By Davis McClure

After the concert’s encore, fluorescent house lights illuminated a sweaty crowd making its way through a venue’s exits. As the shared adrenaline rush found its way home, plastic water bottles and confetti lay stagnant on the floor. 

Though a cleanup crew came and swept up the mess, what percent of that pile made it to the recycling bin? How much of that mess was avoidable? 

A concert is a convergence of emissions. From the trucks hauling gear between cities, the venue’s lights and sound systems, the food and drinks served, the merchandise manufactured, and above all, the fans traveling to the show. 

The carbon footprint of live music is not one-size-fits-all. It varies dramatically by event

type and venue scale, which makes measuring a concert’s impact more strenuous. 

According to a 2025 analysis from MIT’s Climate Machine that examined more than 80,000 live events, fan travel was by far the largest source of live music emissions, accounting for more than 60% of the industry’s carbon footprint in the United States. When thousands of people drive or fly to a single show, the journey becomes the show’s highest environmental cost.

While getting to a venue unsustainably is unavoidable for most fans, what they wear is a choice.

Isabella Meyer, a University of Arkansas junior majoring in civil engineering, said that while sustainability isn’t on her mind at a typical concert, she appreciates when venues make environmentally conscious decisions like offering reusable cups. 

Meyer’s sustainability practices take place before she enters the venue. 

“I think it’s fun to make my own costumes,” Meyer said. “But I would never buy a costume just to go to an event.”

Meyer said that since she primarily goes to local concerts, they do not usually have a strict theme, but she has noticed a trend of people wearing costumes to concerts. 

“People tend to dress up for the vibe, and some go all out with costumes,” Meyer said. “I usually put something together from my closet rather than buying something separate.” 

In recent years, wearing costumes to concerts has risen in popularity, according to Meyer. Some fans wait months to see their favorite artist and want to make the most of their experience. But what comes after the night is over? 

“There’s a big thing against outfit repeating, and that’s kind of a big issue when we’re trying to be sustainable,” Meyer said. 

One way Meyer has been combating this is by reselling her clothes online. Recommerce platforms like Depop and Vinted allow users to shop and sell used clothes. 

Alondra Salazar, a U of A freshman majoring in industrial engineering, said she is especially intentional when buying clothes for concerts. 

“Whenever I buy stuff, I think ‘If I was 22, would I still want to wear this?’ And if it’s a no, then I probably shouldn’t buy it,” Salazar said. 

Salazar said that when she does succumb to the concert costume crowd, she resells her costumes on Vinted, an online recommerce platform. 

“I always dress up, but I make sure to find pieces that aren’t specifically for one event,” Salazar said. “I don’t want to just buy a piece for the whole purpose of only wearing it once.”

Salazar said her approach comes down to one worry: how much she is adding to an environment already flooded with clothes.

“I try to be really conscious about my carbon footprint because I know that there is so much overconsumption going on, and I don’t want to let my closet just be filled with clothes that I don’t want or I’m not going to wear,” Salazar said. 

Salazar said she learns about the themes of the concerts she attends through social media.

“When I went to the Kali Uchis concert, the theme was sleepover and slumber wear,” Salazar said. “When I was looking at the outfit inspiration online, I knew I just wasn’t gonna wear any of them outside of the concert. So instead I got a really cute pink two-piece set that I wear often.”

Some artists are making efforts towards sustainability. 

One band that is practicing sustainability is Coldplay. During its Music of the Spheres World Tour, the band used kinetic dance floors that turn fan movement into electricity, along with power-generating bikes that fans could pedal to help power the show.

Another artist working toward cleaner concerts is Billie Eilish. On her Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour, she worked with the nonprofit REVERB to cut single-use plastics, offer free water refill stations and promote plant-based food options at concessions. Reusable cup systems were also featured at her shows.

These artists show that greener concerts are possible. But most of the conversation around concert sustainability has focused on what fans can do. Less attention is paid to the venues themselves, and how much they share about their own practices, from the cups they serve drinks into the energy that powers their stages.

As fans keep showing up with reusable cups and resold outfits, the question of what happens behind the venue’s doors only grows louder.