Live music is one of the most popular types of gatherings on the planet, and for good reason. They offer passionate listeners the chance to interact with their favorite artists, connect with other fans in person and enjoy live music with a sense of community. What’s not to love?
The environmental impact — including the emissions caused by artist and fan transportation to and from the venue, the energy required to put on a show and the physical waste generated from promo materials to food and beverage packaging — is something often overlooked. For perspective, a music festival the size of Coachella can generate more than 600 tons of waste over the course of just a few days, according to the environmental nonprofit, Dogwood Alliance.
While all these problems can’t be tackled overnight, there is one company specifically targeting the waste generated by food and beverage packaging: r.World.
But what exactly is r.World? In short, r.World consists of the r.Cup, reusable cups, and r.Ware, reusable serve ware like plates and to-go containers. But there’s more than meets the eye as each r.Cup and r.Ware item can be reused up to 300 times, making it a reliable and safe solution that works to eliminate the waste generated from tons of single-use items.
r.World’s mission is to end single-use waste by creating a national infrastructure for the reuse economy to thrive. The reuse economy is a circular system in which products are reused over and over again as opposed to the more common linear system in which products are used just once and then thrown out.
Michael Martin, CEO/Founder of r.World is a music industry professional and sustainability entrepreneur since 1990, became the Executive Producer of Earth Day stadium concerts, and launched programs aiming to bring sustainability initiatives like tour offsets, composting, and more to the music industry.
The idea that would eventually become r.World was born when Martin first introduced the r.Cup and r.Ware system on U2’s “Joshua Tree Tour 2017.” Martin had been serving as U2’s sustainability advisor since 2009, so it seemed like the perfect partnership. On top of introducing these innovative items to tour, he has acted as the sustainability advisor for artists like Dave Matthews Band and Jack Johnson.
At the time of conception, the reusable products traveled with the touring crew to be used at each venue. However, since the transformation of r.Cup and r.Ware into r.World, wash hubs have been created in major cities like Denver, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and others, eliminating the need for the products to travel with the bands. As the #1 reuse platform in North America, r.World collaborates with concert venues across the country, as well as artists, concessionaires and event companies such as AEG, NIVA and ASM to work toward their mission of reduced waste at live music events.
r.World takes care of all the logistics, so fans, event staff and venues aren’t burdened with additional work. Event coordinators choose from the r.Ware they need, r.World then delivers the items, and event staff serve as they normally would. But instead of throwing out the serveware after use, r.World collects the serveware in customized bins so fans know exactly where to put the dispose once they’ve finished their food and drink.
After each show, r.World picks up the reusables, sanitizes them at the closest r.World Wash Hub, inspects, repackages and then reuses them at the next show. When an item has reached its lifespan, it’s then upcycled into other usable products.
Venues that have switched to using r.Cups have seen a 94-99% cup return rate thanks to r.World’s thorough support. According to r.World’s website, arenas throw out between one and two million single-use cups every year and r.Cup eliminates this waste entirely. In 2023 alone, r.Cup prevented just over one ton of waste from heading into landfills – which equals about 30,000 single-use cups thrown out per day. This process creates a positive experience not only for concertgoers, who enjoy the improved durability and convenience of the cups, but also for event organizers, who see higher profits because of faster beverage service during the event and less money spent on single-use materials.
In 2024, r.Cup is already working with over 200 venues across the U.S. and are implementing the cups into some of the biggest festivals of the season including 88 Rising’s Head in the Clouds, Cali Vibes Music Festival and Tyler, The Creator’s Camp Flog Gnaw. The cups have also found their way into venues such as Denver’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre, Washington D.C.’s 9:30 Club, Los Angeles’ El Rey Theater and Colorado’s Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre. Not to mention, r.World has also strategically partnered with Coca-Cola to expand into venues that serve the brand’s products, including music and sports venues, movie theaters, restaurants and more. Bon Jovi, Maggie Rogers and the Rolling Stones are among artists who have partnered with r.World to emphasize the importance of sustainability at their shows, which indicates that other big names could follow suit soon.
To continue their mission, r.World plans to build hubs in the top 20 to 30 U.S. markets, which are crucial pieces of the puzzle given that long-distance shipments work against their goals.
In effect, r.World is creating happy event goers and even happier organizers with their reusable products like the r.Cup. The future of live music has the potential to be more sustainable, especially as environmentally friendly solutions are more frequently expected by fans and artists alike. The next time you enjoy a drink at a show, it might just be served in an r.Cup — and if it is, don’t be part of the 1% who doesn’t turn it back in.
So how can you help? First, be vocal and request reusable solutions at events in your local area, and share r.World’s mission with those who are actively looking for options. And then, once you see r.Cups popping up at your local venue, be sure to return your cup and tell your friends to do the same.
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