Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena and Peacock Theater — two AEG-owned venues — are pivoting to a full reusable cup strategy this year to eliminate single-use plastics.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, AEG tested out selling only reusable cups during Depeche Mode’s pair of shows at the Crypto.com Arena in December, and the company claims that using the new cups saved 23,418 single-use cups — which equated to eliminating 355 pounds of carbon dioxide. Now, coinciding with the Lakers and Kings seasons in the fall, the venues will be selling reusable cups only.
The company, which owns a significant share of sports and entertainment venues across the United States and beyond, will be partnering with the hospitality group Levy to replace single-use cups with new ones crafted by the sustainability company r.World. When employed at a venue or a festival — like the recent Just Like Heaven festival in Los Angeles — attendees will be asked to place empty cups into a specially marked bin. From there, the cups are taken to r.World’s washing plant, where they’re cleaned and returned to the venue.
The r.Cup program has already been employed at festivals like the aforementioned Just Like Heaven, as well as at 10 other AEG venues. AEG will begin implementing the strategy at the Crypto.com Arena and the Peacock Theater intermittently through the summer, starting with a Los Angeles Sparks WNBA game and a Young Miko concert on August 15th.
Revisit our feature on designing a hypothetical carbon-neutral music festival, which examines the various ways in which festival organizers can reduce the event’s carbon footprint and champion a sustainable strategy.