News Story

Environmental sustainability target hit 5 years early – but there’s still more to do

Here at Pavilion Dance everyone has a part to play in reducing our negative environmental impact on the world the next generation will inherit. From the staff Green Team who generate ideas to reduce, reuse and recycle to the artists we programme who explore climate change in engaging and thought-provoking ways, it’s a theme that threads through everything we do.

Recently we have been supported by BCP Council to measure and track our carbon emissions in a more rigorous way, via Carbon Literacy Training and a subscription to the Carbon Essentials platform. This enabled us to estimate our Carbon Footprint for 2024-25 (see image below) and to clearly understand where our main sources of emissions lie.

The good news is that we have smashed our target of reducing our annual emissions by 50% by 2030 five years early! Thanks to a concerted effort we have reduced our Scope 2 (energy) consumption by 70% from a peak of 118 tonnes CO2e in 2015-16 to 36 tonnes CO2e in 2024-25, and we have been on a 100% renewable energy tariff since 2024-25.

Our attention is now firmly focussed on our Scope 3 (indirect) emissions – much harder to control and a challenge when we are seeking to grow our reach as an organisation. First steps have included introducing an annual travel survey to provide a snapshot of audience and class participant travel. We are using the results to shape ‘nudges’ to encourage greener choices. For example, we promote our indoor, secure bike racks in our class e-newsletters, and include the WWF Green Travel calculator in our pre-show emails.

There is much more to do but we remain committed to harnessing the power of the arts to inspire and imagine a positive future, and to working together to transition to a low carbon world.

Take a look at our full Environmental Responsibility page and policy to find out more.