ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY
Environmental Policy
We at The Abbey Arts Centre are working to reduce our environmental impact and become a more sustainable theatre.
We are committed to becoming an eco-friendly venue and are working to ensure that we operate in a sustainable way, minimising waste and adhering to best practice.
Areas that have already been addressed or underway at the theatre include:
- Electricity usage through updates of building lighting to LED and investment in new LED stage lights with the latest upgrade to be completed Dec 2024.
- Heating usage through the installation of zoned heating controls and upgrade insulation levels.
- Waste reduction by the procurement of sustainable products in our bar and review of waste management systems to reduce waste to landfill.
- Materials usage by reviewing all marketing material and testing alternative methods to traditional print as well as becoming a ticketless venue.
- Reusing and recycling theatre equipment and ensuring all equipment purchased is energy efficient.
- Ensuring that processes and practices used in creating arts activity are environmentally sustainable and have the lowest carbon footprint possible.
- Theatre renovation design adopting energy efficient building design and materials.
- Development of our Environmental Policy and Action plan.
Scope
This policy applies to all those who work and visit the Centre – staff, freelancers, audiences and visitors.
Responsibility
The Board are responsible for monitoring the Abbey Centre’s progress towards and reviewing this policy on an annual basis.
Managers, staff and freelancers are responsible for following the Environmental Strategy Action Plan and identifying and implementing changes at a departmental / production / activity level.
Statement / Commitment
Our commitments:
To embed environmental sustainability at the heart of the Abbey Arts Centre’s practice.
To work to the standards of the Theatre Green Book.
To use the best tools and practice to help minimise our carbon impacts.
To share our experience and learn from others within the wider sector and by working with peer networks.
Monitoring and Reporting:
Our Environmental Policy will be reviewed on an annual basis for approval by our Board and updated as necessary. The policy is supported by our Environmental Strategy Action Plan, and implementation and performance will be continuously evaluated.
Our areas of focus:
Operation – All areas of the Abbey Arts Centre should operate with minimal environmental impact where possible. We will ensure our staff have the tools and knowledge to examine their own practice and decision making, with ideas for change filtering throughout the National Theatre. We will enable audiences and visitors to understand and minimise their pollution and carbon footprint when visiting us.
Building – Having already significantly improved the efficiency in reducing energy and water carbon impacts we will now put plans in place to implement the changes necessary to work towards a target of achieving net zero, and develop an energy emissions reduction target in line with the Science Based Target initiatives (SBTi’s) criteria.
Production – We will work with creative and production teams to examine every step of the process of bringing shows to the stage and understand how to reduce their environmental impact. We will share what we learn with the theatre sector and encourage the exchange of ideas.