Greenstage Takes it to the Next Level

The EU-funded Greenstage project promotes sustainability within the performing arts. In collaboration with local authorities, the aim is to enable cultural organisations to implement environmental sustainability effectively. A key focus is on putting Circular Stage Design into their production practices.

Wuppertal/Oberhausen, 9 July 2026: As part of Greenstage, an international team has developed the online platform greenstage.eu. At www.greenstage.eu, a variety of tools are available to help public and independent cultural organisations make their production processes more sustainable. The dialogue-based self-assessment tool SAPA (Sustainability Assessment for the Performing Arts), developed by the Wuppertal Institute in a co-creation process with its practice partners, supports organisations in the sustainable development of their structures and processes by analysing operational procedures in terms of environmental, social, economic and cultural criteria and by drawing up action plans. The Zero Waste Stage Toolbox is freely available to all. It contains a collection of sustainability measures as well as a wide range of best-practice examples. Its purpose is to support organisations and institutions through change processes, helping transformation managers and other decision-makers to implement these changes.

New project phase: Zero Waste Stage Labs in Riga, Vienna, Oberhausen and Ljubljana

Following the development of the online platform, a new phase of Greenstage has begun: These developed tools are now being tested in practice across four stage productions and one festival in the project's Zero Waste Stage Labs. The productions are being staged by the project partners: the National Theatre in Riga, the Volkstheater in Vienna and the Theater Oberhausen. This involves implementing the SAPA process with selected staff, collaborating with sustainability experts and the artistic teams, facilitating intensive dialogue between the project partners, and applying measures from the Zero Waste Stage Toolbox within the production process. One production has already been completed: the premiere of 'In Fire' by Rūdolfs Blaumanis in March 2026. It will be followed in the 2026/27 season by the zero-waste productions at the Volkstheater Wien and the Theater Oberhausen. The Zero Waste Stage Labs also include the Mladi Levi Festival, which will take place in Ljubljana, Slovenia, at the end of August 2026. The organisers at the BUNKER production house will not only adopt a consistent zero-waste approach to staging the festival, Mladi Levi will also serve as an international platform for exchange between project participants, sustainability experts and performing arts professionals.

The project will be supported by international Policy Hubs, organised by local project partners. The policy hubs will create spaces for discussion, bringing together local cultural stakeholders and representatives from local politics and public administration. They will discuss experiences gained from the project and further develop regulatory frameworks. In addition to providing the project organisers with direct feedback on current sustainability issues, the project team will draw up a joint manifesto at the end of the project.

Updates on Greenstage's progress are available at www.greenstage.eu. The social media channels (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram) provide insights into the work of the project partners on the ground, as well as the development of the zero-waste productions and the festival.

Joint Press Release

Wuppertal Institut für Klima, Umwelt, Energie gGmbH
Responsible for content: Prof. Dr.-Ing. Manfred Fischedick, President and Scientific Managing Director
Contact: Christin Hasken, Head of Communications
Tel: +49 202 2492-187
Email: pr@wupperinst.org

Scientific contact person
Eva Eiling, Researcher in the Innovation Labs Research Unit
Tel: +49 202 2492-131
Email: eva.eiling@wupperinst.org 

Theater Oberhausen
Hannes Richter, Spokesperson
Tel: +49 208 8578 127
Email: richter@theater-oberhausen.de