Live DMA achives SHIFT eco-certification

We are proud to announce that Live DMA is amongst the 17 organisations to have achieved their certification in the third year of the SHIFT programme.

Over the past months, we’ve worked closely with other participating networks, Culture for Climate Scotland and Vector42 to strengthen our commitment to sustainable practices. This collaboration has marked a significant step forward, equipping us with a framework and practical tools to effectively embed environmental responsibility across all areas of our work.

As a direct outcome of this process, Live DMA now has an Environmental Policy, adopted in 2025, that applies to all of our activities and will guide our work moving forward.

More info on shift

Below is the statement issued by Culture For Climate Scotland:

For the third year in a row, participating networks have worked to implement the SHIFT Culture eco-guidelines for cultural networks, with all 17 of the participating networks achieving certification.

Each network has implemented the mandatory guidelines in their organisation along with some optional guidelines from the framework, participated in peer audits with their fellow participants and attended a combined development workshop online. The networks also received an external audit from Vector42 in their first or second year of participation.

The guidelines implemented through the eco-certificate were developed and designed specifically for and by network organisations through the SHIFT project. These organisations tend to be small in size but large in terms of influence, with most of their environmental impact stemming from travel.

Through the eco-certification scheme, networks receive external audits from Vector42 in their first and second year of participation and alternate years thereafter. In the years where no external audit is given networks carry out self-review and a peer audit with their buddy in order to maintain their certification. This approach keeps peer leadership and accountability at the heart of the scheme and builds connections between networks to enable bolder action.

A significant feature of our workshop in autumn 2025 was sharing best practice that participants had developed and implemented through being part of the SHIFT Culture community. Participants also finalised the review of the eco-guidelines ready for their implementation from 2026 onwards.

Since we have now reached the end of the pilot project, 2026 marks a transition year. We at Culture for Climate Scotland have truly valued the opportunity to support the networks in this important journey, from our role in supporting the co-creation of the guidelines through to the three-year pilot project coordinating the eco-certification. From 2027 we will be stepping away from our coordination role in the scheme to allow a different organisation to lead. The callout for a new coordinator is currently live, with a deadline for applications of 6 March.

‘We want to wholeheartedly congratulate the SHIFT Culture community for their achievements in implementing green practice, positioning themselves at the forefront of sustainable change in European cultural work over the past three years, and thank them for the opportunity to be part of it. We look forward to seeing what the next phase brings and wish all in the SHIFT Culture community great success.’ Caro Overy, Green Arts Manager, Culture for Climate Scotland

Congratulations to this year’s SHIFT eco-certified cultural network organisations: