: work with local contractors and suppliers
- Waste: encourage a ‘no plastic policy’ including permitting reusable water bottles and and water refills, and deploying reusable cup systems
- Audience engagement
- Piloting initiatives to help fans choose lower carbon travel
- Providing educational climate action experiences with MIT's Environmental Solutions Initiative
Funding and Partnerships
Funding and Partnerships
We’re committed to driving collective action with our music industry friends, climate scientists, and environmental organisations to address the sustainability challenges we are facing together.
We’ve financially supported industry initiatives such as the IMPALA Carbon Calculator, research at MIT’s Environmental Solutions Initiative (ESI), and nature-based solutions including the Tacoma Tree Foundation - because we want to support music industry sustainability, and enable positive social and environmental change.
Responsibility to our Industry
IMPALA Sustainability Taskforce
We are a member of the award-winning IMPALA Taskforce, which convenes independent labels, sustainability experts, and suppliers to explore how to tackle the biggest challenges faced by the sector, and provides voluntary guidance on reducing carbon.
Anjunabeats became a co-funder of the first bespoke carbon calculator for the independent label sector. This tool helps our industry friends to get started on calculating emissions, and planning where to focus sustainability efforts.
As a signatory of the Music Climate Pact, we have committed to actions including measuring and reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, joining the Race To Zero programme, and communicating to our fans about the impact of the music industry.
We joined LIVE Green, which brings together professionals from the live music industry, venues and entertainment, to work towards delivering LIVE’s net-zero pledge through information sharing around operational changes.
We signed up Anjunadeep Open Air Finsbury Park to the Vision2025 Pledge for Outdoor Live Events in the UK, through which we’ve committed to developing a sustainability strategy for the show, measuring emissions, and reducing fossil fuel consumption and waste.
Pushing Forward Climate Research
MIT’s Environmental Solutions Initiative (ESI)
To support climate research we gifted funds to the ESI. Driven by the belief in the capacity of music to inspire cultural shifts, our collaboration has focused on how to empower music audiences to take climate action.
To better understand music audience attitudes to the climate change we co-funded a revealing study, which found music fans are most likely to care about climate change and place a higher priority on tackling the crisis than non-music fans.
Supporting Nature-Based Solutions
We made a donation to support a community-based approach to growing the urban forest local to the Gorge Amphitheatre, creating shade and lowering local air temperatures, and providing neighbourhood-based planting projects, educational activities, and tree giveaways.
Anjuna HQ Action
Carbon Literacy Training
We took a step towards becoming a carbon literate music label with clevercarbon. Our team learned about carbon footprints and how carbon emissions are part of everyday personal and work life. Our team also developed a basic understanding of life cycle analysis (LCA).
One Resilient Earth programme
Our voluntary three-part programme was led by One Resilient Earth and designed to help educate the team around pressing climate topics. We covered how to manage strong emotions when taking climate action, addressing climate injustice, and collaborating with artists to address the climate crisis.
Anjunafamily Action
Anjunadeep Open Air South Africa
Raising donations for Soul Candi Institute of Music during on-sale and via onsite activations. Our event partners run a program with the Institute, which provides 20 scholarships yearly for emerging artists and producers, and opportunities to join event lineups.
The Climate Canvas
The Anjunafamily created AI-generated images to envision how our environment could be impacted through climate action. The visualiser was premiered during a performance by Anjunadeep’s Warung, against the backdrop of the new music school on MIT Campus.
Group Therapy Weekender at the Gorge Amphitheatre
During the on-sale, the Anjunafamily were offered the chance to make a voluntary donation to music industry led charity, EarthPercent. Founded by Brian Eno, the charity receives donations from artists, fans, and the wider industry, and supports projects which include helping to reduce the environmental impact of the music industry, and helping artists to effectively speak out on climate issues.
ABGT500 Beach Clean Up
As part of ABGT500 celebrations, the Anjunafamily joined our friends from the Surfrider Foundation, to collect trash from the Santa Monica coastline. Much of this was plastic litter that could have stayed in our marine environment for generations.
Anjunadeep Explorations
During the on-sale, the Anjunafamily were offered the chance to make a voluntary donation. Donations were shared between the SkyNRG x CHOOOSE partnership, which funds carbon removals, nature-based offsets, and Sustainable Aviation Fuels, and Euronatur, an organisation focused on nature and species conservation, including the habitat of the Balkan lynx found in Albania.
ABGT at Dockyards London
During the on-sale, the Anjunafamily were offered the chance to make a voluntary donation to Ecolibrium, which works with the music industry to fund environmental restoration by moving climate action and low-carbon travel into the heart of live events culture.
Carbon Emissions Screening Reports
To support and align with label industry sustainability efforts, we’ve used the IMPALA Carbon Calculator to produce carbon emissions screening reports, helping us understand which business activities have the most significant greenhouse gases and offer the most significant reduction opportunities.
We're working on our roadmap towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions, whilst still thriving as a business and supporting the livelihoods of our staff and artists.
Anjuna Carbon Screening Reports
Resources and Case Studies
Anjunabeach Smart Journey Planning
We’re learning how to help the Anjunafamily find low carbon travel options to our shows. Of personal travel plans sent to 3250 On The Beach ticket holders, nearly 80% engaged with the tool to plan getting to the show.
Artists and Scientists Together on Climate
Our very own Tony McGuinness joined Dr. Dava Newman '92, Director of the MIT Media Lab, Anna Johnson, Involved Group’s Sustainability and Environment Officer, and Professor John Fernandez, Director MIT’s Environmental Solutions Initiative to talk about how multi-disciplinary collaboration can help shift the dial on the climate crisis.
The Last Glaciers
In 2022, Above & Beyond and Darren Tate composed their first cinematic film score for 'The Last Glaciers'. Directed and produced by award-winning filmmaker Craig Leeson (A Plastic Ocean) and United Nations Mountain Hero & Entrepreneur Malcolm Wood, 'The Last Glaciers' is a breathtaking documentary film that takes viewers on a four-year, cross-continental journey to explore the cause and effects of climate change in Antarctica, the Himalaya, Alps, Andes and more.
“It was an honour to be invited by Craig to compose the score for ‘The Last Glaciers’... For the musical direction, we felt it important for the score to reflect the beauty of our changing planet that Craig had elegantly captured. Stylistically we wanted to combine our largely electronic musical background with live orchestra to create a hybrid score. It was important to us that the score both reflect the challenges facing the world today, and those faced by Craig as an individual and filmmaker over the course of filming. As well as conveying a sense of urgency, we wanted the score to portray an optimistic tone, and to encourage a positive call to action from the viewer." - Jono Grant, Above & Beyond
Opportunities for Sustainability in Live Music Events
Featuring Anjunabeat’s Tomas Heredia, we joined MIT’s Environmental Solutions Initiative, Julie’s Bicycle, and sustainability experts to talk about how event organisers, suppliers, contractors, artists, and music fans can reduce the environmental impacts of music events.
FAQs
Why is a music label talking about carbon emissions?
We care about positively contributing to the health of our planet, and continuing to create community and life-affirming experiences through music. This means becoming a more sustainable business by understanding how our business activities impact the environment, measuring carbon emissions to help us prioritise our sustainability efforts, and taking action.
How can I get involved in sustainability at Anjuna?
We’re so glad you asked! Try as we might, we don’t have all the answers yet. We do know the Anjunafamily is brimming with ideas and inspiration, which is why we warmly welcome your suggestions around anything else we could be thinking about. Please do drop us a message at [email protected]
Why aren’t carbon emissions from streaming included in the carbon screening report?
As an individual company, we have no control over the type of energy used to power digital music service provider servers (e.g. 'DSPs' Spotify, Apple, and YouTube), or the activities of the listening end user. We’re also limited by data availability to calculate emissions from digital distribution. Through our collaboration with other independent labels in the IMPALA Sustainability Taskforce, we are reaching out to DSPs to explore how emissions from streaming could be reduced.