At the launch of the new national cultural policy earlier this year, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said we must lift the arts beyond the economic debate, and see it as a vital part of Australia’s identity and soul.

If we are to truly revive our cultural and creative institutions in the decades to come, we must take on the full meaning of the term “sustainability”, going beyond its economic associations.

The sustainability of our culture is quite literally dependent on the sustainability of our planet.

Our new report asks if achieving environmental sustainability should be a key goal for all Australian performing arts companies and, if so, how can it be achieved?

Our report focuses on 13 Australian arts organisations demonstrating a commitment to sustainability in their programming, practices and policies.

Everyone interviewed agreed there is a clear need to support a sector-wide transition to sustainability, yet also acknowledged challenges in doing so.

As Ang Collins, marketing manager and sustainability coordinator at Sydney’s Griffin Theatre, told us:

“There is no blueprint for how a theatre company should run sustainably or a checklist for things to do, and there are no traditions, there are no networks for borrowing sets or reuse […] no proper knowledge sharing and systems...