Historically, celebrities haven’t had much luck with influencing actual behaviours, argues Anika Kozlowski, assistant professor of fashion design, ethics and sustainability at Ryerson University. The reason is hypocrisy: “There’s a huge cognitive dissonance and irony when you have [celebrities and musicians] promoting sustainability yet they wear all the latest fashions, they travel in jets, they live lavish lifestyles,” she says. “Even if everything is gifted to them, [young consumers] see their lifestyle and that’s what they want to emulate”.

To make Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever” world tour more climate positive, she’s partnering with Reverb, a nonprofit that partners with musicians and concert and festival venues to make events more eco-friendly. Eilish’s tour is offering plant-based foods to fans and staff that match the prices to non-vegan options. In addition, excess food in catering will be donated to local organizations or composted. The tour also prioritizes the elimination of single-use plastics. The artist, band, and crew will use reusable water bottles and mugs, and catering will also include reusable or compostable serviceware. Water refill stations will also be located throughout the backstage area and on tour buses. Even batteries will be collected for recycling or donated. Moreover, to eliminate carbon, the team at Reverb will calculate tour emissions, including transportation, hotels, and venue energy. Plus, the partnership will fund diverse projects that help eliminate more greenhouse gas pollution than the tour will generate. And these projects will focus on frontline and BIPOC communities that are heavily impacted by climate change.

Fans even get to represent their love for Eilish’s music with merchandise made with upcycled materials. Merch stands will sell upcycled hoodies. Plus, fans can also get their hands on a sustainable vinyl copy of the Happier Than Ever album—it includes a 100% recycled jacket and sleeve, FSC Certified paper, vegetable-based inks, and bio-wrap packaging made from sugarcane.

The Overheated event will take place in London at the O2 Arena, on the same dates as the tour on 10-12, 16 and 25-26 June. It is being organised in collaboration with Red Carpet Green Dress (RCGD) Global, Support + Feed, and secondhand and vintage music merchandising marketplace Reverb.

Live sessions covering topics including how to use your voice for change and tackling climate anxiety will take place prior to the concert, with tickets starting at £25 for under 25s (and £45 for standard tickets). Speakers will include climate activist Tori Tsui, rental platform By Rotation founder Eshita Kabra-Davies and RCGD Global CEO Samata Pattinson. Concert-goers will be encouraged to visit the sustainability village, the exhibition space just outside the ticket barriers, which is free and open to the public.

Slow fashion brand Citizen-T will host a clothing swap in the sustainability village. Fans can bring unwanted clothing to the event and switch it for one-of-kind merch that’s been upcycled from deadstock. The company previously worked with Billie Eilish on an upcycled hoodie collection at Coachella.

The Overheated event aims to reach Eilish’s impressionable Gen Z and Gen Alpha fans and educate them about sustainable practices.

Photo taken by ActionVance on Unsplash