Sustainability

We are proud of the role Sydney Festival plays in introducing audiences to new and established work from across the globe, yet we recognise that staging such productions, especially international work, comes at a cost to the environment which we both cherish and rely on to create world-class live events.

The performing arts benefit the community in ways beyond measure, so it is imperative that the industry adapts in order to deliver these benefits without exacting an unacceptable environmental toll.

Sydney Festival embraces the role it plays as a leading creative organisation in championing this evolution in operations, in raising awareness of climate change through the works we stage, and encouraging and empowering our local, national and international partners, staff, sponsors, vendors and audiences to adopt better practices.

We are striving to adopt greener ways of working by reducing our waste, using clean energy sources when available, partnering with sustainable companies and exploring the most impactful options for carbon offsetting that deliver a legitimate and evidence-based reduction of emissions.

At Sydney Festival we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and doing our utmost to support global change towards a sustainable future.

We also commit to ongoing improvement of our sustainability practices: we will evaluate achievements and review priorities annually to ensure our actions are making a real difference.

Read our Sustainability Plan in the following formats:

View PDF

View Word Doc

What we're doing

Digital ticketing only

Sydney Festival issues digital tickets only now, removing the need for printing and postage.

How you can help

No need to crank up the printer – just show your tickets on your phone.

Going paperless, wherever possible

We’ve minimised our print collateral, and publish digital versions of all daybills, flyers and brochures online. In the office, we’ve adopted online software programs which dramatically reduce the amount of paper we use.

Anything we put on paper is always online – plus more! Head to our website for both the important info and the interesting extras.

Reducing the transportation footprint

We prioritise venues that are accessible via public transport. A growing number of our staff cars are electric.

Our digital program, Sydney Festival At Home, enables art experiences with no travel footprint.

Go green for your journey to the Festival: take public transport, cycle, walk, car-pool with mates or choose the ‘Green’ service on your rideshare app.

Minimising single-use plastics and products

All cups at festival bars are reusable. We provide water refilling stations at Festival venues to encourage festival-goers to bring their reusable drink bottles.

Our staff, crew and artist lanyards are now made from plywood, not plastic.

Say no to plastic straws. Bring your own water bottle and refill at our stations. Think you’ll want another drink? Hold on to your cup and reuse it at the bar.

Recycle, reuse and repurpose

We strategically place recycling bins with clear signage to show what can and can’t be recycled across all Festival sites.

We prioritise creation of signage that can be re-used year after year. We find new homes and functions for products and props we use.

Check our signs and make sure you drop your rubbish in the right bin for the job.

Local procurement and sourcing of supplies

We choose local, eco-friendly and sustainably minded suppliers. We preference caterers and food vendors that use organic ingredients. Food wastage stays minimal because we don’t over-order.

Our food vendors have banished plastic, using only biodegradable, compostable or plant-based packaging, serve-wear and cutlery.

Consider choosing the vegetarian option. Only take the cutlery and napkins you will need to reduce wastage