At Birmingham Hippodrome we are doing our best to consider sustainability and are continually on the look out for opportunities as to what we can do better in our public areas.
Sustainable Procurement
We are working hard to ensure that we minimise the carbon footprint of our suppliers, products and services wherever possible. When we review our suppliers we consider sustainability as part of the procurement process.
Where possible, The Circle Lounge uses produce from local or regional suppliers, and food is prepared from scratch on site. In both The Circle Lounge and The Coffee Bar we have a great selection of plant-based and meat-free options on the menu.
Reducing Paper
We do our very best to reduce the amount of paper and cardboard used across the business.
Our marketing material is available in digital form via our website, and we use local suppliers and printers wherever appropriate, to reduce long distance deliveries and carbon footprint. Where customers have requested a paper copy, we mail items such as season brochures without a plastic bag/wallet to reduce single-plastic consumption.
Customers are issued with e-tickets that can be shown on their phones to reduce the need for printing them when they come to shows and events.
We have turned off receipts from our sales positions, although customers can still request one if they so wish.
Programmes
Our programmes are made from material that is FSC (see below) sourced and is made of a mix of recycled pulp/fibre and virgin pulp/fibre, where the ink used is vegetable based and not oil based. All programmes are 100% recyclable. Where used, plastic cartridges that carry ink are fully recycled. However, in most cases ink is now pumped directly into the press, therefore removing use of plastic altogether. During the printing process, waste material is fed back into the paper manufacturing cycle as post consumer waste and all the printing plates are recycled.
All programmes are produced in and delivered from Birmingham to reduce carbon footprint, and where possible due to weight, delivered to the theatre using electric vehicles.
The Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC) provide a chain of custody from the forest to the end user. This means that every tonne of material purchased can be traced back to its source. FSC certified forests are managed to strict environmental, social and economic standards. More than 160 million hectares of forest are managed to FSC standards around the world. Find out more about the FSC here.
Waste Management
When you come to watch a show, water stations are available on every level of our main foyer for customer use, to reduce the need for single use plastic bottles. We have already taken many steps on our journey to remove single-use plastic waste, such as introducing milk jugs rather than single use plastic milk portions, and will shortly be moving to reusable plastic cups in our bar and kiosk areas for our customers to use. After each show, our team members carry out a litter pick of the auditorium where they split general waste and mixed recyclables.