The 4C Observatory of Fondazione Santagata has launched the second national survey of the 4C – Culture and Creative Carbon Cut project, a research initiative dedicated to measuring and reducing the environmental impacts of cultural and creative industries in Italy.
Following the success of the first survey, which concluded in October 2024, the new data collection aims to expand the mapping of the sector and strengthen the knowledge base needed to support cultural organisations in undertaking a concrete and effective ecological transition.
Context
The first phase of the 4C project made it possible to collect data on emissions, energy consumption and environmental practices from numerous Italian cultural organisations across nine cultural sectors, providing for the first time a systematic overview of the environmental impacts of the sector.
The results highlighted how the cultural and creative sector, although not classified among energy-intensive industries, generates environmental impacts that are often underestimated. At the same time, the sector plays a strategic role in society: in addition to reducing its own impact, it can help shape new imaginaries, behaviours and sustainable practices.
Objectives
The second survey aims to:
- expand the available data base on the environmental impacts of cultural and creative organisations in Italy;
- refine analyses by sector and territory, improving the understanding of the sector’s specific characteristics;
- provide useful elements for the definition of policies, tools and operational guidelines for the decarbonisation of the cultural sector.
The more organisations participate in the survey, the more accurate, representative and useful the resulting picture will be for building effective ecological transition strategies.
Questionnaire
The second survey is open to all Italian cultural and creative organisations: museums, theatres, foundations, festivals, creative enterprises, libraries, archives and any organisation active in the cultural and creative sector.
It is not necessary to have already started sustainability initiatives: participation is valuable regardless of the organisation’s level of environmental maturity.
The questionnaire – developed on the basis of consolidated international experiences such as Julie’s Bicycle (United Kingdom) and Décarbonons la Culture (France) – collects information on:
- governance and organisational practices related to environmental sustainability
- communication, education and awareness-raising activities on sustainability
- energy consumption and supply sources
- waste management and water resource use
- mobility of staff, artists and audiences
Completion takes approximately 20–30 minutes, and all data are processed in anonymous and aggregated form.
Useful links
To participate in the second survey and complete the questionnaire:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdmFwQYeKkZx5nLL2YbhyqF-8vxp4l_CKbOuABGOr-pq_xUGQ/viewform?usp=send_form
For information or support with the questionnaire, you can contact the research team:
change@fondazionesantagata.it
The results of the second survey will be shared with the sector through public reports, dissemination events and operational guidelines, with the goal of supporting the Italian cultural sector in achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, in line with the European commitments of the Green Deal.