CSRD is Evolving Festivals and Live Events: Are You Ready?

In 2026, CSRD is reshaping what “credible sustainability” looks like across the supply chains that power music and entertainment.

The European Commission is clear on timing: the first companies subject to CSRD apply the rules for the 2024 financial year, with reports published in 2025, and reporting must follow the European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS).

Meanwhile, the regulatory landscape is continuing to unfold. In late February 2026, the EU Council gave final approval to the Omnibus I simplification package affecting CSRD and CSDDD. We’ve covered what changed, and what it means for the sector, in our dedicated update (head here for the full Omnibus breakdown).

For live music, touring, broadcast and major cultural events, CSRD matters for a simple reason: the organisations most exposed, from major sponsors to parent groups, broadcasters and global brands, are increasingly asking partners for defensible, auditable sustainability data.

And the sector’s emissions profile makes that scrutiny unavoidable. Our work collaborating on the MIT Climate Machine report (analysing 80,000+ events across the UK and US) shows live music emissions are dominated by travel, with fan travel accounting for 77.2% of emissions in the UK and 62.2% in the US.

In a CSRD, impacts of that scale don’t sit in the footnotes: they sit at the centre of reporting, governance and commercial risk.

That’s why in this article, we cover:

• What is CSRD? The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive explained.
• Why CSRD matters to music, media and live events.
• CSRD Scope: Who needs to report, and why events still get asked
• Key CSRD requirements for live production
• Double materiality for festivals, touring and broadcast
• The hidden CSRD challenge
• How CSRD is changing sponsorship and commercial partnerships
• Common misconceptions about CSRD
• How music and entertainment organisations should prepare

Let’s start from the beginning.

What is CSRD?

CSRD (the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) is the EU’s framework for standardising sustainability disclosure. It replaces the earlier NFRD (Non-Financial Reporting Directive), to report sustainability information in a way that is:

• Structured (aligned to ESRS)
• Comparable
• Digitally taggable
• Assurable (starting with limited assurance)

The big change here is that sustainability information under CSRD is moving closer to financial reporting expectations, with less narrative and more emphasis on evidence.

Why CSRD Matters to Music, Media and Live Events in 2026

CSRD matters to entertainment for two straightforward reasons: the sector has a real carbon footprint, and it operates in public.

Live events involve travel, freight, temporary power, catering, staging and complex supply chains. That creates measurable environmental impact.  

At the same time, everything happens in the spotlight.

Shows are broadcast. Sponsors promote their involvement. Sustainability claims appear in press releases, on social media and in programmes. When those claims don’t match the underlying numbers, the gap is visible.

CSRD raises the standard for how large companies measure and report sustainability information. And, many sponsors, broadcasters and parent groups in entertainment now fall within that framework.

Even if an organiser isn’t required to publish a CSRD report, their commercial partners may be, and those partners increasingly need clear, reliable data from the events they support.

In 2026, sustainability in entertainment isn’t just about doing something positive. It’s about being able to explain, evidence and stand behind it.

CSRD in 2026 and Why Events Still Get Asked for Data

You might not be filing a CSRD report yourself, but that doesn’t mean CSRD isn’t affecting you.

The organisations most likely to remain in scope after the 2026 changes (for more information on these changes, head to our 2026 CSRD update) are the same ones that shape entertainment at scale:

• Banks and insurers underwriting major tours
• Global brands sponsoring festivals
• Broadcasters and listed media groups
• Large promoters and parent companies operating across multiple countries

When they report under CSRD, they have to disclose their full climate exposure, including the emissions that sit in their value chain. And live events are not a small line item.

The UK outdoor events sector alone is responsible for at least 170,000 tonnes of CO₂e per year, with an average footprint of 15.9 kg CO₂e per attendee per day. The breakdown is clear: 64% of festival emissions come from audience travel.

That matters because under CSRD, companies must report material Scope 3 emissions: even if they don’t directly control them.

So when a sponsor backs a multi-day outdoor event, those audience travel emissions, energy use, food systems and material choices don’t disappear. They become part of that sponsor’s disclosed footprint.

This is why many organisers are now seeing:

• ESG questionnaires earlier in sponsorship conversations
• Requests for travel methodology and boundary explanations
• Questions about waste, materials and power sources
• Greater scrutiny of claims like “net zero” or “carbon neutral”

This is the reality of value chain reporting. If events can reduce audience travel emissions by 32%, overall sector emissions could fall by nearly 20%.

When reductions of that scale are possible, those impact areas become commercially and strategically relevant.

Put simply? Even if you’re not in scope, your data increasingly will be.

Key CSRD Reporting Requirements That Affect Live Production

CSRD requirements are broad, but several elements intersect directly with live production.

Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions 

Live entertainment is structurally Scope 3-heavy. The MIT baseline report makes that unambiguous: fan travel is the largest emissions source in both the UK and the US.

Under CSRD-aligned expectations, high-impact Scope 3 categories (travel, freight, food systems, materials) need:

• Clear boundaries
• Transparent assumptions
• Repeatability year on year

Double materiality

CSRD requires companies to assess:

• Impact materiality (your impact on climate/environment)
• Financial materiality (how climate risk impacts you)

Live events often face both: high emissions impact and increasing operational exposure, such as weather disruption, insurance tightening, and energy volatility.

Transition planning

Under CSRD, in-scope companies must explain how their climate strategy leads to measurable emissions reductions over time. For live events, this shifts the focus from individual green initiatives to clear reduction pathways - showing what will be reduced, how, and by when.

Governance disclosure

CSRD requires companies to state who is responsible for sustainability data, who signs it off, and how climate risk is managed. That moves sustainability out of marketing and into leadership, oversight, and formal decision-making.

Assurance readiness

CSRD introduces assurance expectations. That alone changes what “good enough” data looks like for sponsors and parent groups: because sustainability disclosures are no longer treated as purely narrative.

Double Materiality for Festivals, Touring and Broadcast

Double materiality means assessing sustainability from two directions: 

1. How your activities affect the climate, and
2. How climate risk affects your business

For live entertainment, both sides are now evidence-based, rather than theoretical. 

Impact materiality (what you emit)

The MIT-supported “Live Music has a Baseline” study showed clearly where emissions sit. The UK outdoor events sector alone accounts for at least 170,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, with an average footprint of 15.9kg per attendees per day, and 64% driven by audience travel.

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That level of concentration in one category makes impact materiality hard to dismiss at scale. When travel dominates, it becomes structurally relevant to sponsors reporting Scope 3 emissions. 

Financial materiality (what climate disrupts)

The SMGO 3 modelling also shows how exposed the sector is to systemic levers. For example, a 32% shift in audience travel could reduce overall sector emissions by nearly 20%. 

That highlights how dependent events are on transport systems, infrastructure and energy supply, all areas exposed to: 

• Extreme weather disruption
• Energy volatility
• Grid access constraints
• Insurance market tightening

Under CSRD, companies must disclose these risks formally. For festivals, touring and broadcasting, that means climate isn’t just an environmental issue: it’s a continuity and cost issue.

The Hidden CSRD Challenge for Live Events: Data Infrastructure

CSRD is about reporting. But for live entertainment, the real challenge isn’t writing the report: it’s producing consistent, defensible data. 

The Live Music has a Baseline study required large-scale modelling across more than 80,000 events, because primary data was inconsistent and fragmented. The SMGO 3 report makes a similar point: sector-wide benchmarks exist, but they rely on aggregated modelling across events of different sizes and structure. 

That matters, because CSRD-aligned reporting increasingly expects:

• Clear reporting boundaries
• Documented assumptions
• Traceable inputs
• Consistency, year on year

Live production makes that difficult, particularly as events operate through:

• Temporary infrastructure
• Short build and de-rig cycles
• Multiple independent suppliers
• Distributed emissions sources (such as travel, freight, catering, materials) 

The shift CSRD introduces here is significant. The approach goes from, “can we estimate?” to, “can we evidence, explain and repeat?”

How CSRD Is Changing Sponsorship and Commercial Partnerships

The most immediate impact of CSRD on entertainment is commercial. When sponsors report under ESRS, sustainability information linked to partnerships becomes part of formal disclosure. 

And, the sector’s data makes the exposure visible. 

Under CSRD, companies must disclose material Scope 3 emissions. If a sponsor backs a major festival or tour, that activity may sit within its value chain footprint.  This is why sustainability due diligence is happening earlier, getting more technical, and becoming less tolerant of vague claims.

Common Misconceptions About CSRD in the Events Industry

As CSRD moves from policy to practice, confusion in the events sector is common. A few recurring misunderstandings are worth addressing directly. 

“We’re not EU-based, so it doesn’t apply”

Even if you’re outside direct scope, sponsors, broadcasters, or parent groups may not be. Value chain emissions don’t stop at borders. 

“CSRD is just ESG reporting”

CSRD is structured, standardised disclosure under ESRS, with assurance expectations. It’s closer to financial reporting than voluntary CSR.

“Audience travel isn’t our responsibility”

Travel accounts for the majority of emissions in UK festivals. Materiality is about the scale of impact, not direct control.

“Offsets solve it”

Offsets do not remove the need to measure gross emissions clearly and define reporting boundaries.

“Sustainability sits with communications”

CSRD requires governance disclosure: who owns the data, who signs it off, and how risk is managed. That places sustainability within leadership and oversight structures.

How Music and Entertainment Organisations Should Prepare in 2026

Preparation doesn’t mean turning every organiser into a CSRD reporting entity. However, it does mean building the foundations needed to operate confidently in a landscape where sponsors, broadcasters and parent companies are reporting under stricter standards. 

Define clear boundaries

Be explicit about what is included in your footprint, and what’s not. That means setting clear positions on categories such as audience travel, freight, temporary power, catering and materials, and being able to explain those decisions. 

Build a repeatable baseline

The sector now has benchmarks. Your organisation needs its own consistent starting point. Use the same methodology year on year. Document assumptions. Avoid changing boundaries without explanation. Consistency will build your credibility.

Prioritise the biggest impact areas.

Several reports show that meaningful reductions are possible across multiple categories, including materials, energy, food, and transport. Focus on the areas where change can realistically move the needle. Avoid spreading effort thinly across low-impact initiatives. 

Strengthen governance

Sustainability data should have clear ownership. Who is accountable for emissions reporting? Who signs off on public sustainability claims? Where is climate risk discussed internally? CSRD expectations make these questions far harder to ignore. 

Align claims with evidence

Ensure sustainability messaging matches your data. If reductions are modelled, say so. If certain emissions are outside scope, explain why. Clear communication reduces commercial risk while cementing the integrity of your reputation.

From Baseline to Governance

As sustainability expectations tighten across music and live events, clarity and structure matter more than ever. 

At Hope Solutions, we support organisations to measure environmental impact accurately, strengthen governance, and align sustainability commitments with reality. 

If you’re reviewing your reporting approach, preparing for increased sponsor scrutiny, or building stronger internal systems, we’re here to help.