Environmental Policy

As a leader in the arts and creative and cultural sector, we are aware of our impact on the environment and recognise the need to be responsible for this impact.

We are committed to the principle of reduce, reuse and recycle, proactively working to minimise our environmental impact and promote more sustainable ways of working to our staff, partners and stakeholders.

We aspire to address, through our artistic programme, the ideas and questions about environmental sustainability and to help raise the profile of these ideas through productions and related events.

This policy is supported by a detailed action plan, which is a separate, live document, which will be created collaboratively and regularly reviewed by the staff and steering group.

Scope

Artistic Programme

Production practices

Energy management, consumption and reduction – electricity and gas.

Water management

Waste management

General resource management and conservation

Travel

Procurement

Communications and Marketing

Collaboration

Bar and Kitchen

Our Commitments

  • Comply with all environmental legislation and regularly review our policy and actions

  • Discuss environmental issues at the highest level of the company and enshrine sustainability at the heart of the company policy and practice.

  • Engage artists and audiences with environmental issues through our artistic programme

  • Invest in technology to enable our designers to use low energy lighting on our stages and encourage sustainable practices throughout the production process.

  • Increase employee awareness of environmental policies and encourage a culture of shared responsibility

  • Communicate our initiatives and progress to audiences and partners.

  • Reduce wastage, preserve resources and recycle across all areas of the company

  • Reduce our energy and water consumption, using new technology to measure and control our usage

  • Avoid pollution of air, land and water wherever possible, encouraging sustainable travel for artists, staff and audiences.

  • Consider the environmental impact and policies of our suppliers

  • Continue to develop sustainable ways to publicise our shows and communicate with our audience, maximising our use of digital platforms.

  • Establish measurable targets for sustainable improvement.

  • We will aspire to take an ethical approach to fundraising whenever possible and appropriate, working with those who share our environmental and ethical values.

  • In the Bar and Kitchen we commit to local, trace-able suppliers wherever possible and source meat from suppliers whose welfare and environmental practices we endorse. We will regularly review the menu and environmental considerations form part of this review.

Implementation

  • This approach to sustainable business practice is supported and endorsed by the Board and the Artistic Director who is Chief Executive of the company.

  • It is communicated to employees at regular staff and management meetings and in the Staff handbook which is given to all new employees.

  • Any employee may become part of the Environmental Sustainability Steering Group which meets quarterly to review progress and discuss new initiatives.

  • This policy and the Action Plan are reviewed regularly by the Steering Group and we will encourage meaningful debate and consideration of our commitments and priorities.

  • All employees are encouraged to engage with the policy, contribute to the action plan and attend industry wide briefings and workshops around the subject, fostering a culture of shared responsibility across the company for achieving our objectives.

  • The Executive team report progress and developments to the Board on a quarterly basis.

  • We will report to ACE and Julie’s Bicycle on an annual basis and participate in external accreditation schemes.

  • We will develop partnerships and collaborations, within the theatre sector and beyond, which will help us to achieve our targets.

Evaluation

  • The management team will also review and evaluate our performance internally on an annual basis and update the action plan accordingly, identifying new initiatives and setting measurable targets for future progress.

  • Specific initiatives will be evaluated at Steering Group meetings, using the Action Plan as a starting point.

  • We will use wider surveys to gather data from audiences, artists and staff when appropriate