Waterloo is one of the most culturally rich corners of London – home to the Young Vic, the Old Vic, Waterloo East Theatre and independent spaces like The Glitch. We spoke to both the Young Vic and the Old Vic about what happens when sustainability stops being a box to tick and starts shaping the way theatre is made.
Young Vic
When a show finishes at the Young Vic, the question isn’t whether to clear the set – it’s where every piece goes next.
The theatre has followed the Theatre Green Book since 2021 – the standard that, as Kat puts it, “really took the industry by storm and put sustainability at the forefront.” The shared language it created matters in a sector built on freelance work: “so much of our workforce are freelancers who work across all the venues – now we have a shared language to draw upon.”
Kat chairs the Green Committee. She came to the role after co-chairing the committee at The Old Vic and working as a sustainable production manager across theatres nationally. Waterloo, she says, is “a home away from home.” The committee had a pause in 2024 due to staff changes, but has since been reformatted. They now meet every two months with representatives from every department – “from productions, marketing, operations to staff clothes swaps. It’s a mix of the little wins everyone can play a part in and the larger strategy development for the organisation.”
Reuse runs through every production. On Mr Sloane, their most successful project to date, 92% of materials were destined for a future life – other theatres, dedicated repurposing networks, eBay, Facebook Marketplace or Gumtree, “all of those typical places.” Charities regularly take set pieces for workshops and outreach. A ceiling section from Broken Glass now forms part of the Care set; a door from the same show will appear in Sting. Whatever can’t find a home elsewhere goes to a recycling centre – “but that,” says Kat, “is always the last resort.”
The Green Building Levy – audience members contributing directly to the work – funds operational improvements. Most recently: a refurbishment of the staff roof garden for biodiversity.
On the hardest part: “As anyone who has ever tried to sell something on Facebook Marketplace will know, often people can drop out at the last minute and you have to do a lot of searching. Added to that, we often need things gone quickly, as the show has finished and the next show needs to get built.” On the most rewarding: “Seeing parts of the set go on to help the homeless, or provide employment workshops – seeing the lives these items can have. That’s such a joy.”
And if you ever spot a piece of furniture on the Young Vic stage and fancy it in your living room – Kat’s invitation stands. Drop them a line. It has happened before.
The goal is the Intermediate standard of the Theatre Green Book. They’re working towards it.
The Old Vic
At The Old Vic, sustainability is built into the building itself – literally.
Their Backstage development uses Kaleido throughout: a 100% recycled and recyclable material. The café tabletops were made from old programmes. The Christmas tree in the Backstage script library was made by Smile Material from the same Kaleido panels used in the building’s own bar and tabletops – the material cycling back on itself. Every choice in the development was assessed for what could be reused or kept out of landfill. The full story is in their Backstage case study, published on the Theatre Green Book website.
The same principle runs through productions: “on most shows, all set, props and costumes are destined to have another life on another show.” They’ve reached the Advanced standard of the Theatre Green Book on A Christmas Carol, made possible by reusing the same set, costumes and props each year it runs. In 2024 they switched to biogas to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels, with air source heat pumps planned within five years to replace the gas boilers entirely.
Food and drink is held to the same standard – all donor and sponsor events are meat free, their drinks partner is B-Corp certified, and all other food and drink suppliers are required to meet high sustainability credentials.
Internally, 2026 saw the launch of a Carbon Literacy training programme. More than 60% of full-time staff are now trained, with front-of-house coming through this June. A Buro Happold-developed decarbonisation plan is in action, and they’re currently working with Shade the UK on a case study – directly relevant to the heat resilience themes being highlighted during Climate Action Week next week.
Read the Old Vic Backstage case study here.
We’re going behind the scenes at both theatres during Climate Action Week – keep an eye on our social channels.
