Sustainability

Introduction and significance of the theme

Sustainability is a broad concept , which impacts many aspects of how societies relate to each other and to nature, now and in the future. In this context, it is becoming increasingly common to look beyond economic development and adopt the perspective of 'broad prosperityto use to assess developments in conjunction with goals regarding poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace, and justice. Culture can play an important role in many of these aspects in the transition to a just, inclusive, and future-proof society.

On this page, we focus primarily on the role of the cultural sector in the climate crisis. The climate crisis presents the world with a colossal challenge. The Earth is warming up ever faster, on the one hand because it needs more heat records, on the other hand, because less heat is radiated as a result of increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (KNMI, 2026). Due to this temperature rise, climate extremes are increasing, resulting in an unstable climate, rising sea levels, increasing shortages of drinking water and food, a decline in biodiversity, and an increased risk of forest fires. Consequently, communities and ecosystems around the world are threatened (Knowledge Portal Climate Adaptation, n.d.). The Netherlands is also vulnerable to rising sea levels, a decline in biodiversity, damage from extreme weather events, and health problems. These developments entail high costs for everyone in the Netherlands, creating the risk that these costs will not be distributed fairly, with the consequence that public support for climate policy comes under pressure (WRR 2023).

To limit the consequences of climate change as much as possible, nearly 200 countries agreed in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement to try to limit the global temperature rise compared to the start of the Industrial Revolution to a maximum of 2, but ideally 1,5 degrees Celsius (Government of the Netherlands, n.d.). This requires that global greenhouse gas emissions fall as quickly and sharply as possible. Scientists warn that the reduction is proceeding far too slowly and that we must prepare ourselves for the lasting consequences of climate change (Rothenberg, 2023). The withdrawal of the country with the largest emission per capita, the United States, however, pushes the goals further out of sight under the Paris Agreement (Noor, 2026).

The goals of the Paris Agreement have been enshrined in the Netherlands since 2019 in the climate lawIn 2023, the Climate Act was tightened: the 2030 target was raised to a 55 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to 1990, and it was stipulated that the Netherlands must be climate neutral by 2050, with fully CO2-neutral electricity production. However, much remains to be done to achieve this: in 2024, CO2 emissions were 28,9 percent lower than in 1990, and total greenhouse gas emissions had fallen by 36,3 percent compared to 1990 (CBS, 2026a).

Achieving such a large CO2 reduction is a major challenge to which everyone will have to contribute. For the cultural sector, too, it will become increasingly important in the coming years to make buildings, operations, and products more sustainable. This is demanded not only by the climate crisis itself, but also by (potential) future legislation and regulations and changing expectations of the public and society. Equally important is the substantive role that the cultural sector can play. Art and culture can play a major role in raising awareness and activating support regarding the climate transition. In addition, they can activate and contribute to the creative ideas and solutions needed to tackle the climate crisis. Recent research in the United Kingdom shows that the public has a need for more content about climate in cultural expressions, as well as for concrete solutions to the climate crisis, provided that it is presented in an engaging and sincere manner.

The role of culture in the climate transition is also recognized at the international level. An open methods working group of EU member states investigated in 2024-2025 how the cultural and creative sector can contribute to the green transition, and what preconditions are needed to strengthen organizations in this regard (Colgan & Sciacchitano, 2025). On the one hand, the report emphasizes the substantive power of art and culture, and on the other hand, shows that targeted policy, appropriate funding, and good measurement tools are needed to help cultural organizations reduce their ecological footprint. Work is also being done outside Europe to make cultural practice more sustainable, although there are strong differences in the extent to which the transition is supported by government policy. In May 2025, the Boekman Foundation published a second edition of Towards Sustainable Arts (Bebendorf, et al., 2025), which reflects on the transition to a more sustainable cultural sector using examples from eight countries from different parts of the world.

De Raad voor Cultuur issued the advice in 2023Culture of course, how sustainability and culture reinforce each other' out (Raad voor Cultuur, 2023). In this report, the Council states that there is still a lack of government attention in the Netherlands for sustainability and culture. The Council advocates for substantive and financial government support for the sector and makes proposals for the establishment of transition workshops and knowledge sharing. In the policy response of the Minister of Education, Culture and Science to the advice, the focus is primarily on aligning with existing schemes for SMEs, stimulating data collection in the field of sustainability, and strengthening initiatives regarding knowledge sharing in the field (Bruins, 2024).

The cultural field has also responded actively to the Council's report: in 2023, the Federation of Culture, Kunsten '92, and the Taskforce for the Cultural and Creative Sector launched the platform. ACTION as culture with the aim of accelerating the sustainability process through knowledge sharing.  In 2025, this platform was followed up in the form of the Sustainable Cultural Sector Program, which is coordinated by Kunsten '92 and involves organizations from across the sector. The program aims to accelerate the sustainability of the cultural sector and to leverage it for the sustainability of other sectors by pooling and sharing knowledge, tools, and best practices. At the heart of the program lies the Sustainable Cultural Sector Roadmap, which is an elaboration of the Climate Agreement for the cultural and creative sector, describing the steps needed to be climate-neutral and waste-free by 2050.

Research by Significant APE (Barneveld, et al., 2024) shows that less than three out of ten cultural organizations (27 percent) have calculated their carbon footprint or are in the process of mapping it. The analysis confirms the picture from previous studies from the Boekman Foundation: the theme is considered important, but many institutions experience a lack of money, time, and knowledge regarding sustainability (Schrijen & Zwart, 2022). However, there are clear differences between museums, presentation institutions, venues, and festivals concerning progress and support needs in the field of sustainability (Schiavone and De Hoog 2025).

Given the urgency of the climate crisis, its continued importance to the cultural sector, and policy efforts in this area, sustainability is one of the themes monitored in the Cultuurmonitor. Although sustainability is therefore a broader concept that also includes social and societal dimensions, the Cultuurmonitor page currently focuses on sustainability with an emphasis on environmental aspects. To this end, this page addresses three topics in succession: the extent to which and the manner in which the cultural sector itself is becoming more sustainable ('CO² or Environmental impact'), the role the climate crisis plays in the work of makers ('Climate footprint') and the consequences of climate change for the cultural sector ('Climate adaptation').

Environmental impact – How is the cultural sector becoming more sustainable itself?

From the electricity needed to light a stage to the water used to flush museum toilets, and from the metals in a game console to the pages of a new novel: the cultural sector has a potentially harmful impact on our planet in many different ways. Greenhouse gas emissions, pollution, and the use of raw materials associated with our activities impact our climate, the Earth, and its inhabitants. Digitization and the increasing use of AI also lead to an increase in the ecological footprint (Koren, 2024). The impact of a (cultural) organization, measured in greenhouse gas emissions, falls into three main categories (Climate Partner, 2022): direct emissions on location (scope 1), indirect emissions from purchased energy (scope 2), and other indirect emissions in the value chain, such as the production of goods and travel (scope 3).

How big the impact It is not entirely clear exactly what the Dutch cultural sector consists of. Statistics Netherlands does publish figures on the composite sectors 'Culture, sport and recreation' and 'Culture, recreation and other services' (CBS, 2025; CBS, 2026), but these figures overlap, firstly only partly with the cultural sector, and additionally primarily concern the direct energy consumption of organizations within the sector itself (scope 1 and 2). However, a large part of the environmental impact of the cultural sector arises indirectly (scope 3): for example, through productions, hospitality, or travel movements of creators and the public (Bokhorst, 2022). Mapping precisely these indirect emissions requires structural data collection on all purchased products, services, and travel movements (of employees, materials, and the public) within the sector.

Although for the above reasons the CBS figures on energy consumption and CO₂Although the emissions from the 'Culture, Sport and Recreation' sector can only provide a very rough estimate of the climate impact of the cultural sector, they have been included in the visualizations below for illustrative purposes. The figures for 2024 still have a provisional status in the CBS data.

Although the climate impact of the cultural sector is relatively small will be relative to the total Dutch total, this too will eventually have to decrease to contribute to the Dutch climate ambitions, to comply with (future) legislation and regulations, and to remain aligned with changing expectations of partners, the public, and grant providers.

Figures from business confidence research (CBS, 2026c) show that many organizations are investing in making their activities more sustainable. However, the share of organizations within the sector was Art that invests in sustainability in 2026 (62 percent) is smaller than two years earlier (77 percent). Also within the industry Libraries, Museums & Nature Conservation the share of organizations investing in sustainability decreases: from 77 percent in 2024 and 2025 to 56 percent in 2026.

Organizations in the Arts sector relatively often focus on circular production (34 percent), whereas the share of libraries and museums focusing on this has fallen sharply over the past two years: from 41 percent in 2024 to 4 percent in 2026. Conversely, these organizations relatively often opt for measures regarding energy efficiency and conservation (34 percent) compared to the Arts sector (24 percent) and other service sectors (23 percent). Switching to renewable energy sources is also relatively popular among libraries and museums (17 percent). Three-quarters of cultural organizations (75 percent) indicate experiencing obstacles in the transition to a climate-neutral organization, significantly higher than companies in other service sectors (62 percent on average). Furthermore, more than half view limited access to financial resources as a barrier (Arts: 52 percent; Libraries, museums & nature conservation: 54 percent), compared to 30 percent on average.

The figures below show sustainability figures in the 'Art' & 'Libraries, museums & nature conservation' sectors compared to the average of companies in other service sectors.

A report by Significant APE (Barneveld, et al., 2024) provides an overview of the efforts and needs of cultural organizations regarding sustainability. While the sample size for this study is large (n=680), it primarily reflects the subsidized part of the cultural sector, in which medium-sized institutions are relatively strongly represented, which affects the representativeness of the results. Nevertheless, it offers a good insight into the state of activities at cultural organizations in 2024.

The report shows that almost all organizations (96 percent) pay attention to sustainability to varying degrees; a small group of organizations (4 percent) indicates that they are unable to devote attention to this subject due to a lack of capacity. Of all organizations, 44 percent indicate that they have structurally embedded sustainability in their organizational policy, while 15 percent additionally made a specific person responsible for its implementation. In 52 percent of the organizations, attention to sustainability is not yet structural, or they are in an exploratory stage. A number of factors are important in this regard, such as the size of an organization and the accommodation situation. Significant APE notes, for example, that larger organizations (with 50 or more employees) more often pay structural attention (55 percent) to sustainability than smaller organizations (37 percent). Furthermore, organizations that own their own building pay structural attention to sustainability relatively more often (68 percent) than organizations that rent (45 percent) or organizations that do not own their own accommodation (31 percent).

The report also shows that a large proportion of organizations are taking measures to become more sustainable in the areas of material use (93 percent), travel (88 percent), catering (87 percent), waste processing (81 percent), and energy (78 percent). Examples mentioned include reducing travel, switching to plant-based food, setting up recycling processes, and opting for renewable energy (generated in the Netherlands). Despite these efforts, data collection to measure progress and impact remains limited for the time being: just over a quarter of organizations (27 percent) collect data on energy savings, 22 percent measure the impact of travel, and the proportion collecting data for other measures is even lower. Here, too, differences are visible in the opportunities and resources organizations can allocate and the effect they experience themselves: for instance, larger cultural organizations (50 employees or more) and organizations that own their own buildings take measures more frequently across all areas and also collect data on them more often.

Organizations were also asked whether they had a CO₂-have had a measurement carried out. The report shows that only 5 percent have already had a measurement carried out, while 17 percent are in the process of doing so. For almost four out of five organizations (78 percent), no steps have been taken in this regard yet. Some of the organizations also indicate that they need more help in terms of knowledge and financial resources.

The Boekman Foundation (Schiavone & De Hoog 2025) analyzed the same dataset to gain further insight into a number of different types of organizations in the cultural sector: museums, presentation institutions, performing arts (broken down into Theaters/playhouses/pop venues, Drama or theater companies, Orchestras/music ensembles, and Dance companies), and festivals. Steps are being taken within each of these groups, but with different emphases and degrees of safeguarding.

Large museums lead the way thanks to structural anchoring, assigned responsibilities, and systematic data collection, with strong results in energy and water management and building-related measures, and increasing attention to behavior, circular material use, and knowledge retention. Presentation institutions are highly motivated and take measures regarding energy conservation, water management, and mobility, but often do so less systematically and structurally due to financial, organizational, and knowledge barriers, causing initiatives to often remain ad hoc. Stages (particularly building-based theaters and pop venues) utilize existing schemes, such as DUMAVA , and instruments such as the Theatre Green Book and paid certification methods such as Green Key and Breeam. These institutions also monitor energy and waste flows relatively frequently. Touring companies struggle with capacity when scaling up circular operations and choosing materials with a lower environmental impact. Festivals demonstrate a great deal of independence and innovation, with relatively high structural anchoring, particularly around catering and waste. At the same time, festivals are limited by restricted resources, changing teams (and therefore knowledge), and a lack of suitable tools, meaning that customization, knowledge sharing, and practical support remain crucial. An initiative to bring together information and tools for making events and festivals more sustainable has been found in the Sustainability Ladder Events (DLE).

PON & Telos (Jong et al, 2024) also noted that frontrunners in the cultural sector monitor their impact, but that this is done in various ways. Because many organizations are waiting for more 'methodological guidance', it is recommended to identify relevant indicators per subsector. Overall, the intention to become more sustainable in the cultural sector is strong, but structurally secured implementation lags behind. This calls for targeted support, collective instruments, and sector-wide frameworks.

Meanwhile, the realization is growing within the cultural sector that greater efforts are needed. In addition to initiatives such as ACTION as culture, Platform Sustainable Cultural Sector and the Sustainable Cultural Sector Roadmap, the NAPK is collaborating with VTP and VSCD on a Dutch edition of the Theatre Green BookThe first volumes have been available since at least 2023, with a full version in development. The Museum Association published the in September 2025 Sustainable signpost in which inspiring examples are shared alongside relevant developments and practical tips. For making cultural heritage sustainable, there is the Sustainable Heritage Roadmap, whereby, in addition to knowledge exchange via the monument sustainability monitor, it is also tracked which sustainability measures are utilized by monument owners. Knowledge institute DEN provides cultural organizations with tips to their digital footprint can reduce 

The company silver lake has set itself the goal of becoming a climate-positive production house by 2027. Silbersee has also organized a series of debates on art and climate with partners such as Oerol and the Dutch National Opera. In October 2025, the took place in ten different Dutch cities Dutch Sustainable Fashion Week place, where sustainable fashion developments were put in the spotlight.

Climate Handprint – What role does the cultural sector play in combating the climate crisis?

Although the cultural sector is committed to making its own activities more sustainable, the role of art and culture in the climate crisis extends beyond physical CO2 reduction. For whereas climate reports and news primarily communicate with the intellect, art can also touch emotions, is activist, and mobilizes people. It breaks through thought patterns behind the climate crisis, visualizes future scenarios, and shows what will be lost if no action is taken (Schrijen & Zwart, 2022; van Boeckel, 2022; Hahn, 2024). An interesting way to distinguish this more substantive role in the climate crisis from the environmental impact of the sector is through the concept of a 'climate handprint', also known as 'climatic shadowIn the cultural sector, it refers to the symbolic, societal, and cultural impact that creators and organizations have: creating awareness, appealing to emotions where science remains rational, stimulating behavioral change, and offering perspectives for action. Within the Sustainable Cultural Sector Program, in addition to sustainable buildings, sustainable operations, and zero-emission transport, specific efforts are also being made in this area through the Climate Handprint work package. Consequently, the Climate Handprint also includes Scope 3, which measures indirect emissions in the value chain (such as from visitors or suppliers).

In practice, there are many – and apparently more and more – artists and cultural organizations that fulfill this role with (part of) their work. Exhibitions, theater performances, songs, poetry collections, novels, films, visual works of art, games: within each discipline there are examples there are numerous examples of 'climate art'. For instance, there is the Climate Museum, a traveling pop-up museum that presents art and science regarding the climate crisis through interactive exhibitions, installations, workshops, and programs, aiming to inspire a broad audience to take climate action through imagination and a positive approach. In the past, Klimaatmuseum has presented works such as Daan Roosegaarde's Smog Free Ring, Rob Voerman's Food Cloud, and Diana Schierer's Rootbound #5. Another example is the work of Bureau Vergezicht, which appeals to emotion with 'De zaak Shell' about the game of responsibility hide-and-seek we enjoy playing, while 'Beste Mensen' features climate speeches by major world leaders since the 70s. Inspiration can also be found in the expressions of solar punk, a movement that focuses on renewable energy sources through artistic expressions in various disciplines.

In addition, there is a growing call to involve artists and creative makers more directly in shaping and devising solutions for the climate crisis. For instance, former State Secretary Uslu wrote in her Multi-Year Letter for the period 2023-2025 in late 2022 that 'we need artists, designers, and other creative professionals to tackle complex transitions', because they 'have the tools at hand to deal with the changes and (…) can explore and imagine new futures' (Uslu, 2022). Especially in the domains Architecture en Design Many makers are already actively working on this. In doing so, architects and designers actively contribute to the broader climate adaptation of the Netherlands with their designs. However, there must remain room for artistic freedom: art and culture should not be instrumentalized for the implementation of sustainability policy.

Although it is difficult to determine precisely to what extent creators and cultural organizations address the climate crisis in their work (and whether this increases or decreases over the years), research by the Boekman Foundation and Bureau 8080 does offer an indication. Part of a survey distributed within the cultural sector in 2022 included a question regarding the share that climate-related work occupies within the total production or programming. Although this inquiry various limitations known, the results show that 59 percent of the surveyed organizations have produced work in the past five years in which the climate crisis played a significant role, and that 53 percent of the organizations are already certain that they will do so in the next two years as well (Schrijen & Zwart, 2022).

The figures in the visualization below show what proportion of the production and/or programming of cultural organizations over the past five years was devoted to the climate crisis, what proportion is expected to be so in the coming two years (Schrijen & Zwart, 2022), and the extent to which cultural organizations have highlighted sustainability through artistic expressions in 2024 (APE Significant, 2024).

Climate adaptation – What are the consequences of the climate crisis for the sector?

The preceding discussion focused on how the cultural sector influences or can influence the climate through its own environmental impact and climate footprint. However, the reverse is equally true: climate change can also affect the functioning of the cultural sector.

Thus, cultural organizations and event organizers will have to take into account a climate in which more extreme weather conditions – such as storms, heavy rainfall, or heat and drought – will occur more frequently. In addition, floods and droughts pose major risks, particularly to cultural heritage (Knowledge Portal Climate Adaptation, n.d.). Geopolitical developments also affect the availability of materials and energy sources, forcing cultural organizations to make different choices.

The danger of flooding is evident and by no means a distant prospect. During floods in 2021, three museums and 65 monuments in Limburg were affected, and on Bonaire, a large part of the cultural heritage is at risk of being damaged or disappearing as a result of permanent flooding, storms, and extreme weather (District Court of The Hague, 2026). In addition, drought can contribute to land subsidence, which can cause damage to (the foundations of) historic buildings or archaeological sites.  

A report from the European OMC working group underscored in 2022 the need to better protect cultural heritage against the consequences of climate change and thereby make it climate-adaptive (Leissner, Grady, Marafia, Baeke, & van Cutsem, 2022). In the Netherlands, cultural heritage has been included in the National Implementation Programme for Climate Adaptation since November 2023 (Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, 2023). As part of that programme, the Cultural Heritage Agency (RCE) commissioned a study on climate risks to cultural heritage in the European Netherlands. in map bring. In the report 'Heritage in Severe Weather' (Zwegers, 2024), recommendations are made to prevent damage to cultural heritage in the Netherlands as much as possible, and Eva Stegmeijer (researcher at the RCE) designed a serious game to raise awareness regarding the protection of cultural heritage (Knowledge Portal Climate Adaptation, 2025).

(Intangible) heritage embodies a great deal of historical, local, and specific knowledge and skills that can play a role in sustainability or climate adaptation. An example is the use of historic watermills to regulate water levels during periods of drought. Additionally, heritage can contribute to a sense of connection with – and a desire to care for – one another and the environment (Bakels & Elpers, 2021; Knowledge Portal Climate Adaptation, n.d.). The RCE set examples listed of projects where knowledge of existing heritage offered solutions for climate adaptation. The World Museum has set up a pavilion in its permanent exhibition in Amsterdam with the question:Is the climate changing your culture?Using examples of the already visible consequences of sea level rise for the Marshall Islands, visitors are encouraged to reflect on this question.

In addition to the direct consequences of climate change, cultural organizations may also face changing expectations from audiences, partners, and grant providers. Research among British culture visitors provides some insight into this, and shows that some expectations are shared by a large part of the public (Raines & Mroczkowski, 2024). Cultural visitors are concerned about the climate crisis on average: 86 percent compared to 76 percent among the British population in general. Of British cultural visitors, 72 percent believe that cultural organizations have a responsibility to move society toward radical change.

In the Netherlands, too, there are expectations regarding sustainability among cultural organizations. From research by the University of GroningenIt appears that nearly three-quarters of the Dutch believe that cultural organizations should operate in a sustainable manner (Holm, Bebendorf, & Bouman, 2024). The fact that people want sustainability does not mean that every initiative is supported to the same extent.

The survey distinguishes between sustainability measures on three levels: operational measures, audience measures and measures involving artistic production. Particularly for operational measures that visitors do not directly experience, the researchers see relatively strong support (see figures below): for instance, four in five think that waste materials should be reduced or reused (78 per cent) and three quarters are in favour of using local suppliers (75 per cent). A majority also think cultural organisations should ensure they use renewable energy (62 per cent) or are funded ethically (56 per cent).

Implementing audience measures that directly affect the visitor experience is also widely supported among the Dutch. For instance, three in five people think that cultural organisations should only offer sustainable products to visitors (62 per cent). A similar proportion believes that cultural organisations should encourage sustainable behaviour among visitors (60 per cent) or inform visitors about the impact of human activity on the climate (58 per cent).

Opinions appear divided regarding measures affecting the artistic production of cultural institutions. Although more than three out of five Dutch people favor the use of sustainable materials in productions (63 percent), there is less support for giving preferential treatment to makers who work with sustainable materials (46 percent). Specific programming concerning the climate issue also receives only limited support (45 percent).

The fact that the opinions and expectations of the public and creators can influence the choices made by cultural institutions becomes visible, for example, in the petitions surrounding fossil-free sponsorship en fossil-free advertising in art house cinemas and movie theaters.

Want to know more about the theme of Sustainability?

Via Knowledge base Articles and (research) publications on sustainability and climate change in the cultural sector are actively collected.

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Justification text and image

Editorial noteAn earlier version of this page was written by Bjorn Schrijen. The current version of this page has been reviewed by Ryanne de Boer. Ryanne de Boer is Sustainability Quartermaster at the NAPK, Sustainability Policy Officer at the VSCD, and Program Manager for the Climate Handprint within the Sustainable Cultural Sector Roadmap.

Graphics and design: Don Kaveen via (Unsplash).