The Gran Teatre del Liceu, aware of the importance of environmental protection, has implemented an Environmental and Energy Management System, through which to contribute to its preservation.

The Gran Teatre del Liceu was the first European theatre which obtained in 2004 the certification for Environmental Management System according to ISO 14.001, complying with international standards for environmental management systems. It also obtained the EMAS certification (Eco-management and Audit Scheme), complying with the European regulations for eco-management and audit scheme systems.

The EMAS register is a system that promotes the continuous improvement of the environmental performance of organizations. With the implementation of this Environmental Management System, the Gran Teatre del Liceu is committed to develop its work with the maximum respect and to use all the tools available to improve their environmental performance.

Even though the theater is not a particularly polluting entity, it can help managing resources in the best possible way in order to minimize the impact that may occur.

The scope of the system are all the activities that take place in the installations that form the Gran Teatre del Liceu and related environmental impacts. This system is a self-assessment tool to evaluate the environmental and energy impacts associated with the activities of the theater. From this knowledge, it triggers a process of continuous improvement in their daily work to minimize these impacts and finally self-control mechanisms is established to ensure the proper functioning of the entire system structure.

In 2011, the Gran Teatre del Liceu obtained the certification that proves their Energy Management System in accordance with UNE EN 16.001, and in 2013 obtained the ISO 50.001 certification which replaced the previous norm. Thus, Gran Teatre del Liceu was the first opera house in Europe to achieve this distinction.

In 2016 and, in the spirit of being role model and encourage other cultural facilities, the Gran Teatre del Liceu obtained the Distintiu de Garantia de Qualitat Ambiental. This distinctive is a Catalan eco-labeling system that identifies and officially certifies that certain products or services exceed certain requirements of environmental quality beyond established as required by current regulations.

Thus, Gran Teatre del Liceu integrates all the environmental commitments and all the energy ones in one Environmental and Energy Policy, and all managed through an Environmental and Energy Management System (SGAiE) consolidating these environmental commitments, efficiency energy and continuous improvement.

Within this process of continuous improvement, annual targets are set, both to improve the environmental impact of activities, such as energy savings and energy efficiency, which are audited annually.

The theater prepares the Environmental Statement every season, a document detailing all the environmental and energy performance, the level of achievement of objectives and the compliance with legal requirements and other requirements.

Control of environmental impacts and on energy saving in terms of lighting, HVAC, water conservation, waste management and environmental training has allowed data as follows:

  • Because of the replacement of the CL02 and CL03 air conditioners and the actions taken to reduce energy consumption during the last 3 seasons, an 18% reduction in consumption has been achieved in the energy under-use of the air conditioner fans.
  • For one more season, it has been possible to improve the ratio of selectively collected waste, reaching a value above 34% of the waste generated by the Theatre.
  • Environmental and energy recycling training has been given to the choir and orchestra groups (approximately 1/3 of the Theatre's workforce).
  • The consumption of paper for publications and advertising for the different titles has been significantly reduced, basically due to the elimination of the programs of each show in paper format. Also due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the program of each show was published in digital format and finally, the decision has been taken to maintain this measure.
  • We continue to contract all electrical energy 100% of renewable origin.
  • The assessment of the environmental and energy behaviour of the scenography workshops has continued to be incorporated in the latest tenders. Moreover, in different scenography tenders, production life cycle criteria have been incorporated.

The Gran Teatre del Liceu shows itself as a leading theater in its field in terms of environmental and energy management, a mirror of many other theaters around the world for the development of lines of work that lead to environmental and energy improvement of their activities.

Awards and mentions

  • 2011 EMAS Catalonia Award for the best environmental implementation.
  • Mention of Honor in energy saving and efficiency in the EnerAgen 2012 awards.
  • Best Energy Service Project 2015 Award: The jury of these awards, made up of members of the European Commission, European Investment Bank, European Federation of Energy Agencies and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, awarded the Best Energy Service Project award 2014 at the Liceu for its savings and energy efficiency plan, technological innovation and sustainable financing.

 

 

 

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