- Posted on December 1st, 2022
Arts Council England Environmental Sustainability Report 2021/2022
Arts Council England (ACE) publishes its Environmental Responsibility Annual Report 2021-22, a publication which presents National Portfolio Organisations (NPO) environmental data and narratives for the period of 1 April 2021 – 31 March 2022.
Julie’s Bicycle CEO, Alison Tickell said: “Culture matters and people are beginning to notice. For the first time ever, national governments meeting at COP27 included cultural heritage in statements on both loss and damage and adaptation. This recognises that culture is both an asset to be protected from climate impacts and a resource to strengthen communities’ transformative change.
Culture is uniquely equipped to educate, enable and inspire change. Through the Arts Council Portfolio reporting we have seen real ownership of the type of actions needed, and a rich and diverse range of benefits as a result of engaging with environmental issues. The gains from acting are being felt by organisations, but also witnessed by others, generating more momentum for change. The commitment of Arts Council and the portfolio has created a model which others are already adapting and accelerating. This report shows where real progress has been made, and where the most effective interventions are now. We are all still searching for sensible ways to decarbonise, and to restore what has been lost.
Making the changes needed to tackle our greatest global challenge, will require paying attention to culture as it manifests in our past, our present and how we imagine, and make our future.”
Report highlights include:
- 92% include environmental sustainability in core business strategies
- 63% collaborate with other cultural organisations on environmental solutions
- 71% have produced or programmed work exploring environmental themes
NPO Case studies
This year we have seen the number of NPOs reporting their environmental data return to pre-pandemic levels. Additionally, we have seen increased levels of engagement in the qualitative Beyond Carbon survey for reporting on environmental actions and benefits.
Case studies from individual organisations were selected to share best practice based on their Beyond Carbon responses (organisations were sampled based on two factors: artform and geographical location). Read some of the NPO case studies featured within the report below:
Image credit – Gavin Joynt
