The Theatre Green Book 

The Theatre Green Book provides guidelines for making theatre more sustainable, with three volumes covering Sustainable Productions, Buildings, and Operations.

At Cardboard Citizens, we worked towards the Baseline Standard on two productions in 2022 and 2023, aiming to reduce our environmental impact.

The Baseline Standard 

To achieve the Baseline Standard, a production team must: 

• Use 50% reused or recycled materials 

• Ensure 65% of materials are stored or reused 

• Avoid harmful materials 

• Run technical systems sustainably 

• Reduce journeys and deliveries 

Production 1: Bangers by Danusia Samal 

This play toured community venues in London and had a run at Soho Theatre. We began implementing Green Book standards late in the process, making it difficult to fully integrate sustainability. 

• Set & Props: We used a mix of new and reused timber, but some props were bought new due to time constraints. Early planning would have improved sustainability. 

• Costume: Sourced from charity and second-hand shops, though this took additional time and resulted in some wastage. More time should be built into contracts for sustainable sourcing. 

• Technical (lighting and sound): We mainly used in-house and hired equipment, with a few additional purchases made online. 

• Transport: We used a low-fuel van but couldn’t hire an electric one due to charging infrastructure issues. The stage manager also reduced trips by leaving the van at Citz and using public transport to get home instead of driving. 

• Future life: The show was stored for future use, avoiding immediate disposal. However, future productions should allocate time for proper disposal. We completed a materials inventory and a sustainability review to support learning and future planning. 

• Achievements: 55% of materials were reused; 86% went on to future use. 

Production 2: Faun by Vinnie Heaven 

This play toured Newcastle, London, Plymouth, Birmingham, Salford, and Bristol. We integrated Green Book standards early on, learning from Bangers, but still faced budget and staffing limitations. 

• Set & Props: We hired steel deck and sourced a second-hand sofa. Most props were second-hand or borrowed. 

• Costume: Fast fashion had to be used as sourcing second-hand proved time-consuming. More time and budget should be allocated for sustainable costume sourcing. 

• Technical (lighting and sound): Most of the lighting rig was LED, hired or borrowed; sound equipment was bought second-hand and kept for future use. 

• Transport: We used a small van and trains.  We didn’t hire an electric van as the tour wasn’t planned to account for charging time.  

• Budget: Green Book budget lines ended up being into absorbed into the overall budget.  Future projects should allocate a Green Book contingency to each department. 

• Future Life: Nothing was scrapped; the set was donated to a school. We completed a materials inventory and sustainability review. 

• Achievements: 57% of materials were reused; 87% went on to future use

Conclusion

Both productions met the Baseline Standard, though challenges such as tight budgets, timelines, and limited team capacity affected outcomes. Moving forward, we’ll prioritise early integration of sustainability practices in production planning and dedicated budgets lines. We’re also starting to implement The Theatre Green Book’s Operations guidelines in our office, working towards the Basic standard, and will be able to report on our progress next year. 

Clare Robertson, Executive Producer