Our Commitments

Our Sustainability Policy outlines our key economic, social and environmental commitments and objectives in the development and execution of American Express presents Roundhay Festival.

American Express presents Roundhay Festival has several policies and initiatives in place which help Reduce, Reuse and Recycle what we use:

• Zero Waste-to-Landfill: All our waste is either recycled, composted or burned for energy
  

• No Front-of-House Single-Use-Plastics: We’ve removed single-use plastic items across all public areas of the festival and we strive to capture and recycle unavoidable plastic (such as pallet wrap and packaging) in our back-of-house operations
  

• Leave No Trace: Our dedicated cleaning team scour the site each day to capture and remove discarded items so we can leave the park as tidy as we find it
  

• 100% Compostable Serveware: All our food serveware and cutlery are 100% compostable. These are processed alongside our food waste to produce compost for the horticultural industry
  

• Staging Re-use: Materials used for our sets and staging are re-used at our other festivals to reduce our reliance on new inputs.

Sustaining our fans, crew and artists with delicious food and drink is an essential part of the American Express presents Roundhay Festival experience, and we have several key policies to minimise impact.

• All traders sign up to our Food & Beverage charter which requires them to purchase ingredients from ethical, accredited sources and minimise food waste
  

• All meals on site are assessed for their environmental impact, and our menu boards display this information to help inform your food choices
  

• A vegetarian meal option is available at 100% of our traders.
  

• Our crew catering features several meat-free meals each week to help reduce overall meat consumption. All red meat (identified as the largest single contributor to our catering carbon footprint) has also been removed from crew menus
  

• Staff are required to bring refillable water bottles with them to reduce the need for single use alternatives.

Travel to and from American Express presents Roundhay Festival by fans, suppliers, artists, crew, traders and all the amazing people who help make the event happen accounts the largest part of our carbon footprint. We aim to reduce this with these key initiatives:

• We advise all visitors and crew to choose greener travel options, such as public transport or arriving by bike or foot.
  

• We’re committed to using local providers and materials where possible to reduce overall travel mileage
  

• All our water comes from an on-site mains water supply, removing the need for it to be tankered to us from elsewhere in the country
  

• We track travel data to understand trends and put in place initiatives which can help tackle the impact of emissions

• We are proud to partner with Big Green Coach, the UK's largest events travel company, to offer sustainable and convenient coach travel directly to Roundhay Park from various cities across the UK. Big Green Coach services provide a fantastic option for those travelling from outside Leeds, reducing your carbon footprint and ensuring a hassle-free journey.

Large festivals often rely on temporary energy sources like generators to power the show, and the diesel used in these contributes carbon to the atmosphere and particulate matter to the air. American Express presents Roundhay is working to reduce this impact by:

• Using batteries to supplement our generator usage
  

• Maximising use of Roundhay’s connection to the national grid to reduce reliance on generators overall
  

• Utilising renewable HVO Biodiesel and green-hydrogen in our generators to reduce carbon footprint versus using standard diesel fuel
  

• Working with all on-site contractors to maximise energy efficiency to reduce overall fuel usage

Without the support of the local community, or the resilience of the amazing Roundhay Park, American Express presents Roundhay wouldn’t exist. We look to be good neighbours through these initiatives:

• Local community engagement is key to delivering the events. AEG work year round alongside local stakeholders and the local communities who are consulted throughout the planning stages and the events.
  
  

• Management plans around Noise, Traffic and Ingress and Egress are developed to minimise impact of these on the surrounding residents. We work closely with the local authority’s environmental protection teams to produce the events at agreed sound levels. Specialist acoustic consultants are hired to monitor sound levels throughout the event to ensure these levels are adhered to.
  
  

• A dedicated community impact management team are based on site to assist with any queries from local residents during the event build/derig and concert dates.
  
  

• Employment and training opportunities are provided for local colleges and universities
  
  

• Protecting the park's flora and fauna, grass, land water courses and landscape is a priority
  
  

• We ensure that the necessary measures are in place to protect the Park and provide instructions to all contractors to help achieve this
  
  

• Any waste generated by festival goers inside or outside the event perimeter is removed by litter picks