Sustainability

This is the only way we can make a lasting contribution to the preservation of our planet and live together in a more barrier-free and socially just environment.
As art, cultural, and scientific institutions, it is our task, in particular, to create social awareness with ambitious contents and with high-quality presentations and communication to the public.

More than ever before, our objective is to make a decisive contribution to acting in a sustainable manner, protecting the environment, and living together with respect and without exclusion and discrimination. We intend to accomplish this by implementing concrete measures in the organisation of our art, cultural, and scientific subsidiaries and in the realisation of exhibitions and events. Furthermore, we want to actively promote sustainability in the communication with our audiences. And finally, we also aim to strengthen the discourse in the arts and science with topics related to sustainability.

To this end, the NÖKU Group developed the “NÖKU Sustainability Standard” in autumn 2020, a guideline for all of its staff, for its almost 40 art and scientific institutions and their premises, for the realisation of events and exhibitions, and for the NÖKU Holding itself, which will be resolutely implemented step-by-step by all subsidiaries.

The objective is a holistic examination and evaluation of all key fields of activity in the planning and realisation of events and exhibitions: event and exhibition venues, event and exhibition technology, general procurement processes and waste management, social aspects (e.g. accessibility), mobility/transportation, catering/gastronomy, communication, and accommodation.

With its sustainability strategy, the NÖKU Group recognises its responsibility to implement the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Art, culture, and science as well as the support of creativity all contribute to the economic, social, and ecological dimensions of the 2030 Agenda in equal measure.

The newly created NÖKU Platform for Sustainability is a space for ongoing networking between the sustainability representatives of the respective subsidiaries, which facilitates knowledge transfer and the exchange of experiences. The implemented measures will initially be evaluated at the beginning of 2022 and communicated internally and externally on a regular basis. As the organiser of numerous festivals and the operator of Klangraum Krems Minoritenkirche, Kino im Kesselhaus, and Kunstraum Niederoesterreich, the NÖ Festival und Kino GmbH has made it their goal to realise their events and exhibitions as sustainably as possible and has formulated the following measures as first steps:

For the event and exhibition premises, mandatory criteria have been stipulated in the context of the following fields of activity: management and communication; buildings, construction, and equipment; mobility and climate protection; procurement, materials, and waste management; energy and water; outdoor areas and open spaces.

According to the action plan, the following measures have been implemented by 2021:

• acquisition of waste separation systems
• successive retrofitting of lighting systems to LED in the premises
• switch from disposable to reusable bottles
• switch to environmentally-friendly cleaning products

In the realisation of sustainable events the following important aspects, amongst others, will be taken into consideration:

• promotion of climate-friendly travel (e.g. recommending the use of public transportation to our audiences. Organising programmes – where possible – according to train schedules, provision of affordable shuttle bus transfers for return travel)
• dispensing with non-returnable containers
• measures relating to accessibility (wheelchair access, barrier-free parking spaces, ticket desks with wheelchair clearance, inductive sound systems, …)
• exclusive use of paper with eco-labels or 100% recycled paper, both for internal and external printed matter
• dispensing with or reuse of decorations and floral arrangements
• mindful use of language with reference to gender-sensitive formulations and inclusion of minority groups
• communication of the set measures on websites and printed matter to sensitise our visitors and artists

For a sustainable catering strategy at our events, we will ensure, for example, that:

• exclusively reusable dishes are used
• waste food is disposed of properly and environmentally friendly
• free tap water is available, where possible
• at least one vegetarian or vegan dish is offered
• seasonal and regional agricultural products are offered

The Klangraum Krems Minoritenkirche was awarded the Austrian Ecolabel at the beginning of 2024. The following measures are being or have been implemented for this: 

• Conversion of the gas heating to district heating
• Conversion of the lighting to LED in the Klangraum Krems Minoritenkirche
• Installation of a photovoltaic system at the Minorite Monastery

Our engagement for sustainability is by definition a process. Hence, all of our staff are committed to the consequent implementation and continuous development of the Sustainability Policy. Feedback and ideas from the staff, visitors, artists, and partners are expressly welcome and will be taken into consideration in terms of their viability.

For any questions or feedback, please contact Klaus Moser