Advancing sustainability through collective action
The Culture for the Planet Alliance is a global community of practice driving new solutions in arts and culture to accelerate the sustainability transition.
The Culture for the Planet Alliance CONNECTs arts and cultural organisations, sector associations, foundations, and policymakers around a shared vision: to lead thoughts and actions for sustainable futures. It supports organisations in embedding sustainability across governance, operations, and practice, grounded in research and co-production, and aiming for long-term institutional change.
The Alliance acts as a key nexus to bring Culture for the Planet research into practice and enable the development of practical solutions. Through shared resources, events, and discussions, it drives knowledge exchange and strengthens partnerships.
Alliance Members have an active voice in the co-development and testing of state-of-the-art solutions, including a sustainability management system (MANAGE), international standards and certification (CERTIFY), and training programmes (QUALIFY).
If you are interested in joining the Alliance, take a look at the Open Call.
Solutions Co-Production
Alliance Members have an active voice in the co-development and testing of the state-of-the-art solutions, including a sustainability management system (MANAGE), international standards and certification (CERTIFY), and training programmes (QUALIFY).
Through interviews, surveys, and discussions, Alliance Members make the needs, challenges, stories, and successes of cultural organisations guide the production of concrete sustainability solutions through research.
The Alliance Meetups are a recurring space for exchange among members. Each meetup has a distinct theme and structure, ranging from research-focused discussions to practice-based exchanges and strategic conversations relevant to the Alliance and its members.
This series of regular online encounters is designed to strengthen collective learning and structured peer exchange and collaboration within the Alliance.
The different formats include:
The Alliance convenes once per year for an in-person Culture for the Planet Summit. The Summit is a key moment for community-building, strategic exchange, and collective learning within the Alliance. It allows Alliance Members to learn, share, and discuss important topics pertaining to the sustainability journey within their organisations with fellow Members, researchers and invited guests.
General Assembly
The General Assembly is a key moment to strengthen the collective governance, transparency, and accountability of the Alliance. It allows for the community to review milestones, guide the evolution of activities, and share important information.
Alliance Labs
The Alliance Labs operate as the Working Groups for the community. Labs are thematic groups, created when there is the need to explore a specific topic.
A shared commitment for sustainability in arts and culture worldwide
In October 2025, during the Inaugural Culture for the Planet Summit, the Alliance was officially established. The Founding Members signed and endorsed the Declaration of Lausanne.
Co-created by 33 organisations, including all the Founding Members of the Culture for the Planet Alliance, the Declaration marks a defining moment for the global arts and cultural sector.
The Declaration is not only the foundational document of the Alliance but acts as the backbone of the collective commitment of all Alliance Members.
The Declaration affirms a shared responsibility to act within planetary boundaries and to embed sustainability into governance, daily operations, and artistic practice.
In a time of ecological urgency and social inequality, the Declaration calls for coordinated, systemic, and collective action, recognising the power of culture to shape imaginaries, foster dialogue, and lead the transition toward a sustainable future.
The Declaration of Lausanne (2025) — Founding commitment of the Culture for the Planet Alliance
Membership benefits.
Culture for the Planet supports your organisation in a variety of ways.
Collaboration with leading academics experts.
We leverage insights from top researchers committed to advancing sustainability in arts and culture. Our research-driven approach ensures solutions that are both evidence-based and practical.
Global standard and tailored support.
We co-create a sustainability benchmark for arts and cultural institutions that reflects the sector's unique needs. It establishes an international standard, highlights best practices, and fosters a shared understanding of sustainability in arts and culture.
Building networks and partnerships.
We foster collaboration among arts and cultural organisations, associations, funders, and policymakers. Through shared resources, events, and discussions, we drive knowledge exchange and strengthen partnerships.
Recognition and knowledge sharing.
We showcase best practices in arts and cultural sustainability through case studies, publications, and media engagement, giving visibility to pioneering organisations and encouraging broader sectoral change.
Sustainability tools and strategies.
We provide resources that enable institutions to measure and enhance their sustainability practices, while reducing costs and driving environmental progress.
How we plan to make it happen.
Advancing sustainability through collective action
The Culture for the Planet Alliance is a global community of practice driving new solutions in arts and culture to accelerate the sustainability transition.
The Culture for the Planet Alliance CONNECTs arts and cultural organisations, sector associations, foundations, and policymakers around a shared vision: to lead thoughts and actions for sustainable futures. It supports organisations in embedding sustainability across governance, operations, and practice by being grounded in research and co-production, and aiming for long-term institutional change.
The Alliance acts as the key nexus to make the Culture for the Planet research grounded in practice and the development of practical solutions possible. Through shared resources, events, and discussions, it drives knowledge exchange and strengthens partnerships.
Alliance Members have an active voice in the co-development and testing of the state-of-the-art solutions, including a sustainability management system (MANAGE), international standards and certification (CERTIFY), and training programmes (QUALIFY).
If you are interested in joining the Alliance, take a look at the Open Call.
In October 2025, during the Inaugural Culture for the Planet Summit, the Alliance was officially established. The Founding Members signed and endorsed the Declaration of Lausanne. The Declaration is not only the foundational document of the Alliance but acts as the backbone of the collective commitment of all Alliance Members.
The Declaration affirms a shared responsibility to act within planetary boundaries and to embed sustainability into governance, daily operations, and artistic practice. In a time of ecological urgency and social inequality, the Declaration calls for coordinated, systemic, and collective action, recognising the power of culture to shape imaginaries, foster dialogue, and lead the transition toward a sustainable future.
Alliance Activities
Solutions Co-Production: Alliance Members have an active voice in the co-development and testing of the state-of-the-art solutions, including a sustainability management system (MANAGE), international standards and certification (CERTIFY), and training programmes (QUALIFY). Through interviews, surveys, and discussions, Alliance Members make the needs, challenges, stories, and successes of cultural organisations guide the production of concrete sustainability solutions through research.
Alliance Meetups: The Alliance Meetups are a recurring space for exchange among members. Each meetup has a distinct theme and structure, ranging from research-focused discussions to practice-based exchanges and strategic conversations relevant to the Alliance and its members. This series of regular online encounters is designed to strengthen collective learning and structured peer exchange and collaboration within the Alliance.
The different formats include:
Summit: The Alliance convenes once per year for an in-person Culture for the Planet Summit. The Summit is a key moment for community-building, strategic exchange, and collective learning within the Alliance. It allows Alliance Members to learn, share, and discuss important topics pertaining to the sustainability journey within their organisations with fellow Members, researchers and invited guests.
General Assembly: The General Assembly is a key moment to strengthen the collective governance, transparency, and accountability of the Alliance. It allows for the community to review milestones, guide the evolution of activities, and share important information.
Alliance Labs: The Alliance Labs operate as the Working Groups for the community. Labs are thematic groups, created when there is the need to explore a specific topic.
Membership benefits.
Culture for the Planet supports your organisation in a variety of ways.
Collaboration with leading academics experts.
We leverage insights from top researchers committed to advancing sustainability in arts and culture. Our research-driven approach ensures solutions that are both evidence-based and practical.
Global standard and tailored support.
We co-create a sustainability benchmark for arts and cultural institutions that reflects the sector's unique needs. It establishes an international standard, highlights best practices, and fosters a shared understanding of sustainability in arts and culture.
Building networks and partnerships.
We foster collaboration among arts and cultural organisations, associations, funders, and policymakers. Through shared resources, events, and discussions, we drive knowledge exchange and strengthen partnerships.
Recognition and knowledge sharing.
We showcase best practices in arts and cultural sustainability through case studies, publications, and media engagement, giving visibility to pioneering organisations and encouraging broader sectoral change.
Sustainability tools and strategies.
We provide resources that enable institutions to measure and enhance their sustainability practices, while reducing costs and driving environmental progress.
How we plan to make it happen.
Greta is a PhD candidate in the research-for-action project Culture for the Planet. Her research focuses on developing a framework and a Sustainability Management System (SMS) to measure, monitor, and manage sustainability progress in museums, theaters, and opera houses.
She holds a BA in Communication Sciences and Culture from the Free University of Bolzano and an MA in Innovation and Organization of Culture and the Arts from the University of Bologna.
Greta began her career in the cultural sector at MUSEION - Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, working in the Communication and Marketing Department. She later collaborated with consultancies specializing in the Cultural and Creative Sectors (CCS) in both Italy and Belgium, gaining expertise in impact evaluation, audience development, and cultural management.
As part of her research at the University of Lausanne, Greta explores how cultural organisations can serve as catalysts for envisioning and developing alternative futures.
She is fluent in Italian, English, German, and French.
In the project Culture for the Planet, Małgorzata Ćwikła is responsible for developing sector-specific sustainability standardisation processes with a dedicated governance scheme. Her role involves conducting research and balancing the thresholds to be achieved by cultural organisations with the freedom to create and develop the arts.
Raised in Wrocław, Poland, a vibrant cultural city, she graduated in Polish philology and moved to Germany in 2007. There, she worked at the Hebbel am Ufer Theatre in Berlin and the Kampnagel International Culture Factory in Hamburg as a producer and curator. In 2010, she undertook an internship at the Polish Embassy in Sarajevo, where she worked on the dissemination of Polish culture. Following this practical phase, she decided to focus on an academic career.
In 2014, she obtained a PhD in management studies from Jagiellonian University in Kraków and worked as an assistant professor at the Faculty of Management and Social Communication. In this capacity, she served as editor-in-chief of the first Polish peer-reviewed journal on cultural management.
During the pandemic, she participated in a posthumanist seminar offered by a professor of performing arts, which shifted her focus towards the nexus between culture and sustainability and arts management during the Anthropocene. This new interest led her to join ICLEI Europe – Local Governments for Sustainability, where she worked on various Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe projects on green culture and heritage.
After an employment as a lecturer in Environmental and Sustainability Sciences at the University of Freiburg, she joined the Center for Arts Management at the Zurich University of Applied Sciences in October 2024.
Laura is the Executive Education Lead in the Culture for the Planet project and Senior Researcher at the Center for Arts Management at ZHAW. Previously, Laura completed a PhD and Postdoc in Management at the University of St.Gallen (HSG). She founded a competence center for art market research at the HSG and initiated and supervised applied research projects with leading art institutions including Art Basel and Christie's.
Since 2011, Laura has been researching international art markets. She is a regular speaker at the “Association for Cultural Economics International” and the “International Art Market Studies Association”. Her main research interests are the value and price of art and the future viability of art institutions. This is why she is committed to creating a pioneering sustainability programme for arts and culture.
Laura also has demonstrated professional experience with art museums, galleries, fairs and auction houses and expertise in designing and leading executive education programmes. She is committed to lifelong learning, didactic excellence, and the added value of interdisciplinarity, creativity and collaboration in management education.
At ZHAW, she also leads the CAS Cultural Marketing. Laura loves all things visual and creative. She likes fine and performing arts, drawing and design, and is passionate about cooking, dancing, and music. She is fluent in German, English and French, and has basic knowledge of Italian and Spanish
Leticia is Professor and Head of the Center for Arts Management at Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) as well as Director of the executive Masterprogramm in Cultural Management. Together with Martin Müller, she has co-created and co-leads the Culture for the Planet project.
Leticia worked in the performing arts for over 10 years before joining academia. Originally from Argentina, she holds a BA in International Studies (UK), a MSc in Public and Nonprofit Management (Switzerland) and a PhD on Cultural Management (Germany). She speaks Spanish, German and English and understands French and Italian.
Her expertise extends to a wide range of topics related to the management of arts and cultural organizations, including new paths for financing and funding, performance measurement and evaluation. Underlying her work is the premise that cultural management as a distinct research discipline - rather than a field of application of general management – needs to capture professional practices and understand the everyday specific realities of organizations in the cultural sector. This line of thought runs through her publications in prominent journals such as the Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society and Cultural Trends.
Leticia is Vice-President of ENCATC, the European network on cultural management and policy that co-funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union.
Martin is a professor in the Department of Geography and Sustainability at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. He has co-created and co-leads the Culture for the Planet project. With his transformative research, he collects data and creates tools that empower museums, theaters and other cultural organisations to accelerate the sustainability transition.
He has spearheaded the development of the ‘Sustainability Star’ as the first bespoke model of sustainability for the cultural sector. He created a global benchmark for sustainability in the cultural sector, which can be used by cultural organisations to structure and measure their sustainability efforts.
He is a passionate teacher and has developed courses for cultural professionals on how to advance sustainability in their daily practice.
His research has been cited in The Economist, Art Newspaper, New York Times, Financial Times, BBC World News, Agence France-Presse, Associated Press, Der Spiegel, Süddeutsche Zeitung and other international news media.
He speaks English, German and French fluently and understands Russian, Italian and Spanish.
Martin counts playing fugues by Bach on the accordion to his special powers.
Zoé joined Culture for the Planet as Project manager and Communications Lead. During several years of experience in the cultural sector, she has gained expertise in areas such as digital communication, event project management, and fundraising.
Prior to joining Culture for the Planet, she worked with a diverse range of arts and cultural institutions, including a classical orchestra, a photography festival, and a music venue, where she built strong partnerships with local authorities. These experiences have provided her with a comprehensive understanding of the cultural landscape and the unique challenges and opportunities it presents. She is fluent in French, English, and Spanish, and is currently improving her German.
Zoé holds a Master’s degree in Cultural Management from the University of Lausanne, as well as a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Promoting Cultural Institutions from the University of Neuchâtel. She also has a background in Tourism, with a specialization in event management and digital communication. Passionate about exploring the dynamic relationships between people, institutions, culture, and the environment, Zoé is particularly interested in how these connections can foster meaningful change.
Giovanna is the Strategy Lead for the Culture for the Planet project, leading its global Alliance and community of practice. Her work bridges arts and sustainability, fostering collaboration to drive meaningful change.
Raised in Brazil, Giovanna’s Global South experience fuels her commitment and belief in the arts' transformative power. Her career spans roles across art galleries, theatres, and museums, including founding MASP’s pioneering Sustainability Working Group—groundbreaking in Latin America. She has spearheaded several strategic innovation projects, seeking to optimise decision-making through data.
Her interdisciplinary academic background includes a Business Administration degree with a Sustainability minor, a postgraduate diploma in Sociology focusing on cultural policies and urban interactions, and a master’s in Culture, Policy, and Management, where she explored how cultural policies addressing sustainability can be translated into actionable strategies for museums.
She is fluent in English and Portuguese, conversational in Spanish, and advancing her French.
Giovanna embraces her contradictions, such as a desire for immersive travels to remote places, balanced by her equal love for vibrant, never-stopping cities.
Establish the Culture for the Planet Alliance, a global community of practice uniting arts and cultural organisations, policymakers, funders, and associations. This collaborative, global platform will drive the co-creation, validation, and implementation of all project innovation objectives.
