Reviewing environmental conditions

NMDC guiding principles for reducing museums’ carbon footprint

Following discussions at the Bizot Group (which comprises directors of the world's leading museums and galleries) meetings in May and October 2008, Sir Nicholas Serota, Tate, and Mark Jones, V&A, convened a group of UK conservators and other stakeholders to review museums’ environmental conditions in an era of energy constraint, in response to feedback at the Bizot Group meetings.

The debate on the need for energy constraint by museums has been broadly welcomed by the conservation professionals from major UK and international museums. There is a recognition that museums need to approach long-term collections care in a way that does not require excessive use of energy, whilst recognising their duty of care to collections. There is general agreement that it is time to shift museums’ policies for environmental control, loan conditions and the guidance given to architects and engineers from the prescription of close control of ambient conditions throughout buildings and exhibition galleries to a more mutual understanding of the real conservation needs of different categories of object, which have widely different requirements and may have been exposed to very different environmental conditions in the past.

As a first step on the road to reform, NMDC has developed a set of guiding principles for rethinking policy and practice with the aim of minimising energy use. The guidelines were developed in consultation with UK conservators, ICON and the National Trust among others. NMDC members have agreed to commit to these guidelines, signaling a move towards a less energy intensive approach to collections care. The guidelines were accepted by the European Bizot Group of major museums at their May 2009 meeting and will be taken to the international Bizot Group meeting in October.

Read the full NMDC guiding principles for reducing museums’ carbon footprint.

Read the paper presented by Sir Nicholas Serota, Director of Tate, to the Bizot Group in May 2008.

Read a 2008 paper on environmental conditions in museums by Mark Jones, Director of the V&A.