Arts and cultural organisations enjoy significant public trust and wide reach. They are uniquely positioned to raise awareness, inspire change, and act as role models for sustainable practices. Sustainability initiatives within the sector have grown considerably in recent years, paving the way to unite, amplify impact and make transformative action.
Its mission is to co-produce knowledge, frameworks, and tools that empower arts and cultural organisations worldwide to embed sustainability into governance, operations, and artistic practice. Its long-term vision is to institutionalise sustainability within the arts and cultural sector through shared indicators, common standards, qualification frameworks, and structured collective learning.
The Culture for the Planet Alliance serves as the key nexus for this co-production process, bringing together cultural institutions, funders, policymakers, and associations within a structured community of practice.
Through collaborative research, validation processes, and coordinated collective initiatives, Culture for the Planet develops sector-specific frameworks designed to support systemic, long-term transformation across regions and artistic genres.
Explore our foundations:
Meaningful collaboration across geographies and institutions often requires mobility. Culture for the Planet acknowledges this paradox: advancing a global sustainability transition while operating within planetary boundaries.
The project therefore combines global coordination with responsible practice. Sustainability is embedded not only in its research outputs but also in its organisational conduct.
Minimising Impacts, Maximising Responsibility:
While international collaboration remains essential, Culture for the Planet aligns its operations with its sustainability objectives and continuously refines its practices.
Sustainability is embedded not only in the project’s research outputs but also in its operational practices. Culture for the Planet aligns its activities with the sustainability commitments of its leading organisations — the University of Lausanne (UNIL) and the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) — whose institutional strategies promote responsible resource use and sustainable governance across research, education, and operations.
For Culture for the Planet, some important points specifically are:
Evidence from the pilot study.
Efforts to address sustainability often remain fragmented due to a lack of sector-specific standards, tools, and frameworks.
The Culture for the Planet pilot research led by Professor Martin Müller and researcher Julie Grieshaber from the University of Lausanne (UNIL), involved approximately twenty in-depth interviews and a global survey with responses from over 200 international organisations. This research provided an overview of the transition towards sustainability within arts and cultural organisations.
Arts and culture as drivers of transformation.
The interest in this project stems from the recognition that arts and culture play a unique role in successful socio-ecological regeneration. The pilot research revealed that these institutions are well-positioned to lead the sustainability transition. With strong public trust, high visitor numbers, and significant capacity for inspiration, they can act as thought leaders and models for other sectors.
Key findings.
The research also highlighted the need for a more coordinated approach within the sector. Many institutions are beginning to take steps toward sustainability, but often in isolation, without integrating sustainability into their overall strategy. Additionally, challenges like insufficient expertise, limited funding, and the absence of clear benchmarks hinder progress, creating gaps between ambition and implementation.
There is currently no shared understanding of what it means to « become sustainable » among arts and cultural organisations. The sector must adopt a holistic approach to sustainability that goes beyond just climate, energy, and waste. With the right sector-specific tools, organisations can effectively report and monitor their progress, while identifying potential gaps and areas for improvement in a cohesive and structured way.
To address these gaps, the pilot research developed a conceptual model for sustainability in arts and culture: The Sustainability Star. This model serves as the foundation for future research, identifying key leverage points for arts and cultural institution's sustainability through a holistic, strategic approach.
Conclusion and next step.
Arts and culture have the ability to challenge the status quo and drive meaningful change. To harness the sector's full potential, the research identified three key directions for improvement and action:
You can read more about the Culture for the Planet pilot study results under the links below:
Dive into the interactive results
Explore the academic article:
« How sustainable are cultural organizations? A global benchmark »
The Culture Goes Sustainable research-for-action project, co-created by Professor Martin Müller (UNIL) and Professor Leticia Labaronne (ZHAW), was awarded a four-year Swiss BRIDGE Discovery Grant for its potential to drive societal transformation in 2024.
Supported by the Swiss BRIDGE Grant.
Considering the results from the pilot study, the Culture Goes Sustainable research-for-action project was co-created by Professor Martin Müller from the University of Lausanne (UNIL), Department of Geography and Sustainability, and Professor Leticia Labaronne from the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), Center for Arts Management. The project was awarded a four-year funding as a Swiss BRIDGE Discovery Grant due to its potential for societal transformation.
BRIDGE is a funding programme by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF) and Innosuisse. This elite and select programme supports projects whose results have potential for an innovative product or service. In this way, they accelerate the transfer of research results into the economy and society.
You can find out more on the BRIDGE grant at the link:
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.
