Our commitment to climate protection

Green Alte Oper

We put our climate-friendly behaviour to the test and focus on the topic of sustainability!

It is time to think ahead and make a difference together. The world is facing big challenges and we all have a responsibility for future generations. According to the German Climate Protection Programme, 65% of CO2 emissions must be reduced by 2030, and there is still a lot to be done before then! Incidentally, the year 2030 is also an important milestone for the Alte Oper: it will be the 150th anniversary of the building's foundation as an opera house. We are using this anniversary as an opportunity to address the pressing challenges of our time and set the course for tomorrow. We have called this mission 'Future House Alte Oper'. We are addressing questions about the future of the concert business, new formats and new ways of reflecting and engaging with a diverse urban society - and, of course, our responsibility for climate protection. The conscious use of our planet's resources is not something we have recently discovered, but has long been part of our self-image. Nevertheless, we know: The journey has only just begun and there is still so much we can achieve! We would like to take you, our audience, with us on this journey.

Key factor: energy saving
In a large concert and congress centre like ours, with around 460 events and 500,000 visitors a year, with lighting and sound technology and large halls that need to be air-conditioned, energy consumption is a key factor in the environmental balance. We have invested heavily in this area over the last 20 years and have reduced our consumption significantly:

EURO Investments in energy-saving measures since 2005

less electricity in 2023 compared to 2003 despite 45 % more events

less heat consumption between 2021 and 2023

lower energy consumption per event between 2023 and 2003
Many small steps add up to a big one

Every single action counts. That is why we are constantly reviewing our day-to-day office life and the operation of the building in terms of climate-friendly behaviour. We have made major investments in our air conditioning, lighting, hot water, etc. to save energy. But we have also focused on and optimised the many 'little things' - from the use of biodegradable cleaning products to the use of recycled paper in our everyday office life and in our printed promotional materials.
Last but not least, the team's awareness of what we can achieve through our own behaviour is also important. Taking the stairs instead of the lift, turning off lights when leaving the office, not taking domestic flights, printing only when absolutely necessary - there is a lot in our hands!

In detail: What we have already achieved
For example: trees instead of flowers

Starting with the 2024/25 season, we will no longer say thank you to our artists with a flower after the concert, but with a good deed. This means that instead of handing over bouquets of flowers, we will donate the equivalent amount to environmental projects as a lasting token of our appreciation. Our donations currently go to Sebastião Salgado and Lélia Wanick Salgado's Instituto Terra, which has been working to preserve and reforest the Brazilian rainforest since 1998 and has planted more than four million trees.
And where are we right now?

Through a combination of measures, we have been able to significantly reduce our energy consumption in recent years. After all, we have a dual responsibility - not only in terms of how we use the planet's resources, but also in terms of the public funds we receive. But what do the savings we have achieved tell us? To put it in perspective, we are currently using XDC software, developed by Frankfurt-based climate tech company right. based on science, to calculate our contribution to global warming, not in abstract CO2 emissions, but in a tangible number of degrees Celsius. Will we even stay within the 1.5 degree target set by the Paris climate agreement? Our ambition is to land in the 'green zone'. And if not, we will work all the harder to get there!
An alliance for climate protection: the ÖKOPROFIT environmental project

The ÖKOPROFIT environmental project was launched in Frankfurt in 2008. Since 2009, we have been participating in this cooperation project between local authorities and companies, which has set itself climate protection targets. As a certified member of this Frankfurt climate alliance, we are committed to further optimising energy consumption, avoiding and separating waste, reducing resource consumption, and informing and motivating employees to adopt environmentally friendly and energy-saving behaviour.
Further certification options are currently being examined.
Invitation to join in: our new Green Subscription
We want to get you, our audience, on board with a new subscription: The Green Subscription, offered for the first time in the 2025/26 season, ties in with our climate-friendly measures and combines concert attendance with an exploration of aspects of sustainability. The five concerts of piano, chamber and orchestral music are integrated into a climate-friendly package, inviting our audiences to engage with the issue and make their own contribution to climate protection.
All of the events in the Green Subscription are linked to discussions (not only) on the subject of climate protection with well-known dialogue partners. The talks will be moderated by Natascha Pflaumbaum, HR journalist and presenter.

We are expanding our range of catering during the breaks to include vegetarian or vegan alternatives at a fair price.

Saving resources: Instead of a printed programme, all information about the concert will be available digitally. And as always, trees instead of flowers - instead of bouquets, artists will receive certificates for donations to climate protection projects.

Save CO2 on the way to the concert: come by bike! We have teamed up with the German Cyclists' Federation (ADFC) to provide extra parking spaces and offer a bike service that includes coding, minor repairs and a quick clean.

Too far to cycle? Use public transport. The RMV ticket is included with your concert ticket. And it's just a few steps from Alte Oper underground station or Taunusanlage S-Bahn station to our venue.
Expertise required: We listen

Let's ask those who know best! We seek dialogue with industry experts. The 'XDC software' from the Frankfurt-based company 'right. based on science' is used to calculate and validate the life cycle assessment of the building. We were able to win the Zurich Group Germany as a sustainability partner. Experts from ING's Sustainability and Strategy department are also supporting our work. We ask around: Which institutions in the event sector are setting a good example - what can we adopt? As part of our new Green Subscription, we give sustainability experts a podium to talk about their work.
Climate-friendly: travel with a free RMV ticket

You, our audience, can also help to minimise our carbon footprint: Leave your car at home and come to the concert by public transport!
The Alte Oper pays an annual fee of around €150,000 so that you can use your ticket as a free travel pass for the entire Rhine-Main transport network.
The ticket is valid for a return journey in the entire RMV fare zone from 5 hours before the start of the performance until the end of the performance, and is valid for the Alte Oper's own events as well as many other events. Please check the event on our website to see if the RMV ticket is valid for the event you are attending.
No alternative: We remain international!

The truth is that, as one of Germany's major concert halls, we regularly invite international artists and orchestras, some of whom have no alternative but to travel by air - the resulting CO2e emissions are undeniable. But musicians and orchestras are and will remain indispensable ambassadors of culture. In these times of division and separation, the unifying power of music is needed more than ever, and the international orientation of the Alte Oper, which serves this purpose, is not up for debate.
However, we are in dialogue with the agencies, artists and orchestras to plan these trips in a logistically sensible way and with as few emissions as possible.

Dreams of the future: the commitment continues

We have a lot more to do! Climate protection will remain high on the agenda at the Alte Oper in the coming years. We are planning or in the process of implementing numerous technical innovations that will further reduce energy consumption. The cold stores are currently being modernised and the ventilation system drives are gradually being replaced with more efficient drives. A new energy monitoring system is being installed to analyse meter readings and the electrical infrastructure is being progressively upgraded. The installation of motion detectors is being investigated, as is the possibility of using renewable energy. Upcoming certifications, which may become mandatory for recipients of public funds, will spur us on to take further measures!

But this is also what we are interested in: how can we initiate a public discourse with creative and intelligent concepts, with content-related work and with new formats? What can we achieve together with the audience, and how can we develop creative concepts for improvements in climate protection together with the musicians and orchestras coming to the festival? Most importantly, we need to look at our own behaviour: How can we increase our commitment to climate friendly behaviour? What education and training opportunities can we take advantage of? We will do much more!