NPO Reporting

Environmental Reporting for NPOs and IPSOs

Environmental reporting is vital – it makes us accountable to ourselves, to one another, and the creativity we serve because we believe that art matters. 

Arts Council England NPOs / IPSOs can report their environmental information using our Creative Climate Tools (CC Tools), a free carbon calculator designed specifically for the cultural sector. You can use it at any time, but the designated window for reporting is between 1 May – 28 June 2024. For any additional queries relating to annual reporting beyond the below guidance, please contact our team.

By reporting in this time period, the information you provide will be collated, analysed and published in our Environmental Programme Annual Report, alongside inspiring stories of productions, community events and environmental initiatives from across the ACE portfolio. 

Reporting also helps to fulfil Arts Council England’s environmental responsibility investment principle. It is a critical step in tracking your material impact on climate and nature, making informed decisions to reach your environmental goals, strengthening your commitment, and giving back to ourselves and to the creative community.

Login to the Creative Climate Tools


Support with your carbon footprint reporting

Tree stump rings

Below we have broken the reporting process down into four simple steps, and signposted resources to help you as you go:

  • Whether you are reporting as an organisation or individual, on a project basis or for overall activity – the Creative Climate Tools will support you to measure your impact and decide what action to take next.

    >We’ve created a data collection template to help you get started.

    DATA COLLECTION TEMPLATE

  • Our Creative Climate Tools platform has a new look and feel since last year to make it easier to use.

    > We have loads of support to help you with entering your data, from instructional videos and FAQs to regular webinars and Q&A sessions

    Beyond Carbon – Organisations are engaged in all sorts of activities beyond tracking emissions, such as programming work exploring the climate crisis and working on local projects with their communities.

    > After entering your data, complete the Beyond Carbon checklist (located in the Tools) to share the creative action you are taking.

    CREATIVE CLIMATE TOOLS USER GUIDES

    FAQs

  • Once you press submit, we’ll send you your footprint and a badge of completion to display on your website if you wish. Not only will you be able to track your progress in reducing your impact, but the data you contribute helps us paint a picture of what the sector is doing as a whole, which we publish alongside inspiring stories and examples of initiatives from across the sector in an annual report. If you submit during the NPO reporting window you have the opportunity to be included.

    > Understand where you can make changes that reduce your footprint the most.

    Watch our reporting demonstration video

    Check out the latest annual report 

  • Use your data to make an updated environmental action plan. Share your activities. Work out your next steps. 

    > JB have published guidance on writing your environmental policy and action plan, a communications guide for how to tell your audiences what you are doing, and resources and programmes to support you with meeting the Arts Council England environmental responsibility investment principle.

    ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND ACTION PLAN GUIDE

    COMMUNICATING SUSTAINABILITY GUIDE

Inspiring stories of change

For inspiration from other NPOs sharing their experience of how data can feed directly into your long term sustainability plans, read some of our recent case studies.

A period building with columns and a domed roof with a flag on a flagpole flying in front of it. The flag has a picture of an eye on it


Contact us

We are here to help, so if you have questions or need additional support linked to reporting please contact the support team.

Contact the team

We are here to help

IMAGE CREDITS: We Are Watching by Dan Acher, from Festival.Org case study – photographer credit Alicia Clarke

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