Going Net Zero

SWG3 is one of Scotland’s busiest venues. We have 250,000 people coming through our doors each year for gigs, clubs, art, food, drink, work and everything in between - needing heat and light and sound. We have artists, unavoidably, travelling across the city, country or globe to deliver it. And, to make it all happen, we work with a wide network of suppliers, collaborators, companies and individuals, both local and global. 

We want to keep dancing, keep working, keep creating, keep inspiring ― but we also want to do this in a responsible, innovative way that recognises and addresses the climate crisis. And so, over the past two years, we have been measuring our carbon emissions to better understand our environmental impact and continuously improving the biodiversity and sustainability of the site for many years to come. Our plan is to radically reduce our emissions to net zero by 2025 — or sooner.

We know this won’t be easy, but we know we have to try — and we're mad up for the challenge.

Here is an update on our progress.

Our Focus

Addressing energy efficiency and reducing waste

Working alongside sustainability and innovation consultancy, Stance, we've begun to understand our most significant sources of carbon emissions from our day-to-day operations.

Our baseline carbon footprint was calculated as 131 tonnes CO2e and our assessment boundary included emissions from electricity, gas, waste, and business travel.

At the end of 2021, we calculated our carbon footprint, which was 109.7 tonnes CO2e, resulting in a 16.26% emissions reduction from our baseline. In 2022, our carbon footprint was 130.6 tonnes CO2e, an increase of 19%. This is attributed to the fact that we have measured and included emissions from staff commuting. Our operational emissions (Scope 1 and Scope 2) have stayed the same as 2021 at 102 tonnes CO2e, which is a positive step, as 2022 was the first year we have been fully operational since the pandemic.

Our focus for 2023 is to build a fuller picture of our carbon footprint, including our supply chain emissions, to fill in the gaps in our assessment boundary and find out where we can make the most impact. We will continue to externally report our emissions through the SME Climate Commitment and provide annual updates on our website.

It’s been three years since we announced our ambitious intentions of becoming net zero by 2025. We’ve made some real progress, and also hit some hurdles too, but we’re still throwing everything into reaching our end goals. We promised to keep you updated with our progress, so here’s a rundown of the last three years.

Our Actions

WHAT WE’VE MANAGED TO ACHIEVE SO FAR

2021

• Switched to a renewable energy provider.  
• Offset our annual carbon emissions (which we continue to do each year). 
• Created a Decarbonisation Plan.  

2022 

• Set up SWG3 Green Team to discuss and review sustainability practices. 
• Switched on BODYHEAT.  
• Carried out a waste audit and sustainable travel survey.  

2023 

• Opened our community garden space to the public   
• Introduced reusable cups in our bars. 
• Carried out an energy efficiency audit. 
• Reviewed our procurement processes to increase sustainability in our supply chain. 
• Improved circular practices by setting up an SWG3 circular swap shop. 
• Improved internal waste and recycling procedures. 

Our Aims

WHAT WE AIM TO ACHIEVE ACROSS 2024

• Implement our SWG3 Active Travel Initiative.   
• Work alongside key suppliers to help further reduce emissions.  
• Increase water and energy efficiency by 15%. 
  
  

WHAT WE AIM TO ACHIEVE ACROSS 2025-2030

2025 

• Generate renewable electricity onsite. 
• Increase our recycling rate to 70%.  
• Become OPERATIONALLY NET ZERO.  

2030 

• Ensure our entire supply chain is committed to Net Zero.  
• Increase biodiversity net gain.  
• Become a ‘Circular Village’ for Glasgow.  
• Work with artists to reduce touring emissions.  
• NET ZERO ACHIEVED.