A committed Festival

Since the inclusion of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) in its statutes in 2020, the Festival has been working in depth with all its teams to integrate human, social and environmental aspects into all its missions. This commitment is being implemented in a participative and regularly assessed way, along several main lines:

• reducing the environmental impact of its activities
• implementing respectful working conditions
• participating in ‘better living together’

A PARTICIPATIVE COMMITMENT

To deploy its strategy, the Festival relies on a participatory mechanism based on collective intelligence: that of all the Festival teams (administrative, technical, artistic), mobilised during workshops or seminars, as well as that of the many networks for reflection and action in which it is involved (COFEES, 17h25, enoa, Medinea).
A steering committee develops and leads a dedicated action plan in dialogue with the Festival management committee. Several working groups are considering and proposing innovative solutions to issues identified as priorities. In addition, internal awareness-raising tools are deployed to reach all employees: a monthly newsletter presents the main CSR projects in progress, and monthly videoconference meetings (“Les Midis de la RSO”) are organised with inspiring personalities on subjects such as disability, audience mobility and diversity. Finally, the teams are also regularly invited to attend workshops and training courses organised by COFEES (Collectif des Festivals écoresponsables et solidaires), of which the Festival is a founding member: responsible digital technology, sustainable mobility, waste management, etc.

EVALUATION

In order to evaluate and improve the actions implemented, the Festival carried out a survey for the teams working on the 2023 edition. Distributed to 629 people, it showed that:

• 92% of respondents believe that the Festival includes the fight against discrimination and the promotion of diversity in its missions
• 92% believe that the Festival includes the defence of gender equality in its missions
• 92% believe that the Festival includes the fight against sexist and sexual violence in its missions
• 84% believe that the Festival is committed to reducing the environmental impact of its activities

Following on from the surveys concerning the 2021 and 2022 editions, where satisfaction rates were already high, these results confirm the continued very positive perception of the Festival’s commitment by its teams.

The Festival has been working in this area for more than ten years, notably through the eco-design of its sets, and is currently implementing an ambitious strategy to reduce its environmental footprint. Raising awareness among teams through three Climate Fresk workshops (held in Aix, Paris and Venelles), an energy audit, an environmental impact assessment, and a travel plan have enabled the Festival to draw up a comprehensive action plan to be deployed over the coming years. In 2024, the Festival introduced dedicated charters for artists and the audience (read the guide for green festival-goers).

GREEN TRANSITION ACTION PLAN

This action plan covers all areas and all the Festival’s stakeholders (teams, service providers, artists, local authorities). The impact analyses carried out from 2023 onwards will help to optimise its efficiency. Some of the proposals included in this programme have already been initiated and will need to be consolidated, while others are more forward-looking and complex, and will be implemented over the long term, with the aim of being achieved within four years:

• strategy: reflection, awareness-raising, impact studies, definition of partnership charters and dedicated contractual clauses,
• artistic programming: sobriety, sustainability,
• resources: reducing consumption, eco-gestures, energy transition,
• waste management: zero waste objective,
• artists’ transport: optimising the time they spend in the area,
• team mobility: working in partnership with local authorities, training in alternative modes of transport, development of suitable facilities,
• food: moving towards a sustainable food model (local, organic, vegetarian, antiwaste).

ECODESIGN OF SETS

Having developed advanced expertise in the life cycle of opera sets, the Festival incorporates into its operations the methods and processes that enable all the materials used to be reused or recycled. It is actively pursuing this reflection as part of the 17h25 collective, which brings together several opera houses in France and Belgium (Opéra de Lyon, Opéra de Paris, Théâtre du Châtelet and Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels) to discuss sustainability issues. A large-scale project is being carried out to set up “standard structures” that will enable establishments to be equipped with the same set structures in order to limit the quantity of elements to be transported, particularly during co-productions and tours. This operation is supported by the French government as part of the “Supporting green alternatives in culture” programme of the cultural and creative industries (CCI) sector of France 2030, operated by the Banque des territoires - Caisse des Dépôts.

The Festival’s human resources policy has been rewarded with AFNOR “Gender Equity” and “Diversity” certifications for all the actions carried out in terms of social dialogue and management (recruitment, career management, work organization training and compensation). A "Gender Equality in the Workplace" collective agreement identifies the measures that need to be implemented in terms of recruitment. It also sets progress objectives for the improvement of working conditions and for a better balance between professional and personal life. The professional equality index, based on a series of regulatory indicators, further demonstrates this commitment. In 2023, the Festival obtained a score of 93 out of 100 (see index details).

The Festival has produced two in-house guides on preventing discrimination and gender-based and sexual violence, and has put in place a comprehensive system to address these issues. A dedicated training programme has been put in place to mobilise local contacts within the teams to complement the helpline: present in the field, they are able to identify victims and, if necessary, refer them to existing services. These relays are particularly valuable for providing information to non-permanent (temporary) workers, who are less likely to identify the helpline. A communication campaign has also been set up to raise awareness among all administrative staff, technicians and artists, with presentations and workshops at all venues and a poster campaign in French and English. The Festival is also committed to promoting the employment of people with disabilities, with a number of awareness-raising events for teams and support for specific recruitment policies. The helpline also covers the issue of discrimination linked to disability.

Since its inception, the Festival has been leading a large-scale project on the issue of public accessibility. With the Passerelles department, it coordinates actions and multiple partnerships with actors in the educational, social, medico-social, health and prison fields, promoting equal access for all to its programming. The public relations teams also implement the necessary measures to welcome people with disabilities.

Thanks to the work carried out for over twenty years by the Académie and the Orchestre des Jeunes de la Méditerranée, as well as within the enoa and Medinea European networks, the Festival supports artists from all backgrounds by promoting intercultural dialogue and social inclusion. Specific actions are dedicated to the promotion of women in the world of opera.

Finally, the programming of operas and concerts aims to encourage openness and decompartmentalization by presenting innovative and committed programmes, reflecting today’s society in all its diversity.