Sustainability at the Southbank Centre

Of course calling for action and change is one thing, but what about the Southbank Centre itself? What changes are we making? How are we doing our bit to take on the challenge of this climate emergency? And how can we, or indeed any arts centre, become more sustainable?

These are all very reasonable questions, and you’ll be glad to hear that they’re ones that we’ve been asking ourselves, not just in the curation of our Planet Summer, but across all we do, both now and in the future. The Southbank Centre has a commitment to be sustainable, and here’s how. 

Introducing our sustainability advisor

Rhys Crowther, is our sustainability advisor. His role is a broad one, but put most succinctly his main responsibility is ‘to drive environmental change across the whole of the Southbank Centre and embed our sustainability strategy’ in all we do. And we mean all we do, so as well as working closely with our facilities manager to improve things like the efficiency of our buildings and our recycling rate, Crowther also works with our commercial team to engage with the many restaurants and food market traders we host at the Southbank Centre to reduce their carbon footprint and their waste, looking both at what they use and where they source it from.

But Crowther’s role isn’t just about what we do behind the scenes here at the Southbank Centre, it also extends into what you see on our stages and in our buildings, particularly our programme of events for Planet Summer. ‘Just as it has for many people visiting, our Planet Summer series has been really eye-opening and inspiring for me,’ he explains. ‘I’ve been present as an advisor [on sustainability] for the artistic programming teams that curated the talks and performances within Planet Summer, and the Hayward Gallery’s Dear Earth exhibition’.

It’s a big job, but one Crowther clearly relishes. ‘I’m very lucky to work in an organisation with so many passionate people. In every department sustainability is on the agenda; I’m not the one pushing it, everyone is’. It’s also a role that enables him to put his own stamp not only on our sustainable practices, but on our landscape too. ‘My favourite thing about the role is getting to plan nature projects for our site. Our Queen Elizabeth Hall Roof Garden, created by Paul Pulford (Head of Grounded Ecotherapy), is a verdant oasis within the urban landscape, and we have plans to bring more greenery to our site, inspired by the native planting undertaken in the Roof Garden’.

What is the Southbank Centre’s sustainability strategy?

Like any sizable socially responsible organisation we’ve set a target to be net zero; to be at the point where the amount of greenhouse gases (like carbon dioxide) that the Southbank Centre is adding to the atmosphere is no longer greater than what we take out. Our target is to reach this point across all our buildings and estate by 2035, and then to be operationally net zero by 2040.

In line with the Science Based Targets initiative, we’ve also set incremental targets that will help us on our way. These have us aiming for a 50% reduction by 2025, and an 80% drop by 2030. On top of this we’ve several other sustainability targets we hope to reach, which include aiming to attain plastic-free status, achieve an 80% recycling rate, and reduce food waste by our commercial partners by 25%, all by 2025. And we’re also targeting a 50% reduction in emissions from curator travel by 2025 too.

What are the challenges in becoming net zero?

You might be wondering ‘why the five year gap?’, or indeed ‘what’s the difference between being Net Zero across our buildings and being operationally net zero?’ Well, being operationally Net Zero means cancelling out what are known as scope three carbon emissions; these are emissions which are not produced by us, or by our activities, but by others in our supply or delivery chain. So for example, we might ensure our shop is net zero, and the products we sell are sustainable, but what about the emissions created in getting that book, or t-shirt, or necklace to the shop? To be completely net zero, we need to also cancel out those emissions.

‘For every organisation to map their scope three carbon emissions requires a lot of detailed work and it’s the same for us’, explains Crowther, which is something of an understatement given we host hundreds of events a year. ‘Whether we’re looking at our retail partners’ deliveries or logistics for our Hayward Gallery exhibitions, there is a lot of work to be done. Our Hayward Gallery team is already deep into this process in terms of carbon footprinting their exhibitions’.

This depth and detail of work isn’t the only challenge to be overcome to reach our sustainability targets; cost is a factor that can’t be ignored. ‘Sustainability generally is a very expensive concept,’ confirms Crowther, ‘and the Southbank Centre is a non-profit organisation so budget constraints are one of the biggest challenges we face’. And it’s not solely the cost of implementation, sizable shifts could also mean a temporary loss of income. ‘Switching our entire heating system over to alternative heating sources such as air-source heat pumps would be an expensive project, which could mean we have to close all our operations for a number of weeks, so it’s a bit of a double whammy!’

And on the subject of our buildings; their age and significance presents us with a further hurdle to overcome. ‘Our Royal Festival Hall is Grade I listed, so any external changes come with a considerable application process and a number of constraints’. But the nature of the Southbank Centre also gives us opportunities to pursue our targets as Crowther explains. ‘Our site is quite large compared to some venues so we have more space to play with when it comes to solar panels for example; we have some excellent flat roof spaces that get a lot of direct sunlight making them perfect for solar panels, and we are currently expecting to install a number of these within the next year’.

How close is the Southbank Centre to meeting its Net Zero targets?

Setting targets is one thing, but are we actually on track to meet them? Well pleasingly, even though there is still some time to go, yes we are. ‘We’ve achieved a 42% reduction of our baseline carbon footprint already’, confirms Crowther, ‘with only 8% to go before our 2025 target is reached and we’re actively working with carbon consultants to achieve this’.

Crowther explains that ‘a lot of the initial work towards this target has been achieved by making alterations to how the Southbank Centre buildings operate; with key changes to our heating, cooling and ventilation systems for example’. Looking long term this work will continue as we look into the fabric and insulation of our buildings and the possibility of upgrading windows and alternative heating sources as well as other sustainable wins. ‘We are trialling water-efficient toilets in our office building,’ adds Crowther, ‘which use a compressed-air assisted flushing system. These toilets use up to 80% less water than conventional toilets’.

And we’re also looking at how changes in one area of the Southbank Centre can make an impact in others. One such ‘win’ in this area was the installation of an on-site food composter in November last year. ‘The composter takes one tonne of food waste and reduces the volume by 80% over a 24-hour period. This reduces carbon emissions by reducing the number of food waste collections, and the compost material can be used in our Roof Garden. We’ve also introduced compostable cups in our cafe and our bars, as well as compostable cutlery and food containers. These can all be disposed of in our composter.’

As with setting targets, meeting them relies on the whole of the Southbank Centre pulling together and in terms of how our artistic programme is adapting ‘our Dear Earth exhibition at the Hayward Gallery is a prime example of our sustainability commitments’, says Crowther. Among a number of sustainable initiatives, ‘the Hayward Gallery team used recycled materials, sustainable water-based paint with low VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), and carbon footprinted the entire exhibition. The curation process involved no flights, with just one return train journey from Europe, and the team also prioritised sea and road freight over air travel for the shipping of artwork as well’. 

Achieving sustainability is everyone’s responsibility

Crowther is keen to stress that reaching our sustainability goals is not solely his responsibility, nor that of just one department. ‘Everyone at the Southbank Centre has a responsibility to drive us to Net Zero, and everyone has agency to enact change, I think that’s something we have wanted to make clear. Within each department in the Southbank Centre we have Sustainability Champions who are firmly engaged in our process; feeding in with their perspective and experience to shape our strategy to be the best it can be’. 

And this doesn’t mean just encouraging people to turn off their computers overnight and switch off lights when they leave. ‘We’ve also created an e-learning module that covers an introduction to sustainability at the Southbank Centre; the idea of which was to give everyone a common literacy on sustainability. We also run staff campaigns to involve everyone, and we share monthly updates with all staff, which often include tips that we can all do at work and at home’.

What changes can I make to be more sustainable?

So, does Crowther have any tips that you can apply to your own home life in a bid to be more sustainable? ‘There are lots of things you can do. In terms of energy, you can set your thermostat to one degree lower in winter months, avoid fan heaters and turn down the water temperature on boilers. LED bulbs are much more efficient than older halogen bulbs, so these are a more sustainable and longer-lasting option. In terms of water use, one I’ve been made aware of recently is reusing pasta water to water plants! And if you’re lucky enough to have a garden, you can install a rainwater harvesting butt. You can also avoid food waste by ignoring use-by dates on fruit and vegetables, if they look fine, they’re probably fine’.

These are all tangible changes that can impact our immediate environment, but what about the bigger picture? ‘Look into where your company pension is investing money’, suggests Crowther. ‘Ask your employer if you can see the holdings into which your money is invested, and avoid fossil fuel companies and any organisations that make money from extractive activity. This is one of the most effective ways to make changes. You can do the same with any personal stocks and shares ISAs as well. Similarly, though I personally feel that climate change mitigation should transcend politics, there’s no avoiding the fact that your voice in our democracy matters; your vote matters. Signing petitions, attending peaceful protests and writing to your local MP are great ways to make an impact’.