Opera houses and art museums are cornerstones of our cultural identity. They are also signposts to our future: they address the pressing issues of our time, spark debate and imagine possible futures. Given their significant public profile and public mandate, cultural institutions could play an important role in helping to bring about a sustainable future. In reality, however, cultural institutions often find it difficult to be sustainable themselves and thus to act as credible ambassadors. Culture goes Sustainable, a joint project between the ZHAW and the University of Lausanne, aims to change that.
The dilemma facing cultural institutions
The Culture goes Sustainable project began when Martin Müller, Professor of Geography at the University of Lausanne, approached Leticia Labaronne, a ZHAW Professor at the Center for Arts Management. “As a geographer, Martin recognised that cultural institutions have tremendous potential to promote sustainability – but that this potential has so far not been sufficiently utilised,” says Leticia Labaronne. “As the cultural sector often lacks the expertise needed to reflect on, systematically measure and further develop its own practices in the sustainability space, he specifically sought out additional expertise in cultural management,” Labaronne continues. Cultural management. “As a geographer, Martin recognised that cultural institutions have great potential to promote sustainability – but have so far made too little use of it,” says Leticia Labaronne. “As the cultural sector often lacks the necessary know-how to reflect on, systematically measure and further develop its own practices with regard to sustainability, he specifically sought out complementary expertise in cultural management,” Labaronne continues.
According to Leticia Labaronne, the dilemma facing cultural institutions with regard to sustainability is that they are aware of the important role they have in communicating sustainability as a societal objective. At the same time, however, they struggle to be sustainable themselves. “Cultural institutions are often housed in buildings that are not energy-efficient. In addition, by inviting international artists and transporting artworks around the world, they generate significant CO₂ emissions,” explains Leticia Labaronne.
Leticia Labaronne
ZHAW Professor at the Center for Arts Management
“Sustainability is a global challenge that we can only tackle together through international cooperation and strong engagement rooted at a local level. Deepening dialogue, reaching out to one another and understanding different realities are essential.”
A bridge to practice
Culture goes Sustainable is a BRIDGE project run by the Swiss National Science Foundation and Innosuisse, the Swiss Agency for Innovation Promotion, and has been awarded a budget of just under CHF 2 million. As is customary for BRIDGE projects, the aim is to ensure that the research findings are communicated to the relevant stakeholders in the realms of business and society, and that they possess a high degree of potential for practical application. “From the very beginning, it was important to us that the research findings were not simply made available to cultural institutions, but rather developed in collaboration with them,” says Leticia Labaronne.
The project’s central vehicle is the Culture for the Planet alliance, which was founded in 2025 and already comprises 31 cultural institutions. Within the alliance, these institutions share best practices in the area of sustainability: “The Royal Opera Ballet and the Tate Modern have shared their insights and proven processes with institutions facing similar challenges in the field of sustainability management. The alliance is a community of practice, a space for collective research through co-creation and for the exchange of practical knowledge through dialogue,” says Leticia Labaronne enthusiastically.
At present, the alliance is a forum with no legal structure. “After the project comes to an end, Culture for the Planet is set to continue to exist and help ensure that the standards developed become established across the sector,” explains Leticia Labaronne. The members of the alliance took an important step in this direction through the Declaration of Lausanne in October 2025. In this declaration, they undertake to drive forward the transition towards sustainability in the arts and cultural sector and to adopt and respect sector-specific sustainability guidelines and standards.
ISO certification for sustainable cultural institutions
The goal of the Culture goes Sustainable project is to develop knowledge, tools and processes that enable cultural institutions to play their part in the transition towards a sustainable future. According to Labaronne, the key challenge lies in measuring and demonstrating sustainability performance. The Culture goes Sustainable project team is therefore developing a framework for the management, certification and accreditation of sustainability performance.
Labaronne and her team are currently devising an international ISO standard for sustainable management in arts and cultural organisations, a proposal that has formally been submitted by the ZHAW. “ISO standards combine strong governance with global recognition. Thanks to the expertise of national committees, they are developed collaboratively and tailored to the diverse needs of cultural institutions around the world – with the aim of creating standards that are internationally viable while remaining sensitive to local contexts,” says Leticia Labaronne.
Regional differences as an opportunity
The project team attaches great significance to taking regional differences into account. “In Europe, sustainability is well established at an institutional level. Cultural institutions can rely on the fact that sustainability policy will not change suddenly,” says Leticia Labaronne. According to the expert on cultural management, the situation is somewhat different in Latin America. "We work a lot with umbrella organisations there. These organisations take on a leading role in promoting sustainability in the arts and cultural sector at an institutional level,” explains Leticia Labaronne.
Leticia Labaronne, who is originally from Argentina and has been working at the ZHAW since 2009, views regional and cultural differences as an opportunity: “Sustainability is a global challenge that we can only tackle together through international cooperation and strong engagement rooted at a local level. Deepening dialogue, reaching out to one another and understanding different realities are essential.”
