Are Coldplay greenwashing?

The British band made headlines in 2019 when they paused their global tour until they could make it carbon neutral. 

Three years later, after realising quite how challenging that would be, they’re going back on the road, on a tour that’s projected to be 50% lower in carbon emissions than their last, with the remaining 50% being offset. 

It’s a less ambitious goal, but still a challenge for a band whose tours are attended by over 5 million people across the globe. The 2022 tour features water refill stations, compostable wristbands, and even a world-first kinetic dance floor that converts the energy from fans dancing to power the concert, developed in partnership with BMW. 

But you may have seen that the band recently came under fire for their partnership with oil company Neste, who as well as producing biofuel (from animal or plant waste) also produce a significant amount of palm oil, causing large amounts of deforestation. 

Now the British press isn’t known for being kind, but this criticism seems a bit uncalled for. Surely we’d rather they do something rather than nothing at all? If everyone was scared of being criticised, no progress would ever be made. 

Whilst we know both play an important role, we think that we can all do better at celebrating progress rather than criticising imperfection. Coldplay acknowledge that they’re not perfect when it comes to their environmental efforts, but they’re trying, and showcasing carbon reduction to fans around the world in the meantime.

So whilst we’re more dubious about Neste’s intentions behind the partnership, our answer to the question would be no, we don’t think Coldplay are greenwashing, as they’re taking quantifiable action to back up their claims. So in short (and some people may disagree), we need more Coldplays, as small improvements are better than no improvement.