Liverpool As a Sustainable City: UN Accelerator City Explained
Sustainability is a growing concern, particularly in the arts and entertainment sector. Large scale consumer or professional events require a huge amount of power and consumables to make it happen – which can cause a lot of waste, and pose an incredible energy demand. Understanding different techniques to make these more eco-friendly allows us to keep the events we love whilst protecting our planet for future generations to enjoy.
As part of efforts to develop solutions to the climate emergency, we’re delighted to announce that Liverpool has been announced as the first UN Accelerator City for climate action. This is an incredible honour, and something we’re embracing wholeheartedly at Exhibition Centre Liverpool and our sister venues on the campus.
Want to learn more? You’ve come to the right place. We’ll explain what a UN Accelerator City actually is, and what this means for the future development of sustainable cities.
What is a UN Accelerator City?
The idea of a UN Accelerator City is a new initiative within the UN’s wider Entertainment and Culture for Climate Action (ECCA) programme. This alliance is designed to offer artists, creative professionals, and members of the entertainment industry the opportunity to use their experience and imagination to inspire alternatives to current ways of working.
By connecting people in and around the industry with likeminded partners, ECCA aims to:
● Increase awareness of the impact the entertainment and events industry has on the environment.
● Support eco-friendly initiatives and technologies.
● Promote sustainable production, filming, and live event practices.
● Showcase creative voices within the narrative of climate action, via music, documentary, and more.
● Encourage collaboration between different areas of the industry and present a united front for environmental action.
Why was Liverpool chosen?
We’re never one to hold back on our love for Liverpool. This incredible city is our home, and has a long history of leading the world in terms of music, art, and entertainment. From the legacy of The Beatles, to being the backdrop to blockbuster movies and TV, events and entertainment is the lifeblood of this city.
Becoming the first Accelerator City is partly in recognition of our place at the heart of entertainment. But, as sustainable cities go, we’re leading the way. Across the Liverpool City Region, there is continually excellent work being done to decarbonise the live music and TV/film production sectors. Our very own Exhibition Centre Liverpool, and the rest of our campus, has centred Sustainability in everything we do.
Plus, you simply need to visit the city to understand how we’re leading the way to a greener future. With loads of Sustainable Activities, including parks and eco-tours, for visitors and professionals alike, it just makes sense.
What does this mean for the future?
As an Accelerator City, Liverpool sits at the forefront of decarbonisation efforts within the industry. Venues like ours, and other sustainable partners, have been invited to spearhead new initiatives throughout the city, covering various aspects of event management, to see what solutions have potential to succeed.
To help us guide the the UN sustainability goals, and the ECCA goals for the initiative, the city of Liverpool has created a new strategy that rests on three core pillars:
● People: focussing on awareness, information, and empowerment, this pillar is centred around helping people make more sustainable choices when they consume entertainment at events. This includes everything from how they travel to the event, to how we can reduce waste.
● Place: the right infrastructure is essential. Eco-friendly events, and sustainable cities, need options for energy, transport, technology, and other services to truly work. This covers everything from alternative energy sources, removing diesel generators, supporting local supply chains, and developing new transport models.
● Policy: any changes we make are no good if they won’t last – or are unable to scale up and down to suit the needs of an event. Making sure that sustainability is at the centre of land-use agreements, supply chain management, and long-term transport and ticketing solutions are all needed to support the future of sustainable entertainment.
Liverpool’s future as an Accelerator City also means nurturing relationships and partnerships with other climate action pioneers. One crucial collaboration our city has made is with The Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research.
The Tyndall Centre is a collective of universities developed to bring together researchers from various disciplines – all in the search for effective climate solutions. In 2025, after the Centre’s collaboration with the Massive Attack 1.5 show in Bristol, Liverpool City Council entered a partnership with Tyndall Manchester. With this partnership, the city hopes to draw upon the wealth of experience and expertise in:
● Energy and emission reduction.
● Policy development and innovation.
● Carbon accounting.
It’s also an opportunity to reach out to other sustainable cities who wish to collaborate on future solutions, both nationally and internationally.
Note: results from this collaboration will be part of a new report, released later in 2025.
Latest Accelerator City updates
Being the UN Accelerator City is a huge honour, and we’re excited to help lead our industry in becoming more sustainable. Since the inception of this role, we’ve made some amazing strides, and held some super events, on our journey to sustainability.
● Liverpool One is home to an incredible art installation, titled ‘Harmony’. Created by Reskate Studio, a brilliant artist collective, using photo-luminescent paint, this piece transforms at night with a vibrant, glow-in-the-dark effect – without the need for electronics or technology. Instead, the pain absorbs light during the day. Cool, right?
● Ecotricity has partnered with Future Yard, an amazing, innovative music venue that calls Birkenhead its home. Working together, this partnership hopes to spearhead sustainability in the music industry; engaging artists, audiences, and other members to work under eco-friendly conditions, and spreading awareness of the climate emergency.
● BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend trialled some new sustainable initiatives as part of their bank holiday showcase. From encouraging greener travel opportunities, to clean energy solutions, to prioritising circular waste management, this was a massive opportunity to test and evaluate long-term solutions to events management.
● The Depot has achieved a ‘Very Good’ rating from the BAFTA Albert Studio Sustainability Standard – scoring 80% on its first assessment (beating the industry average of 77%). Owned by Liverpool City Council and managed by the Liverpool Film Office, the site is geared towards supporting sustainability and environmental protection in the film and TV industry.
Watch this space for more information on how we’re progressing as an Accelerator City, or sign up for email updates from acceleratorcity@liverpool.gov.uk. [1]
Visit Exhibition Centre Liverpool in the heart of our sustainable city
From an adaptable Venue, to our pioneering Carbon Neutral Event Campus, Exhibition Centre Liverpool is the ideal place for your next exhibition or showcase. Discover more about our services online, or Contact Us for useful information and support.
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