Levy extends O2 contract and plans for site to be net zero by 2025

Levy UK and Ireland has announced a five-year extension to its contract with the O2 arena and plans to achieve net zero at the site by 2025.

The sports and hospitality division of Compass Group UK will now provide food and beverage for the O2 arena, which is owned and operated by AEG Europe, up until 2030.

The contact caterer has also announced its plans for the venue to be net zero by 2025, in-line with the company’s own plans to become net zero by 2027. Levy has also committed to ensure operational food waste meets a target of under 1% by the end of 2024.

Jon Davies, managing director at Levy UK and Ireland said: “Levy UK+I is proud to extend its partnership with The O2 arena, and is keen to build on the already innovative customer experiences it provides for each of the venue’s leading events.

"As part of our Levy Cares initiative, we remain committed to reducing waste produced within our venues whilst continuing to provide a wide range of food and drink experiences for guests. We look forward to continuing the great work we have already started here during this extended contract period.”

Adam Pearson, commercial director at the O2, said: “Levy UK+I has been a key partner of The O2 and AEG globally for a number of years and we’re delighted to extend our relationship through to 2030. We have some exciting and ground-breaking technology innovations planned, as well as continued investment in our bars and restaurants at The O2, as we constantly look to improve the guest experience and wow our customers.”

Levy has already been delivering sustainable menus within the venue, including the Billie Eilish Overheated event which saw the venue provide 100% vegan food for the six shows, while back in February Levy created menus for the Brit Awards which centred around local and seasonal plant-forward offerings. It has also ntroduced carbon labelling for concession food.

Pearson added: “Food and drink have a vital role to play in the pursuit of The O2’s net zero ambitions and wider sustainability aims – so we’re delighted to be working with Levy UK+I on what is a challenging but necessary target of net zero for F&B by 2025. We’ve seen from the recent Billie Eilish shows and Overheated events at The O2 that all of our key stakeholders are as passionate as we are about this and so we’re truly excited to see what can be achieved as we continue to raise the bar.”

Image credit: Shutterstock/TraversLewis