Edinburgh International Festival becomes first UK arts organisation on BSI Net Zero Pathway
Edinburgh International Festival is the first charity, and the first arts organisation, in the UK to achieve the British Standards Institute’s (BSI) Net Zero Pathway verification, as part of its commitment to sustainable practice.
This achievement underpins the festival’s commitment to Net Zero by 2045, in all its activity, from delivering year-round work with workshops, community engagement projects, and support for emerging artists, to an August festival programme that features world-class performers from the worlds of dance, opera, music and theatre.
Aligning with BSI’s Net Zero Pathway’s ISO 14064-1 (for greenhouse gas reporting) and IWA 42:2022 (for strategic planning), the Edinburgh International Festival has set a clear roadmap to reach Net Zero emissions. A three phased plan involves reaching Net Zero for gas, electricity and staff hired vehicles by 2030, waste, water, coach travel, printed materials and commuting by 2035 and freight, hotels and staff travel by 2045.
Unlike other approaches that rely on offsetting, the BSI Net Zero Pathway prioritises actual emissions reductions, ensuring that organisations are making genuine progress towards Net Zero.
The BSI certification builds upon several initiatives from the International Festival to embrace new models of working with artists, audiences and employees to reduce carbon impact. This includes reducing gas and electricity usage at The Hub, Edinburgh International Festival’s HQ on the Royal Mile, by 26 per cent and 56 per cent respectively, as well as appointing a full-time environmental sustainability manager.
In 2024, the number of printed programmes was reduced, and coupled with a switch to freesheets across most events, printed paper amounts reduced by 14 per cent compared to 2023’s output. This year, fewer printed brochures and a new highlights leaflet will see a 38 per cent reduction in printed pages from 2024, a 58 per cent reduction since 2023. Plus, it means 45 per cent less wastage in 2025.
Furthermore, following the 2024 festival, the organising team undertook extensive research including surveys with thousands of respondents and focus groups to understand how audiences felt about the new range of materials available to them. In response to this feedback, it has further refined the offer for 2025.
For example, research and sales analysis clearly show that large-scale staged opera is the exception when it comes to the demand for souvenir printed programmes, so these will continue to be available and can be pre-ordered alongside tickets or purchased in the venue.
Other green initiatives the festival is undertaking this year include an optimisation of web servers working with Supercool to a cloud-based set up that has resulted in an energy reduction of 2,866kWh, equating to 595.4kgCO2e, and the use of algae ink, a biodegradable and carbon-neutral product, in festival-branded flags created by GH Digital.
Terry Roberts, Edinburgh International Festival’s sustainability manager, said: “Our journey to Net Zero is an ongoing process, and we are actively seeking new ways and partners to reduce our environmental impact. The BSI certification provides a structure to achieving our ambitions, allowing us to understand where we are and what we need to do progress. We know this will be difficult and we can’t achieve anything alone, but by working together with our artists, suppliers, partners, audiences and the wider community, we are confident we can play our part in creating meaningful change. ”
Image: Edinburgh International Festival/Andrew Perry
