Edinburgh International Festival To Be First Charity on Net Zero Pathway
Edinburgh International Festival has become the first charity and the first arts organisation in the UK to achieve the British Standards Institute’s (BSI) Net Zero Pathway verification.
Article Source: Edinburgh International Festival
Last Updated: 19 July 2025 15:17
17 July, Edinburgh: 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 International 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 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. Its robust science-based approach is based on international standards, evaluating an organisation’s carbon footprint and reduction targets to ensure credibility.
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, the Festival’s HQ on the Royal Mile, by 26% and 56% respectively, as well as appointing a full-time Environmental Sustainability Manager. In 2023, the International Festival was proud to achieve the Green Tourism Silver Award, providing third-party verification that the Festival upholds globally recognised sustainability standards.
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% compared to 2023’s output. This year, fewer printed brochures and a new highlights leaflet will see a 38% reduction in printed pages from 2024, a 58% reduction since 2023.
Terry Roberts, Edinburgh International Festival 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."
Matt Page, Senior Vice President, Assurance Services EMEA, said: “Achieving meaningful emissions reduction is a key priority for many in the cultural sector, but turning that ambition into action is a real achievement. The Edinburgh International Festival should be congratulated for this demonstration of leadership and action.”
“BSI’s Net Zero Pathway is an independent process designed to build credibility around an organization’s journey and ultimately build societal confidence in the progress being made. Edinburgh International Festival’s commitment to science-based targets and meaningful emissions reductions sets a powerful example for how cultural institutions can help shape a more sustainable future, benefiting people and planet.”
Across artist travel, the International Festival have used an artist residency model since 2023, offering a more sustainable model for presenting large-scale orchestras. Inviting world-leading orchestras for an extended stay in Edinburgh, featuring multiple performances and moments of community engagement, reduces the environmental impact through scaled-back travel and increases the performers’ engagement with Edinburgh - its audiences in the concert halls, as well as its communities. This year’s resident orchestras include NYO2, a youth orchestra from the United States making its European debut, the world-renowned London Symphony Orchestra; and NFM Leopoldinum, leading the Focus On Poland programme.
The Festival also takes a sustainable approach to large-scale productions, as seen in this year’s European premiere of Orpheus and Eurydice, which brings together Australian and Scottish talent. By building the set locally and collaborating with Scottish ensembles like the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the production strengthens local and international artistic ties while significantly reducing emissions.
Each year on stage, the International Festival seeks to challenge and inspire debate amongst audiences through platforming artists who explore climate change and justice in their artistic work. This year’s programme features several works that delve into our human connection to the natural world, including Nederlands Dans Theater’s Figures in Extinction, Works and Days by Belgian theatre collective FC Bergman and William Kentridge and Handspring Puppet Company’s Faustus in Africa!.
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.
Beyond being the first arts organisation in the UK to be certified by BSI standards, the International Festival also plays a key role in leading the sector, collaborating with many organisations to share knowledge and experiences, and learn from colleagues. The Festival are members of a number of sustainability groups and panels, including the Edinburgh Festival City Sustainability Working Group, Green Arts Initiative, Edinburgh Climate Compact and the European Sponsorship Association Sustainability Group. The Festival also hosted a Sustainability in Practice event in 2025, welcoming an audience from across the worlds of culture and sustainability that included Creative Scotland, Edinburgh Chamber of Commerce, Festivals Edinburgh and Scottish Ballet. Looking ahead, the Festival is actively seeking partnerships with organisations that share its commitment to sustainability, with the aim of collaboratively achieving meaningful environmental goals.
Tickets to world-class performances across a handpicked programme of music, theatre, opera and dance at the Edinburgh International Festival in August 2025 are available at www.eif.co.uk
For full information about the International Festival’s year-round work, visit https://www.eif.co.uk/social-impact
Image: The Hub
Image credit: Andrew Perry
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