How AIR Studios Measures the Carbon Footprint of World-Class Music Production

Overview

AIR Studios, one of the world's most iconic recording studios founded by Sir George Martin, partnered with Climatise to understand and reduce the environmental impact of music production at their Hampstead facility.

The challenge

As a prestigious recording studio hosting major artists and film scoring sessions, AIR Studios wanted to demonstrate environmental leadership in the creative industries — but had no prior experience with carbon reporting.

• No prior carbon accounting experience or sustainability team • Complex energy usage patterns driven by studio sessions, climate control for sensitive equipment, and 24/7 operations • Growing demand from film studios and record labels for supply chain sustainability credentials • Wanted to lead by example in the music industry on environmental responsibility • Needed a solution that would not disrupt studio operations or require technical expertise

The solution

Climatise provided a turnkey solution — handling all data collection, emissions calculation, and report generation with minimal disruption to AIR Studios' day-to-day operations.

Energy Audit & Baseline: Historical energy bills and utility data ingested to establish a comprehensive emissions baseline for the Hampstead facility.

Scope 1 & 2 Calculations: Gas heating, electricity consumption, and refrigerant emissions calculated using DEFRA factors with full audit trail.

Client Reporting: Environmental data packaged for inclusion in project tenders and responses to client sustainability questionnaires.

Reduction Roadmap: Identified opportunities for LED lighting upgrades, HVAC optimisation, and renewable energy procurement.

Impact

• First carbon baseline for the studio • Automated emissions reporting • Client sustainability credentials established • Reduction roadmap identified

What they said

"AIR Studios takes environmental responsibility seriously. Climatise gave us the tools to quantify our impact for the first time and share credible data with our clients. It was straightforward — no jargon, no complexity, just clear numbers we can act on."

— Simon Knee, CEO, AIR Studios

Studio sustainability

• Energy profiling across studio sessions, climate control, and 24/7 operations • Sustainability credentials packaged for film studio and label tenders • LED lighting and HVAC optimisation roadmap identified • Setting the benchmark for environmental responsibility in the recording industry