Sustainability Policy

VAULT Creative Arts is committed to and actively working towards an environmentally sustainable industry. We understand that the event we manage has an environmental, social, and economic impact. Therefore, we’re committed to the development, implementation and continual improvement of a sustainable event management system to minimise any negative impacts of our operations. Therefore, we’ve made steps this year to further improve our commitment to sustainability and we have outlined below how you can do the same.

In 2022/23 we are undertaking an extensive data collection exercise to better understand our environmental impact. Throughout the year, we’ll be asking for data & information from artists, audiences, suppliers and stakeholders to assist with this project. With this information we’ll devise ways to mitigate and reduce our environmental impact in the future.

What do VAULT Creative Arts do?

• Declaration of a Climate and Ecological Emergency in 2020 in solidarity with Culture Declares

• Programming environmentally focussed shows (both in their content and in their creation and practices)

• Hosting a series of workshops during the festival by leading educators aimed at informing our audiences and artists how to decrease their carbon footprint and how the arts sector can collectively come together to respond to climate crisis

• We recycle our waste – our waste service company (First Mile) have a 0% landfill policy.

• We operate paperless tickets and encourage audiences not to print their tickets and use e-tickets instead.

• All of our print that we produce (i.e. posters, flyers, and brochures) will be printed in an environmentally sustainable way

• We utilise reusable cups at all our bars.

• We use biodegradable food packaging and cutlery at all our food outlets

• We don’t stock straws or stirrers at our bars (paper straws are available upon request for access requirements)

• We have mostly LED Lighting rigs to reduce power consumption.

• We encourage festival attendees to travel by public transport, bicycle or on foot.

• We encourage companies to take on similar policies and approaches to your work.

What do we ask our Staff to do?

• Promote “Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle” approach in the workplace offices and event spaces.

• Research into eco-friendly alternatives if and when appropriate as part of your role

What do we ask our Artists to do?

• Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle. Click here for more information.

• All print materials (flyers and posters) should be printed in an environmentally sustainable way. This can be easily achieved by:

— choosing a carbon positive printers such as Park Lane Press
— printing on paper that is FSC certified, uncoated, recyclable, or from recycled sources
— printing with inks that are alcohol and VOC free

• We only allow 200 flyers and 10 posters per company to be distributed onsite by the VAULT Creative Arts team.Encourage audiences to take a photo of a flyer instead of taking the flyer with them by including a ‘Photo Me’ or ‘Take a Photo’ logo.

• Any distribution of printed materials onsite must be active ‘person-to-person engagement’ – no ‘flat surface flyering’ is permitted (leaving flyers on tables, shelves, bars throughout the venue). Any flyers left on tables or surfaces will be removed.

• Include the relevant sustainability logo on your printed materials. Eg. If your flyers are printed on paper from sustainable forests, include the FSC logo. If your flyers can be recycled, include a ‘Recycle Me’ logo.

• Collect and recycle any unused flyers, posters, or leaflets when you are finished with them.

• Plan your get out and dispose of your waste responsibly; recycling, reusing, or repurposing wherever possible.

• Avoid single use plastics and materials.

• Any glitter / ticker tape used should be biodegradable.

• Travel in an eco-friendly way – share vans for transporting sets where possible.

What do we ask our Audiences to do?

• Support our sustainability policy by helping us to recycle on site, using the bins provided.

• Do not litter in the local area as you arrive and leave our performance venues/festival site – please respect local businesses and the surrounding area.

• Use your phone to show your e-tickets rather than printing your tickets. Tickets don’t need to be printed, and most of the time end up in the bin after you are checked into your performance venue.

• Travel to the festival using public transport, and better still by walking or cycling if you live nearby.

• Hold us to account! If you think we could be doing something differently in a more eco-friendly way