Environmental responsibility is not only something we put on screen. It shapes how we work.
LandxSea is committed to reducing the environmental impact of our festival, year-round screenings, guest travel, hospitality, marketing, procurement and day-to-day operations.
We prioritise lower-carbon travel, local suppliers, plant-forward hospitality, responsible print, reduced waste, reusable materials and honest measurement of our impact.
We know we will not get everything perfect. Sustainability is an ongoing process of measuring, learning and improving—and we want to be open about both the progress we make and the challenges that remain.
Explore Our Approach
Core Commitments · Travel & Carbon · How We Work · At Our Events · What Comes Next
Our Core Commitments
The principles guiding our choices behind the scenes and on the ground.
Reduce, Reuse & Recycle
We design activity to prevent unnecessary waste, prioritising reusable, recyclable, compostable and biodegradable materials and avoiding single-use plastics wherever possible.
Local First
We work with local suppliers, venues, businesses, artists and caterers wherever practical, reducing transport while investing in the community around us.
Plant-Forward Hospitality
Our festival hospitality is predominantly plant-based, with locally sourced food and drink used whenever possible and active steps taken to reduce food waste.
Conscious Travel
We encourage audiences, guests and team members to reach Montrose by train, bus, bicycle or on foot, and use virtual participation when long-distance travel is not justified.
Responsible Procurement
We consider environmental impact when purchasing materials and services, looking at durability, reusability, sourcing and end-of-life disposal.
Measure & Improve
We collect information about travel, waste and operational choices so that future decisions can be based on evidence rather than good intentions alone.
Travel & Carbon
Guest and audience travel is one of the most significant parts of our festival footprint.
Montrose has direct rail connections with Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and London, making lower-carbon travel possible for many visitors. We promote rail and public transport throughout our communications and work with invited guests to avoid unnecessary flying.
2025 Guest Travel Snapshot
58%
of guests travelled by train
0
UK mainland air journeys
1+ tonne
CO₂e saved by rail instead of driving
39
guest journeys measured
Guests based in New York and Sydney joined festival conversations virtually, avoiding two long-haul journeys while still allowing audiences to hear directly from them.
2025 Filmmaker & Guest Travel Emissions
Train
220 kg CO₂e
Car
696 kg CO₂e
Flights
1,772 kg CO₂e
Total measured guest travel: approximately 2.7 tonnes CO₂e across 17,956 miles.
Flights accounted for around two-thirds of measured travel emissions despite representing a minority of journeys. This remains one of the clearest areas where careful decision-making matters.
Audience Travel in 2025
- 30% of surveyed attendees walked or cycled.
- 22% used public transport, primarily rail.
- Lower-carbon travel options were promoted through festival information and visitor communications.
Travel calculations use data and conversion tools from Julie’s Bicycle Creative Climate Tools and the ScotRail Carbon Calculator. Figures are estimates based on the information available.
Creative Climate Tools → · ScotRail Carbon Calculator →
How We Work
Everyday operational choices can add up to a meaningful difference.
A Distributed Team
- Our core team works remotely, reducing routine commuting and office energy use.
- Online meetings are used when an in-person meeting is not necessary.
- When meeting in person, we prioritise public transport and coordinate journeys where possible.
Thoughtful Purchasing
- Materials are sourced locally where practical.
- Items are selected for durability and potential reuse.
- Existing materials are adapted before new products are commissioned.
- We avoid promotional merchandise without a clear purpose or useful lifespan.
Lower-Waste Marketing
We use digital communications for much of our promotion, while recognising that printed information remains important for local reach, accessibility and audiences who are less active online.
- Printed materials are produced in considered quantities rather than automatically reprinted.
- We use recycled or responsibly sourced paper and local suppliers wherever possible.
- Our compact festival programme is designed without glue or staples.
- Festival banners and signage are reused, repaired and updated rather than replaced each year.
- Dates on our vinyl banners have previously been stitched over by hand, extending their useful life.
Our festival banners are updated with new date panels and reused rather than automatically replaced.
At Our Events
We work with our venue, suppliers and partners to make lower-impact choices throughout the visitor experience.
Our Festival Home
LandxSea takes place at the community-owned Montrose Playhouse. We work closely with the Playhouse team on venue operations, waste management, energy use, technical delivery and audience communications.
Materials & Waste
- Decorations and event materials are reused, borrowed, rented or made from lower-impact materials.
- Clearly labelled recycling and waste facilities are provided through the venue.
- Serving ware is washable, reusable or compostable wherever practical.
- Suppliers are asked to minimise unnecessary packaging.
Food & Hospitality
- Festival hospitality is predominantly plant-based.
- Local caterers and suppliers are used wherever possible.
- Guest numbers are monitored to reduce over-ordering.
- Reusable crockery and serving equipment are prioritised.
- Surplus food is avoided or redistributed where possible and safe.
Connecting Sustainability with Community
Sustainability is not only about reducing operational emissions. It is also about strengthening local relationships, sharing resources and helping people participate in change.
Throughout our festival and year-round activity, we connect audiences with environmental organisations, community initiatives, artists and independent businesses working in Montrose, Angus and across Scotland.
Community partner tables, workshops, exhibitions and participatory projects help turn ideas encountered on screen into conversations, creative responses and practical next steps.
Explore ways to take action → · Visit our Community Directory →
Always Evolving
Sustainability is not a checkbox. Each festival gives us new information about what works and what needs to change.
Our Next Priorities
- Improve the consistency and accuracy of our carbon and travel data.
- Reduce reliance on air travel while balancing access, representation and international exchange.
- Increase the proportion of guests and audiences arriving by public transport.
- Continue reducing unnecessary printing, packaging and single-use materials.
- Develop clearer waste guidance for partners, suppliers, staff and volunteers.
- Explore more energy-efficient systems and technical practices.
- Build deeper relationships with local environmental and community organisations.
- Share useful learning with other festivals and cultural organisations.
We welcome constructive ideas from audiences, partners, filmmakers, suppliers and other events. Festivals can help model better ways of working—but only when we remain honest, curious and willing to adapt.
Help Us Improve
Have a practical suggestion, useful resource or partnership idea that could make LandxSea more sustainable?
Explore LandxSea’s wider impact →
Photograph by Graham Black.