Roadmap for Jazz Federation’s Carbon-Neutral Touring 2030 Released!
The Finnish Jazz Federation administered and coordinated the Carbon-Neutral Touring Model project from 2022 to 2023, with the aim of developing climate-resilient practices not only for the Federation’s own touring activities but for the entire Finnish live music industry. Both roadmaps, the live music roadmap 2035 and Jazz Federation Tours 2030 were released on June 20th, 2023.
The Carbon-Neutral Touring Model project 2022–2023 sought to gather and generate information on measures to achieve two significant goals:
- Carbon neutrality for the Finnish live music sector by 2035.
- Carbon-neutral production model for Jazz Federation tours by 2030.
The Finnish live music project was guided by a network established in 2020 called “Kestävämmän musiikkialan työkalupakki” (KEMUT), which translates to “Toolbox for a Sustainable Music Industry.” KEMUT network members include the Finnish Jazz Federation, Finland Festivals, LiveFin, Music Finland, Finnish Musicians’ Union and Association for Finnish Symphony Orchestras. Positive Impact Ltd. conducted the calculation of the environmental impact of the Finnish live music sector and developed the climate roadmap.
The Jazz Federation’s pilot project served as a case study within this broader framework. The Federation collected information and experiences from seven different tour production models, considering both environmental and well-being aspects. They also compared the required financial resources for implementing changes and the potential impact on the quality and volume of operations. Simultaneously, the Carbon-Neutral Touring Model was designed to support the transition defined in the industry roadmap, specifically addressing the needs and resources of jazz music concert organizers, musicians, and agencies. The climate-related analysis and expert work for the Jazz Federation’s roadmap were carried out by Puuni Ltd., while the assessment of well-being impacts on participating musicians was conducted by researcher and Ph.D. Maarit Kinnunen.
The Carbon-Neutral Touring Model project was funded by the Ministry of Education and Culture. Additionally, support for calculating the sector’s climate impacts was received from the Finnish Music Foundation and the pilot tours were supported by the Finnish Music Foundation and the Swedish-Finnish Cultural Fund.
Coolest Music In The World – Climate Roadmap For Finnish Live Music Industry 2035
The defined mission of the roadmap is to create “the coolest music in the world”. The Finnish music stakeholders aim to be pioneers on the path towards carbon neutrality by 2035. Live music has the potential to bring the audience closer to experiencing what a climate-smart future looks like through events.
The industry is diverse and includes major festivals, arena tours, advocacy organizations, individual artists, and DIY clubs, each playing a role in the live music ecosystem. The roadmap identifies the industry’s emission sources and defines measures to reduce emissions in the largest categories, including the roles and influence of different stakeholders in climate action, including audience engagement. The roadmap is divided into four themes:
- Transportation – Efficient traveling with low emissions.
- Energy – Transitioning to fossil-free and energy-saving practices.
- Consumption – Providing more services and less material consumption.
- Cultural Change – Making climate smart the new norm.
The roadmap also takes into account the music industry’s handprint, meaning its positive climate impact on other sectors and people. While music is not the largest polluter, it has significant potential for influence. The industry encourages consumers to shift from a goods-based economy to a service-based economy, where music offers people meaning and experiences rather than overconsumption. Through their own procurement, industry actors can guide markets toward a low-carbon circular economy. Many music stakeholders are well-known and influential, and through their messages, they can accelerate the green transition.
Towards more sustainable jazz tours together – Climate Roadmap For Jazz Federation Tours 2030
The purpose of Jazz Federation’s climate roadmap is to provide guidelines for the organization’s strategic work towards low-emission touring operations and responsibly sustainable growth in the accessibility and regional availability of jazz music.
In the Jazzliitto Carbon-Neutral Touring Model pilot, the carbon footprint of Jazzliitto’s current touring operations was assessed, and data was collected from seven different pilot tours in the fall of 2022. In addition to Jazzliitto’s tour bus, the pilot tours were conducted using various modes of transportation, including trains and electric cars. The tours also experimented with residency living, regional concentration, and combining school concerts with club gigs. Participants were interviewed and surveyed to gather information on environmental attitudes and experiences from the pilot tours. The financial impact and additional resource requirements were considered as part of the report and roadmap.
As a result of the project, a plan based on the Finnish live music roadmap was developed, outlining goals and measures to reduce emissions from Jazzliitto’s touring operations by 2026 in terms of production aspects (such as promotional materials, transportation, accommodation, and production grants). The aim is to achieve emissions reductions by 2026 through the actions outlined in the roadmap, and for Jazzliitto’s carbon-wise solutions to positively influence the operational culture of tour organizers, producers, technicians, and musicians by 2030. The roadmap aims to achieve carbon neutrality for tours in 2030 through additional and verifiable climate actions.
Period 2023–2026: Adoption
The first evaluation period of the roadmap, from the present to the end of 2026, aims to provide concrete tools for reducing emissions from Jazzliitto’s tours and for future strategic work. This initial phase of the roadmap is the adoption phase, where proven practices are implemented and the foundation for further planning is established. The theme is “experimentation and communication” to discover best practices.
Objectives by 2026:
- Climate work is part of Jazzliitto’s new overall strategy.
- The carbon footprint has been reduced by gradually implementing the researched and proven practices from pilot tours.
- New operating methods have been tested and refined together with members.
- Responsible communication about the sustainability of tours has been developed.
- The roadmap for the final phase in 2030 (2027-2030) has been specified.
- Measurement and reporting of emissions have been continued systematically.
For unavoidable emissions, support has been provided for Finnish environmental and climate projects to contribute to Finland’s carbon neutrality goal (the use of the term “carbon neutrality” is not currently plausable).
Period 2027–2030: Increasing Impact
Despite the diversity of Jazz Federations own tour activities, they are regularly recurring and uniform, which means that emission reductions cannot be made indefinitely. Therefore, the medium-term plan focuses on establishing good practices and expanding their impact.
Objectives by 2030:
- Jazzliitto’s low-emission tour models are routinely implemented.
- Climate goals and measures are documented in Jazzliitto’s strategy, and guidelines for responsible communication are included in the sustainability communication plan.
- Objectives are updated regarding carbon neutrality to align with current guidelines and best practices.
- A mechanism for offsetting unavoidable emissions or climate actions is chosen in compliance with up-to-date legislation and guidelines to support climate goals.
- Jazzliitto’s impact on the climate work of its stakeholders has increased.
- International tours by Jazzliitto are produced in a climate-smart manner in collaboration with partners and stakeholders.
Actions and monitoring
In the Jazz Federation roadmap, the measures are classified according to the categories of transportation, energy, consumption, and cultural change, following the roadmap for the live music industry. In the first monitoring period, actions are targeted at reducing emissions in all four sub-areas. In the second period, from 2027 to 2030, there is a particular emphasis on actions that accelerate cultural change.
The precision of the roadmap is intended to support decision-making in the strategic work at the governance level, and detailed specifics are not listed extensively. More detailed measures are presented in the association’s annual action plans. Some of the more detailed operational tools produced in the project include the an emissions calculator, which is designed for Jazz Federation’s producer and the producers of co-production tours, allowing them to compare the carbon footprint of travel, accommodation, and purchased services during the production planning phase. Additionally, green riders or tip sheets, specifically tailored to support carbon-conscious choices within Jazz Federation’s touring structures, are provided to musicians, technicians, and concert organizers participating in the tours.
The goals and measures of the roadmap are aligned with the results of the carbon footprint assessment, as well as the surveys and interviews conducted to evaluate social sustainability and well-being in the project. The progress of the roadmap will be assessed annually through carbon footprint measurements, selecting suitable indicators according to the Jazz Federation’s overall goals (total carbon footprint of tours + per tour/per concert/per participant/per audience member/per media exposure), as well as the achievement of goals (yes/no/partially) in 2026.
Materials:
See the roadmap illustration here: Climate Roadmap 2030
The report summary and the introduction to the roadmap will be released in English in early July.
Further inquiries:
Raisa Siivola
Project Manager
raisa.siivola@jazzfinland.fi