Environmental Policy

The German Federal Cultural Foundation has launched an environmental programme to support its commitment to continually improve its environmental behaviour. On 30 May 2012, the Federal Cultural Foundation received the EMAS certificate for ecological management. Developed by the European Union, the certification obliges participating institutions to undergo regular environmental management audits and make improvements to their environmental behaviour. To underscore its commitment, the Federal Cultural Foundation has recently made environmental policy a new focus. As a first step, it conducted an extensive climate assessment in 2020, on the basis of which it developed a package of measures to avoid and reduce future carbon emissions. Its goal is to achieve climate neutrality by 2030.

To generate exemplary measures promoting climate protection in the cultural sector, the German Federal Cultural Foundation has initiated a number of environmentally-minded projects. Since receiving EMAS certification in 2012, the Foundation has established locally anchored research projects which involve its own team and explore topics like biodiversity on location. The Foundation also funds numerous artistic projects which address environmental issues. You will find an overview of all the programmes and projects under the menu heading “Climate and Sustainability”.

Following a general survey of the employees at the Federal Cultural Foundation, the Executive Board and staff jointly agreed to the following environmental guidelines.

• The Federal Cultural Foundation treats natural living conditions responsibly. It strives to continually reduce any detriment it causes to the environment.

• The Federal Cultural Foundation seeks active exchange with the public and interested groups with regard to its environmental activities.

• The Foundation motivates its cooperation partners and contractors to modify their activities according to the principles of sustainability.

• The environmental guidelines of the Federal Cultural Foundation can only be achieved with the support of every employee. The management bears particular responsibility for ensuring compliance with the environmental guidelines.

• The Federal Cultural Foundation pledges to comply with all relevant environmental laws and regulations.

For more information about the Foundation’s environmental guidelines and environmental management activities, please read the Environmental Statement (opens in a new window) (in German only) of the Federal Cultural Foundation.

The Foundation’s new headquarters opened in October 2012 with an official ceremony attended by German Chancellor Dr. Angela Merkel. The headquarters were built according to the latest ecological construction methods with a particular emphasis on energy-efficient technologies. These include ventilation chambers with built-in heat recovery, triple-glazed windows, photovoltaic panels and highly efficient insulation.