London nightclub launches ‘sustainable clubbing’ initiative

The south-east London nightclub Studio 338 has announced its plans to promote ‘sustainable clubbing’ through a new eco-conscious initiative.

The 3,000-capacity nightclub in the Greenwich Peninsula has said that by 2020 it will donate a portion of its profits to a conservation charity and will encourage visiting artists to do the same.

The club will also take steps to reduce its environmental impact such as banning all single-use plastics, non-biodegradable and environmentally harmful materials from its venues where possible.

Dan Perrin, music and events director at Studio 338, said: ‘We are creating a movement aimed at leading the way for sustainable clubbing, kicking off in Studio 338 with a view to starting a wave of change reaching far beyond London.

‘The electronic music community has the potential to make a real impact if we can work together to change our behaviours and reduce our ecological footprints that are destroying the planet.’

By February 2020, Studio 338 will donate 1% of its profits to its ‘Tree Tree 8’ fund which will go to the Rainforest Trust, a conservation charity which aims to protect threatened rainforest habitats.

It will also commission a ‘Tree of Life’ installation using reclaimed materials where patrons can donate to the fund, and host special events each year with all ticket money going towards the fund.

Other environmental pledges the nightclub will make by next year include switching as much of its energy as possible to renewable sources and banning products containing palm oil from the venue.

Perrin commented: ‘We are conscious that we are leading the next generation in event standards and we feel it would be a good example to the rest of the events industry if we stop to take action to change our impact on the environment.’

The nightclub has urged the government to support its initiative by making it easier for businesses to switch to greener energy sources.

A report earlier this year found that 2018 was the toughest year yet for the community energy sector, with new generation capacity down year-on-year.

Just 7.9 MW of new community energy capacity was installed last year, compared to 33.5 MW the previous year, with commentators blaming the removal of subsidies like Feed-In Tariffs.

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