Partying with a conscience: Hamburg’s nightclubs embrace sustainability managers

With a new generation coming of age, the demands of clubgoers are also changing and the scene needs to adapt

Yesterday, authorities in Hamburg announced a new project to make nightclubs more sustainable. The imitative comes from the Clubkombinat Hamburg – an association of club owners and calls for the creation of sustainability officers and far-reaching climate-friendly concepts for participating members.

Six venues will take part in the pilot phase of the project, Hebebühne, the UWE, the KENT Club, the Uebel & Gefahrlich, the moondoo and the Fabrique. This is one of the first steps towards making the city’s cultural scene sustainable and, according to city officials, it will be a valuable test case to develop similar concepts for all cultural venues in the Hanseatic city.

Managing clubs’ ecological footprints

Audiences are changing and more and more of the young people in Hamburg are demanding that club owners take responsibility for the environment. Consequently, venues are looking for a way to adapt to the shift in culture.

To take part in the project, the venues first created an initial concept and balance sheet, measuring their ecological footprint with ideas to improve their performance. It takes into account eight areas – energy, mobility, resource efficiency, waste, communication, compensation, social engagement and nature conservation.

This gave them the opportunity to apply for funding from the Clubkombinat, which is supported by both local and national authorities. The funding would amount to a personnel cost subsidy of 700 euros to appoint a sustainability manager who can oversee the transition and implementation of the said concept.

Additionally, participants had to sign up for a voluntary code of conduct pledge titled ‘Celebrate the Future’ (Zukunft feiern), committing them to several principles: commitment, transparency and measurability, continuity and community.

The pioneering clubs would be able to set an example for the scene and offer best practices for other venues that want to join the initiative.

Carsten Brosda, Senator for Culture and Media was quoted in a press statement explaining that the first clubs to professionalise their sustainability management will meet the needs of visitors, as sustainability becomes a bigger concern.