Leading arts organisations achieve sustainability standard

Performing arts organisations, including the National Theatre, Royal Ballet and Opera and the Royal Shakespeare Company, have achieved a basic standard of sustainability across the areas of production, operations and buildings, according to criteria developed by the sector collective Theatre Green Book (TGB).

Published last June in Version 2 of Theatre Green Book, the basic standard requires at least two-thirds of productions to use 50% on-stage materials that originate from reused sources, with 65% of materials that can go on to have a future life, as well as consideration of sustainability in the production planning process when selecting technical equipment.

The benchmark also demands planning across six areas of operations, completing and beginning to implement sustainable plans in at least four of these areas, as well as setting up green committees.

To meet the criteria, organisations with buildings had to use TGB’s Building Survey Tool to assess their venue’s sustainability and prioritise changes for the future, making a plan to begin working on Easy Wins.

The Chichester Festival Theatre, the English National Ballet, Headlong, Lowry, the National Theatre, the National Theatre of Scotland, Northern Stage, the Royal Ballet and Opera, the Royal Shakespeare Company, the Wales Millennium Centre and the Young Vic, all of which provided input on TBG Version 2, have been recognised as meeting the basic standard.

The National Theatre of Scotland has already committed to reaching TBG’s intermediate standard. Last month, it confirmed 75% of all its 2025 productions will be produced using pre-used materials.

Royal Ballet and Opera called TGB a “vital and brilliant resource”.

“Embedded across the organisation, our teams use it to identify what their priorities for sustainability are and create their own specific plans,” said the organisation.

“It makes it easy to talk about sustainability with our staff and artists and it breaks down what can feel like a huge challenge into manageable and achievable targets.”