Massive Attack’s Plant-Based Festival ‘Breaks World Record’

A plant-based festival held by English trip hop band Massive Attack has reportedly broken a world record for its low carbon emissions.

Massive Attack put on the Act 1.5 festival in Clifton Downs in its hometown of Bristol last August. The one-day event took a number of measures to reduce its environmental impact, including using renewable energy, encouraging attendees to walk, cycle, or use public transport to get there, banning glitter and disposable vapes, and not serving any animal products.

Bristol vegan caterers Chiki Monkey and Soy Ahoy were at the festival, alongside a number of other non-vegan businesses that served completely plant-based menus for the event.

Now, a report by the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research compared its emissions with those made by a standard hypothetical outdoor festival. Scientists compiling the report found that Act 1.5 created 98 percent fewer emissions than comparable shows.

A low impact festival

An attendee walks past an anti Shell van at Massive Attack's plant-based Act 1.5 festival — Natasha Quarmby / Alamy Stock Photo Act 1.5 took a number of steps to reduce its carbon emissions as much as possible

According to the report, plant-based food and the electric cars that brought the food reduced catering emissions by 89 percent. The festival’s highest emissions were produced by the five percent of attendees who flew to the event, which made up 64 percent of overall emissions.

Professor Carly McLachlan, associate director at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, said that this case study “could change the landscape for outdoor festivals”.

“It demonstrated that there are real opportunities for promoters, providers, local authorities and central government to create the conditions for the UK to lead the world in super-low carbon events,” she added, according to the BBC.

Studies have shown that eschewing animal products is the most effective way individuals can reduce their impact on the planet. According to research published in 2023, vegan diets lead to 75 percent less climate heating emissions, land use, and water pollution than those containing more than 100g of meat a day. In addition to this, plant-based diets cut the destruction of wildlife by 66 percent and water use by 54 percent.

Act 1.5, which was named after the 1.5C global warming limit outlined by the Paris Climate Agreement, could serve as a blueprint for future events to reduce their climate impact.

“Fans want clean shows, that’s very clear,” said Act 1.5’s lead producer Mark Donne. “The challenge for promoters and government now is to meet that need.”