Our Environmental Sustainability
The planet faces a climate emergency. We are already seeing the effects of global warming, pollution, habitat destruction and a loss of biodiversity.
At Baltic we are built on a saltmarsh and therefore home to the furthest inland kittiwake colony in the world, 200,000 bees reside in our rooftop hives during the summer months, and we sit on the banks of the beautiful River Tyne – a constant reminder of our surrounding natural world.
We strive to be a leader in environmental sustainability and believe that a successful future for our organisation and visitors depends on the sustainability of the environment, communities and economies in which we operate.
We are committed to reducing our impact wherever possible, reusing resources and recycling waste while demonstrating leadership and integrating environmental considerations into all our practices.
Awards & Certificates
In 2025 Baltic were accredited 'Best Newcomer' for the Investors in the Environment Award, achieving Green level accreditation at the first attempt. This reflects our commitment to embedding sustainability across all areas of our operations - from exhibitions and learning programmes to day-to-day resource management.
Following this, in 2026 Baltic achieved the Green Tourism Silver Award.
Environmental Policy
We are committed to
- Understanding and educating ourselves and our employees on the impacts we have on the environment
- Setting environmental and quality objectives and targets and reviewing them to ensure continual improvement
- Encouraging sustainable consumption associated with our activities to minimise unnecessary waste of electricity, fuel and materials
- Considering the environmental credentials of our contractors and sourcing locally where practical and striving to improve and reduce these impacts
- Complying with all relevant environmental legislation and other requirements to which our organisation subscribes
Our impacts
We aim to achieve these commitments by identifying and, where possible, reducing the negative environmental impacts of our activities in:
- Our energy use, water use and waste
- Our contractor and service providers transportation use to and from site – local contractors to be used where possible to reduce transport.
- Use of building materials for exhibition installs, use wate and transportation.
- Our buildings operation, maintenance and refurbishments, use, wate and transportation.
- Trading use, waste and transportation.
- Office processes and procurement.
Our Commitments
Operations
- Meet, and where appropriate, exceed the requirements of all relevant environmental management legislation
- Manage and reduce water waste
- Manage and reduce energy usage, and seek renewable alternatives where available
- Formulate and implement a sustainable procurement plan
- Continue to recycle at source waste plastic, glass, cardboard, paper, metal, considering a lifecycle approach to our resource use
- Maintain a capital plan which will reduce utilities and forefront environmental impacts
- Monitor noise pollution
Community & Collaboration
- Seek to work with local and sustainable contractors where possible
- Ensure that contractors comply with relevant environmental responsibility requirements for materials and packaging and the circular economy is considered
- Work with our catering partners Fresh Element to reduce food waste and to provide food recycling processes
- Engage in staff training to increase awareness of Baltic’s environmental impacts across a range of its operational activities
- Communicate our environmental impacts and the work we are undertaking to address these to Baltic staff, visitors and other stakeholders
- Use our learning and exhibitions programme platform to highlight environmental concerns where appropriate
- Continue working with Gateshead District Energy Scheme, winner of the Visionary Project Award by the Association for Decentralised Energy, to reduce use of carbon energy
Innovation
- Research and seek opportunities to make use of technological and operational innovation to manage the above environmental impacts throughout the building
- Promote biodiversity and monitor and reduce any potential damage to ecosystems
Ecology Policy
Baltic aims to sustainably manage nature in a way that helps to address climate mitigation and adaptation using nature based solutions (NBS) and NBS frameworks as the tool to address ecological and biodiversity aims.
We strive to be a leader in Nature Based Solutions and believe that a successful future for our organisation and visitors depends on the sustainability of the ecologies, communities and economies in which we operate.
We are committed to
We are committed to finding spaces for nature wherever possible and addressing the biodiversity crisis we currently face by:
- Creating an improved and more resilient eco-systems where possible
- Enhancing human wellbeing
- Contributing to the green economy with training and job creation
- Consulting professional ecologists where practical and striving to improve and reduce these impacts
- Complying with all relevant legislation
- Actively assessing Baltics activities in relation to its impact on local ecology
Our impacts
We aim to achieve these commitments by identifying and, where possible, reducing the negative ecological impacts of our activities in:
- Our contribution to climate change through energy use, water use and waste
- Our use of natural resources
- Our urban street trees and architecture
- Our sites for habitat across the building
- Our situation on an ancient Saltmarsh
Our Commitments
Operations
- Meet, and where appropriate, exceed the requirements of all relevant ecological management legislation
- Manage and increase physical green space
- Manage and increase visitor and staff engagement with biodiversity
- Formulate and implement a sustainable income generation plan
- Continue to support Kittiwake population sustainably
- Maintain a habitat for bees
- Create cool spaces for nature, with shade
Community & Collaboration
- Increase green, natural and/or outdoor spaces for visitors and communities
- Ensure that contractors comply with relevant environmental responsibility requirements for materials and packaging
- Work with our partners to reduce impacts on the natural world
- Engage in staff training to increase awareness of Baltic’s ecological impacts and commitments across a range of its activities
- Communicate our ecological impacts and the work we are undertaking to address these to Baltic staff, visitors and other stakeholders
- Use our learning and exhibitions programme platform to highlight ecological and biodiversity concerns where appropriate
Innovation
- Generate new NBS projects with knowledge exchange and collaborative ways of working between departments and stakeholders
- Promote biodiversity, monitor and when appropriate reduce any damage to ecosystems