Environment
Oslo Spektrum is one of Norway’s largest indoor multi-purpose arenas and hosts a number of different events every year – concerts, shows, stand-up, musicals, theatre, sports, conferences and fairs. We are mainly responsible for renting out the arena to organisers, event agencies, promoters and the like, where we assist with resources and staff for liquidation. Our aim is to ensure that everyone who visits the arena has the opportunity to make environmentally friendly choices, whether they are audience members, artists, organisers, hired staff or our own employees, which will further lead to a reduction in our footprint.
In 2022, we were recertified as Miljøfyrtårn, and work continuously to incorporate environmentally friendly measures in all parts of our operation. Below you can read a little about our environmental work, as well as our impact on the local environment.
With an arena that can accommodate up to 11,000 spectators per events naturally generate a lot of waste, and we have a significant focus on source sorting, both among visitors and our own employees.
In addition to concerts and shows, Oslo Spektrum also hosts various fairs and conferences. Here we facilitate waste sorting for visitors by setting up waste sorting stations. Such events can often generate some surplus food. In collaboration with the organizers, we try as far as possible to donate surplus food to charities in order to reduce food waste.
At open public events such as concerts, shows, stand-up, musicals and theatre, we continuously work to find good solutions for source sorting. For serving beer and cider, we use plastic glasses made of recyclable plastic, the same type of plastic used in depositable soft drinks and water bottles. Through a collaboration with Infinitum, we sort out the recyclable plastic glasses and send them in for recycling.
As an event with us can generate a lot of waste, we depend on the public’s help to get it sorted as well as possible. As a measure to improve our source sorting rate, we introduced an environmental tax in the autumn of 2023 for the purchase of beverages served in recyclable plastic glasses. The first time you buy a unit, you pay an environmental tax of NOK 10. If you are going to buy a new unit later, you will not have to pay a new environmental tax if you take the glass back to the bar. The purpose of the measure is to get more members of the audience to bring glasses back from the hall and prevent them from ending up on the floor and being stepped on, so that we can more easily sort at source and send as many glasses as possible for recycling.
The income from the environmental tax goes to cover costs related to our environmental work. This may apply, for example, to the purchase of equipment and personnel costs. Any surplus from the fee will be used to further develop our work with environmental measures.
One of our further objectives is to replace all plastic glasses we use for serving with recyclable plastic during the spring of 2024.
Energy consumption accounts for the largest part of our footprint, and the amount of energy we use can vary greatly depending on the level of activity in the arena. Through the guarantee of origin for Nordic hydropower, we are guaranteed that payments for our electricity consumption go to producers who produce hydropower and supply renewable energy.
The purchase of electricity with a guarantee of origin also creates an incentive for power producers to produce and invest in renewable production.
Oslo Spektrum is located in the center of Oslo and only a stone’s throw from Oslo Central Station, Oslo bus terminal and Jernbanetorget, which is a hub for trains, subways, trams and buses. This makes it very easy to get to the arena by public transport, and we encourage all our visitors to use this. Our events are rarely finished later than 23:00, so that the public also has the opportunity to get home by public transport.
If you use a bicycle to the arena, there are city bicycle racks next to Oslo Plaza and by Vaterlandsparken towards Grønland.
Oslo Spektrum is certified by Stiftelsen Miljøfyrtårn. Through Miljøfyrtårn, we keep climate accounts of energy consumption, emissions, waste, suppliers, working environment and the like, and report this annually. This gives us a good overview of our environmental effects and how we can improve to further reduce our footprint.
Oslo Spektrum attracts many visitors over the course of a year, which creates major positive ripple effects that benefit the entire capital region. For every workplace in Oslo Spektrum, more than ten new workplaces are created in their own surroundings.
Community Economic Analysis has calculated the economic effects of Oslo Spektrum on behalf of Stiftelsen NOVA Spektrum. The calculations show that Oslo Spektrum is an important contributor to several profitable jobs in Oslo and the rest of the capital region.
The biggest economic ripple effects occur in industries such as trade, service, catering, accommodation and transport. These are industries that are important for providing all travelers and visitors with a good service offer, but also represent important industries that help make the capital a vibrant and attractive city for the city’s own residents.
Contributes to a strong event sector
Oslo Spektrum also contributes to many profitable jobs in the value chains that are directly involved in the planning and execution of the various events that take place at the arena each year. This value chain includes a large number of individual companies with deliveries linked to, among other things, guarding, security, rigging, cleaning and food/drink. For many of the companies, Oslo Spektrum represents the largest client. This lays the foundation for high value creation and the possibility of preserving robust professional environments within event implementation.
In sum, Oslo Spektrum represents an important engine for more jobs and greater business activity in the capital region. In addition, of course, Oslo Spektrum is also important as a national arena for the biggest cultural and entertainment experiences in Norway.
Our overall footprint
Based on figures for the most recent financial year available, the calculations from the Social Economic Analysis show that Oslo Spektrum has an overall economic footprint corresponding to:
- 560 full-time jobs, of which 430 of these are located in the local area. Each man-year in Oslo Spektrum contributes to more than 10 new jobs in its own environment.
- NOK 610 million in national value creation effect, of which approximately NOK 450 million of this accrues to companies and other businesses in the Oslo area. Community Economic Analysis estimates that the activity under the auspices of Oslo Spektrum lays the foundation for an additional annual turnover of more than NOK 800 million for local businesses.
- Oslo Spektrum contributes annually to 4 – 500,000 travelers and visitors to the capital area. The analysis carried out by Samfunnskonoskomnis Analyse shows that Oslo Spektrum has visitors from all Norwegian municipalities.
