(Eco)responsible and united

CERCLES, Boris Charmatz, 2024 © Christophe Raynaud de Lage / Festival d'Avignon

New practices and sustainables actions

Since 2010, the Festival d'Avignon has been engaged in an in-depth reflection on its impact and practices in terms of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

In the face of the climate emergency, the aim is to continue to develop new skills, invest in innovative solutions and increase the number of large-scale actions to encourage and support new collective practices. This is why the Festival d'Avignon has set up an internal, collective and cross-disciplinary working group, tasked with implementing sustainable action.

The team is committed to carrying out eco-responsible actions to reduce its carbon impact, continue its ecological transition and make La FabricA, the Festival d'Avignon's permanent venue, a symbol of its entire environmental and societal policy.

A founding member of the Collectif des Festivals Écoresponsables et Solidaires en Région Sud (COFEES), the Festival is a signatory of the Eco-Festival charter in collaboration with the City of Avignon, the Grand Avignon and AF&C, and of the ‘Drastic On Plastic’ charter for the elimination of single-use plastic at cultural events. 

« Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a concept that has corporations incorporate social, environmental and economic preoccupations in their activities and their interactions with their stakeholders on a voluntary basis. By adopting more ethical and sustainable practices in their operating methods, they aim to contribute to the betterment of society and to the protection of the environment. In other words, it is “a company’s contribution to the challenges of sustainable development. »

Source : ecologie.gouv.fr

Fields of action

Throughout the year, the Festival d'Avignon deploys a series of actions identified as annual priorities by its ‘CSR Committee’, based on the Association's assessment and progress objectives. The roadmap and the annual report can be consulted at the bottom of the page, in the downloadable documents.

The Festival d'Avignon's CSR objectives can be broken down into several fields of action:

The Festival encourages the public and its teams to use soft modes of transport all year round, and is committed to rethinking its facilities and promoting the adoption of environmentally-friendly transport.

Mobility of teams and artists

  • Continue to convert the Festival d'Avignon's fleet of vehicles to electric or hybrid versions.

  • Reduce the use of combustion-powered vehicles: use of electrically-assisted bicycles, electric cargo bikes and three-wheelers to transport small items of equipment, provision of a fleet of bicycles for employees.

  • Encourage artists invited to the Festival to use soft mobility (train, bus and bicycle), provide a fleet of bicycles for artists in residence at La FabricA and certain companies invited to the Festival.

Public mobility

  • Encourage changes in the way the public travels to the Festival d'Avignon.

  • Contribute to improving the public transport offer in collaboration with the Region, the City of Avignon and the Grand Avignon: regional trains, buses, shared bikes, park-and-ride facilities and shuttles.

  • Encourage the use of a reliable and ethical car-sharing platform, accessible from the Festival website.

  • Providing shuttles to venues that are far away and not accessible by public transport.

  • To step up communication on soft modes of transport.

  • In 2024, the Festival will be experimenting with return TER trains at 11.30pm from Avignon Centre station to 4 regional destinations.

The Festival is pursuing its policy of reducing waste and sorting in line with its activity, at all venues.

  • Ensure the presence of bi-flow sorting bins at all venues.

  • Improving the signposting of sorting instructions.

  • Set up a shared compost at La FabricA.

  • Make suppliers aware of the Festival d'Avignon's Responsible Supplier Charter

  • Develop the eco-design of sets and constructions

  • Systematically recycle and reuse sets from the Festival's delegated productions.

  • Ban the use of single-use plastics and individual plastic bottles.

  • Provide returnable water bottles for all employees and artistic teams.

The Festival is deploying measures to optimise and reduce its energy consumption.

  • Adapting show and work schedules to avoid periods of high heat.

  • Continuing to replace the lighting equipment with LEDs.

  • Optimising energy consumption at La FabricA by installing a Centralised Technical Management System (CTMS).

  • Installing photovoltaic panels at La FabricA to produce carbon-free electricity. Use green electricity at La FabricA and all temporary sites.

  • Install electricity consumption meters at La FabricA and in the performance venues to monitor and control usage, in order to raise awareness among the artists hosted of the energy impact of the activity.

  • Provide water fountains connected to the public network. Only use water bottles when connection is impossible.

  • Provide dry toilets on temporary sites.

Whether it's favouring second-hand costumes, reducing derivative products with a high ecological footprint, or more generally favouring the circular economy and short circuits, the Festival is strengthening its responsible purchasing policy.

  • Create indicator grids to monitor compliance with the Festival d'Avignon's charters.

  • Offering an exclusively vegetarian menu at its receptions.

  • Developing the use of large containers for bar supplies.

  • Offering eco-responsible products in the Festival d'Avignon shop.

A series of reflections and actions are being taken to move towards a more sustainable approach to communications.

  • Producing a programme without any photos of shows in order to limit the use of ink.

  • Using 100% recycled paper, or failing that 100% PEFC paper (from ecologically managed forests) for all publications.

  • Work with printers who have been awarded the Imprim'vert label or who are certified (ISO14001) and who prefer to use vegetable-based inks.

  • Facilitate access to the Festival d'Avignon website for people with disabilities.Through the Accessibility section, the site can be adapted to suit different types of visual or motor disability or chronic illness.

  • Surtitle videos on the Festival d'Avignon website.

  • Limit the quantity and number of pages of printed material.

  • Reduce the mailing of communication documents.

  • Improve the distribution of media supplements.

  • Reduce the digital weight of the Festival website and mobile application.

By sharing its values and objectives, the Festival encourages the active participation of everyone with a view to preserving the environment and becoming part of an ethical and fair economy.

  • Distribute the Festival d'Avignon's annual CSR roadmap.

  • Continue to lead the CSR working group and the internal newsletter.

  • Continue to distribute instructions to companies and teams (welcome booklets).

  • Maintain the obligation to respect the CSR guidelines applicable to the Festival d'Avignon in employment contracts and in contracts signed with the artistic companies hosting the Festival.

  • Ensure that artistic programming choices reflect societal, environmental and inclusion issues.

  • Train Festival d'Avignon teams in eco-responsible practices.

  • Participate in professional networking meetings to improve eco-responsible practices in the sector.

By taking into consideration: access to buildings, information, creation and employment, the Festival d'Avignon has chosen to implement actions for inclusion and accessibility.

  • Supporting the integration through employment of people experiencing social exclusion and/or disability.

  • Adapting the wording of job offers to better describe the context of the position in order to help disabled workers assess the professional situation and remove any obstacles to applying.

  • Distribute the Festival d'Avignon's job offers to partners who are active in the employment of people suffering from social exclusion and/or disability.

  • To organise an annual ‘Rencontre pour l'emploi des travailleurs handicapés’ at La FabricA.

  • To continue the ‘Recommended Jobs’ scheme (an opportunity for partners in the social field and the Plateforme pour l'emploi to put forward pre-selected candidates for seasonal jobs).

  • Increase the visibility of artists with disabilities in the Festival d'Avignon programme.

  • To train Festival d'Avignon teams in welcoming people with disabilities.

  • Raise awareness among Festival d'Avignon teams of the fight against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence and Harassment (SGBV).

  • Systematise and update the accessibility sheets for the Festival d'Avignon venues on the website.

  • Providing venue sheets in Braille and large print.

  • Ensuring the best possible welcome for disabled people in our venues: pedometer strips at La FabricA, uniform signage, tactile model of the Cour d'honneur of the Palais des Papes and La FabricA, dedicated booking address, etc.

  • Continuing to actions with the Festival audience.

More details on our accessibility initiatives