Liverpool Philharmonic is committed to fully understanding and minimising its impact upon the environment through our Environmental Sustainability Policy and Action Plan. We will strive to reach the highest practicably achievable standards in environmental sustainability throughout our business operations and develop a positive culture of environmental awareness, personal and corporate responsibility across our employees, performers, promoters, audiences, participants, clients and contractors, and anyone else who may be affected by our actions or activities.

We will adopt a robust and systemic approach to environmental sustainability management, complying with all relevant legislation and guidance, and striving for continuous and measurable improvement in our performance.

 Our aims are to:

• Reduce our environmental impacts in energy and water consumption, waste generation and disposal, acting responsibly and efficiently throughout our company and venues
• Promote a proactive sustainability culture through continued employee engagement and focused initiatives
• Require consideration of this policy and industry good practice through procurement of equipment, goods and services
• Encourage the use of environmentally friendly forms of transport by employees, audiences, artists and visitors to our venues
• Communicate our environmental sustainability goals and results to our employees, customers, audiences and stakeholders,

 To achieve our aims, we will:

• Ensure effective leadership of this policy by the Chief Executive, Executive Team, and Leadership Team with annual reporting to the Board of Trustees
• Develop and implement an Environmental Sustainability Action Plan with time limited, measurable objectives and outcomes to be reviewed and updated annually
• Establish Environmental Sustainability as a standing item at key meetings including Executive Team, Leadership Team and Health & Safety Committee
• Operate a cross-organisation Environmental Sustainability Action Group chaired by the Executive Director Audiences & Development with quarterly meetings to coordinate and help drive progress
• Communicate our goals and results publicly through our Review of the Year.

 Progress in 2022-23 included:

• Successful reduction in energy consumption in our buildings, through measures including more effective and responsive monitoring; and installation of LED lighting in a number of areas.
• Carbon literacy training delivered for most staff, with all training programmed for remaining personnel by July 2023
• Working with and providing administrative support to SHIFT, the sustainability network for Liverpool cultural and creative organisations
• Significant increase in procurement of bars and catering products from local and environmentally responsible suppliers, and products which are vegetarian, vegan, and/or in environmentally friendly packaging.
• Continuing reduction in use of paper, with increased move towards paperless meetings, e-tickets and documents delivered online including Annual Review, and concert programme notes; and working with promoters to largely cease use of individual print for one off concerts. All paper used was from responsible sources.
  
  

Environmental Action Plan 2023/24

 The objectives listed below will set a framework for detailed activity that will be undertaken by members of the Leadership Team.

 In addition, a cross-departmental environmental action group will be re-convened. The purpose of this group will be reviewed but will include:

• To support objectives, targets and goals that Liverpool Philharmonic has set
• To help spread the word amongst staff about how to play their part in environmental sustainability
• To help design staff engagement activity - training, knowledge sharing, etc.

Key Objectives

1. Reduce energy usage in the Hall and Friary by 5% year on year. This will be done through a combination of: ensuring all lighting and equipment is turned off when not in use, reviewing consumption data to see if there are anomalies of usage at times and correcting these, control of heating (BMS system), and other measures and investment to improve the buildings’ energy efficiency.

2. Increase staff awareness through Carbon literacy training and regular updates and communication, with all musicians receiving carbon literacy training by the summer.
   
3. Encourage the reduction of the carbon footprint associated with travel and transport of audiences, the company and the orchestra, and visiting tours, with the development of a green impact assessment process for all Orchestra touring

4. Development of green procurement policy within our overall procurement process for suppliers

5. Reduce consumption of materials, including work to minimize waste from the bars and front of house operations, reducing print production and usage throughout the business - from tickets, brochures, hard copies of papers to staff, etc.

6. Continually ensuring product lines and packaging of products in our bars and catering operations are sustainable and environmentally responsible, and that we are working where we can with local and environmentally responsible suppliers

7. We will communicate our progress on these measures to staff, stakeholders, audiences and funders at least every 6 months, in board reports, annual review, company circulars and company briefings, emails to audiences, stakeholders, learning programme participants, etc., on our website, and through social media. We will work through our networks to influence their environmental agenda.

Achievement of these objectives will be supported by a detailed and SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time limited) Action Plan.

June 2023