Coldplay Reacts to “Greenwashing” Claim Over Oil Company Partnership

Coldplay’s aim for higher power on tour taking some heat. 

The British band fronted by Chris Martin faced backlash after announcing that they’d be partnering with Neste—a Finnish oil company that has ties to deforestation—to power their Music of the Spheres World Tour with the goal of decreasing their overall CO2 emissions.

Coldplay shared a statement on May 11, saying, “When we announced this tour, we said that we would try our best to make it as sustainable and low carbon-impact as possible, but that it would be a work in progress.”

They added, “That remains true. We don’t claim to have got it all right yet.”

The band—also consisting of Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Phil Harvey and Will Champion—explained in their statement that they aimed to reduce overall CO2 emissions by 50% compared with their 2017 tour through the partnership. They aimed to achieve this feat by “using a mix of sustainable biofuels and renewable energy,” making use of the alternatives available in the cities they’re performing in. The band even used renewable waste made up of recycled cooking oils and byproducts to fuel their touring plane.