Sustainability

The Royal Ballet and Opera strives to be a catalyst for positive change by enhancing the sustainability, efficiency, and economy of our operations. Discover below how we are working to secure a sustainable future.

Our full report The Next Act: Stories of Environmental Sustainability at RBO, published in 2026, is available to read, or you can scroll through some highlights below and throughout the rest of the RBO website.  

Policy

RBO has set targets to reduce our gas, fleet vehicle and electricity consumption to as close to zero as possible by 2035. We have also committed to achieving Intermediate certification of the Theatre Green Book by our 2029/30 season and Advanced by 2035/36 season. Given the scale of our productions and the timeframes in which we plan our Seasons, these ambitious but realistic targets ensure that we continue to progress.  

We further asserted our commitment to the Theatre Green Book by becoming a Founder Supporter, as it transitions to becoming an independent, not-for-profit organisation. The Theatre Green Book is a step-by-step guide for theatres to become more sustainable, which takes into consideration all aspects of running a theatre; the productions we create, the buildings we perform in and the operations required to support our work. It not only considers carbon emissions but takes a holistic approach, including biodiversity, water and our suppliers and stakeholders.  

We will use our ambitions to ensure we drive forward to become progressively more sustainable, reducing our impact as far as we can by 2035.  

Read the policy in fullSustainability Report 2025-26

Progress

We are reducing our impact on the environment in many areas. Our emissions are decreasing compared to our 2018/19 baseline, although there is still work to be done across the organisation.  

Our buildings

‎RBO has three sites: our historic and Grade I Listed building in Covent Garden, our modern and purpose-built scenic workshops and costume store in Thurrock, Essex and our expansive scenic storage site in Aberdare, Wales. 

Decarbonising means removing fossil fuel derived energy from our operations and we aim to do this by 2035. We use gas for our boilers to provide heating and a small amount in our kitchens and heating in Aberdare and Thurrock. We are currently considering how best to replace the boilers in Covent Garden as part of our capital programme. Our boilers in Aberdare and Thurrock, although still important, are significantly smaller and therefore will be replaced as part of other works at these sites.   

Our operations

‎Operations at RBO includes everything else that is required to put on our performances, tours and events, undertake our work to bring opera and ballet to wider audiences, and maintain and use our buildings.  

It is important to us that sustainability is integrated into how everyone works, so that we all understand our role in helping RBO to achieve our ambitions. The Theatre Green Book divides operations into six categories: energy, materials and waste, travel, digital and paper use, food and drink and contracts and procurement.  

Our productions

We are continually working to reduce the environmental impact of our productions.  

Our people

We need everyone’s help to reduce our environmental impact. Encouraging and supporting people across RBO, the cultural sector, our local community and beyond is central to how we work.  

RBO has a small team dedicated solely to environmental sustainability, a rare commitment for a cultural organisation, and we take the responsibility to share what we learn seriously. We participate in and lead a range of groups, forums and organisations, spreading our learning while keeping our own practice at its best. 

If you have any feedback or would like to know more about our commitment to becoming a more sustainable venue, please get in touch with our Sustainability Team:

Sustainability at ROH

sustainability@roh.org.uk