Glasgow’s OVO Hydro becomes first arena in world to achieve special green status

A Scottish concert venue has become the first arena in the world to be recognised for its efforts to become more sustainable.

The OVO Hydro, part of the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow, has just been awarded A Greener Arena (AGA) certification.

The award recognises the venue’s commitment to tackling environmental issues, such as emissions, but also its work on issues around  staff wellbeing.

The Hydro was praised for making the switch to use 100% renewable electricity, as well eliminating the use of single use, plastic cups at live events.

The arena is part of the Scottish Events Campus in Glasgow (Jane Barlow/PA)

It has also introduced a campus-wide sustainable food strategy, which sees at least 80% of ingredients sourced in Scotland combined with a commitment to cut food waste, and is expanding charging points for electric vehicles.

The award was presented at the Green Events and Innovations Conference in London by A Greener Festival (AGF) – a not for profit company committed to helping events, festivals and venues around the world reduce their environmental impact.

SEC bosses said the Hydro being the first arena in the world to be given the award was a “huge achievement”.

Debbie McWilliams, director of live entertainment at SEC, stated: “More than ever we are focused on the impact our business has on the planet and are proud to be awarded A Greener Arena certification.

We’re delighted for the team at the OVO Hydro, and we hope that this leads the way for more arenas to get involved in the process

Claire O’Neill, co-founder, A Greener Festival

“Receiving such an accolade is further proof of our commitment to delivering a greener future for our events.

“Being the first arena in the world to accomplish this is a huge achievement and we hope this paves the way for others to follow.

“It is a significant milestone on our journey towards net zero by 2030, and a real credit to the team who work so passionately on implementing our sustainability strategy.”

James Watts, head of PR and Sponsorships at OVO Energy said: “We’re proud to work with partners who support our commitment to drive progress to zero-carbon living.

“By becoming the world’s first arena to achieve the A Greener Arena certification, the OVO Hydro is sending a clear signal to the industry that lower-impact live events are possible.

“We will continue to support the OVO Hydro to further reduce its carbon footprint, so fans and artists alike can perform in a venue that’s supporting our collective goal – saving the planet.”

Claire O’Neill, co-founder of AGF, said since the organisation was launched in 2007 it had assessed more than 1,000 events, tours and venues across five continents, “providing the first and only sustainable event certification”.

She added: “We’re delighted for the team at the OVO Hydro, and we hope that this leads the way for more arenas to get involved in the process.”