Future Yard, the grassroots music venue for live music in Birkenhead, has unveiled its ambitious Net Zero 2030 Roadmap – a bold plan to become one of the first net zero organisations in the creative industries.
This roadmap will serve as the venue’s guiding “north star,” charting a clear path toward operational net zero by 2030.
Partnering with Ecotricity, Britain’s greenest energy company, Future Yard is embedding sustainability at the heart of its operations. Ecotricity, certified green and vegan, is renowned for its ethical approach to energy and environmental responsibility, making it the perfect partner for this journey.
Ecotricity’s Live Events Energy Scheme sees them work with grassroots and arena-size venues alike, coming up with a sustainable way to power one of the UK’s most important sectors.
On Thursday, 20th November, Future Yard hosted a climate conference as the launch of their Net Zero Roadmap. POP3 – running simultaneously with the COP30 climate summit in Brazil – saw thought leaders from across the industry come together to speak about a sustainable future for the live events sector.
Earthsonic, the global climate initiative of In Place Of War, convened a discussion on venues as centres for inspiration and positive change; Earthsonic also hosted the film Takkuuk – a mini-doc charting the electronic group Bicep’s journey of discovery in Greenland; and the National Oceanography Centre hosted a workshop on the re-imagining of the future of the Merseyside coast.
After the conference, musician Anna B Savage headlined a live show, drawing on work for her 2025 album You & i are Earth.
Future Yard’s Sustainability Achievements to Date:
Future Yard has already taken significant steps to operate responsibly and sustainably:
● A fully plant-based kitchen
● Locally sourced supply chains
● Zero waste to landfill
● Promotion of sustainable transport options for audiences and staff
Roadmap Milestones:
The Net Zero 2030 Roadmap outlines clear, measurable actions over the next five years:
● 2026: Achieve a 65% recycling rate (rising to 75% by 2030), become a carbon literacy trainer and map supply chain impacts.
● Also 2026: Launch a public transport-powered tour across 10 UK venues, an extension of the innovative Plug + Play scheme.
● 2027: All food waste composted locally and introduction of a decarbonisation agreement with key suppliers.
● 2028–2029: Deliver a 50% reduction in gas emissions, become a renewable energy generator, and increase audience public transport use by 5%.
● 2030: Reach operational net zero, cementing Future Yard’s role as a sustainability leader in the creative industries.
Plug + Play is an initiative launched by Future Yard, which encourages artists to use public transport to travel to live shows by ensuring that venues have all the equipment needed on site.
Since launching in 2024, it has reduced local artist car travel by 25% and has begun a pilot scheme in 10 other grassroots venues across the UK. As part of the expansion of Plug + Play, Future Yard will coordinate a tour of these 10 venues using only public transport, showing that an alternative way of touring is possible.
Future Yard’s co-founder Christopher Torpey said: “When we began this journey, we did so knowing that the live events sector was something of a dinosaur, operating in a way that didn’t chime with eco responsibility. Now it feels like it is one of the sectors that has genuine momentum for driving positive change.
“The collegiate feel of our annual POP event is incredibly inspiring, which sees us working together to share knowledge, encourage and suggest new ways of working – it’s collaboration, not competition. Now that we have set out our roadmap to becoming an operational net zero, we look forward to the further learning and discovery that will come with that. The future is a green Birkenhead!”
