Make environmental sustainability a priority in your business and put in place a public environmental policy and action plan with a net zero target. Nominate someone on your team who is responsible for greening your activity. Guidelines to writing an environmental policy and action plan
Switch to 100% renewable electricity for your office (or generate your own) and encourage your staff, artists, and partners to do the same.
Switchit can tell you how green your current provider is and suggest alternatives.
Find out more: Renewable Electricity Factsheet. Get a quote from Good Energy / Ecotricity
Divest your pension fund from fossil fuels
Look to switch to an ethical pension fund with a focus on green investment, and/or lobby your pension provider to create a more climate-proof pension plan.
For Pension Divestment https://makemymoneymatter.co.uk/
Measure your environmental impacts and find ways to reduce them
You can use the simple Creative Green Tool carbon calculator for offices: Ig-tools.com
Speak to your partners and suppliers about how they can support your targets and aims, and put in place environmental conditions in contracts, with partners, and your procurement policy.
Stop air freighting LPs and CDs. Switch to sea freight, which is significantly less carbon intensive.
Press vinyl at 140 gramme instead of 180 gramme. The sound quality is identical, but the carbon footprint from manufacturing and shipping is proportionally lower.
Go meat- and fish-free for your event catering and minimise single-use plastics. Introduce things like Meat Free Mondays in the office.
Speak to your artists about what they can do and how you can support them (See artist section)
Speak to fans about the climate and ecological emergency and support environmental campaigns and events.
Work together as part of industry working groups, such as the AIM Climate Working Group or the ERA Sustainable Packaging Group.
Write to government representatives at DCMS, BEIS, and your local MPs about the actions you’re taking and your support for more ambitious climate policy.
Work with your production department to explore options like switching from plastic to card packaging for CDs, and use recycled or FSC-certified paper and card. For merchandise, look for certified (e.g. Soil Association, Global Organic Textile Standard) organic cotton, fabrics that incorporate recycled post-consumer waste, or clothing made from more sustainable fibres like bamboo or hemp. Work with printers and manufacturers that have environmental policies and premises powered by 100% renewable electricity. Study: Reducing the Emissions of CD Packaging
Download the Ecolibrium Travel Carbon Calculator app designed to help everyone in the industry from artists to managers, event professionals and freelancers make a significant difference to the carbon footprint of their work by reducing the carbon emissions from travel and balancing unavoidable emissions though their climate solutions programmes (Energy Revolution - Renewable energy projects AND/OR Trees+ - tree planting, rainforest protection & ecosystem regeneration)
Download the Ecolibrium Sustainable Travel Guide for Festivals and Events
You can buy carbon offsets (look for Gold Standard accredited projects), or donate an equivalent amount to a climate justice cause. Offsetting or donating is not the same as reducing your impacts, and it shouldn’t be the only thing you do.
Ask your bank about their ethical lending and investment policy and pressure them to improve it. If you can, switch your business banking to an ethical bank that doesn’t invest in carbon intensive fossil fuels.
Switchit can tell you how green your current bank is and suggest alternatives.
Consider investing in renewable energy projects. For example, FEAT in Australia is a fund that works with artists to make investments into renewable energy projects – let’s talk about setting up something similar in the UK!
