Environmental Sustainability Policy

In 2010, we helped to set up the Manchester Arts Sustainability Team (MAST), a citywide alliance to tackle sustainability issues in the cultural sector.

The network is now expanding across the region as GMAST. Together, we aim to make our region carbon neutral by 2038.

A key way to support that commitment is to regularly monitor our environmental impact across our venues, our programmes and community engagement activities. We report annually on everything from artist travel and transport-related emissions to energy management on site and our steps to more responsible procurement.

We will also take the lead at Factory International empowering those around us to play their part.

Making progress:

  • MIF was the first international festival to be independently certified as meeting BS 8901, the original British Standard for Sustainable Event Management.
  • We helped to develop ISO 20121, the international standard for sustainable event management.
  • We recycled almost all the plastic used for creative projects in MIF21, some of which became a substitute for plywood sheets. We also donated 175 PVC lamppost banners to Plastic Shed, which runs creative recycling workshops.
  • Our first audience travel surveys took place at Sea Change. Out of 300 respondents, 19% came by car. We are encouraging more guests to take public transport, walk, cycle, scoot or roll their way to Aviva Studios, the home of Factory International.
  • All Festival Square food traders offer plant-based options at each edition of MIF.
  • All our permanent staff are offered accredited carbon literacy training. This helps staff to understand the potential impact of their role and how to reduce their carbon footprint. We are also developing sustainability training modules within Factory Academy.
  • Aviva Studios achieved a BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method) rating of ‘Good’, in line with Manchester City Council guidelines. BREEAM measures our progress against 103 different sustainability criteria covering the management of the project, materials and delivery.
  • Our spaces are insulated with a very high thermal mass to minimise the amount of energy required for heating. High-performance glazing also reduces the amount of energy required for cooling.Read our environmental sustainability policy and ongoing commitments here.

Next steps:

  • Establish systems and monitoring to accurately measure our operational carbon footprint at Aviva Studios.
  • We will test emerging technology as it arrives, including renewable energy systems, battery storage and alternative production materials.
  • Introducing a Zero to Landfill policy and avoiding single-use plastics.

Document List