Environmental Responsibility statement
Introduction
The Exhibitions Group has been on a journey of learning and development to improve our own and the Sector’s environmental responsibility since 2024. This has included conducting research into the Carbon Impacts of International Lending and Borrowing and working with partners such as the Design Museum and Art Fund to develop tools for organisations to use to make it easier to make environmentally sustainable exhibitions.
We realise that we have more to do especially regarding our own internal team practice, so last year we set ambitious carbon emission goals for the organisation itself and we aim to constantly re-evaluate our own practice. We know we have more to do, for example, when considering the use of digital technology.
Values and Mission
Our Mission is ‘We connect and empower everyone in exhibitions to create relevant, sustainable, diverse and accessible exhibitions.” To empower everyone to make sustainable exhibitions it is essential that we continue to learn about emerging best practices and share them with the sector. To lead, we also need to check our own internal practices too.
Our Values are that we are Collaborative, Inclusive, Ambitious, Responsible and Generous. In the context of environmental responsibility this means collaborating with sector experts such as Gallery Climate Coalition, to support the sector in best practice, being ambitious about what is possible for the sector to move towards net zero, to be responsible about the information we provide and our own practice, and to be generous in the sharing of information and resources that can support the sector in a shared journey towards environmental stewardship.
Our specific goals from 2024- 2027:
- Create an online resource hub on sustainable exhibition making. Our vision is for the hub to become the go-to resource for all organisations. The Exhibitions Group will vet tools and resources to ensure access to best practice information and support that enables organisations to consider how to embed environmental best practice into all aspects of exhibitions.
- The sustainable exhibitions resource hub will be complimented by the development of training and resources to support professional development specifically relating to environmental sustainability.
- Our Exhibition Makers’ Toolkit will be revised and updated to include chapters and information relating to sustainability.
As of July 2025 we have:
- Created an online resource hub with lots of exhibition making information, research and tools for sustainable exhibition making.
- Developed resources, notably the Rethinking Touring Exhibitions tool to support professional development specifically relating to environmental sustainability in partnership with Art Fund and The Design Museum. Training on using the tool is being rolled out through the Museums Development Network across England in 2025. Join our mailing list [insert link] to be the first to hear about training dates in England.
These goals are specific areas of work and are supported by an ongoing review of our working practices including:
- Creating a Sustainability Trustee role and reviewing all contracts to embed sustainability across our work.
- Establishing sustainability as an agenda item at our Board meetings and developing trustee knowledge.
- Embedding sustainable practices into our operation, management, and delivery.
- Monitoring and sharing our environmental footprint and implementing ways to reduce this impact.
- Collaborating and partnering with sector organisations to promote and share tools and advocate for sustainable exhibition making in the sector.
- Providing training and resources focussed on sustainability, which will support organisations to reduce the environmental impact of exhibitions.
As of July 2025 we have also:
- Relaunched our website which has reduced its size from 20MB to 2.9MB making it quicker for users and reducing its carbon footprint to 0.6567g of CO2e. This has improved its carbon rating from F to C.
- Change website host to a new green hosting provider, which is run on 100% renewable energy. We also use Cloudflare to improve speed and security.
- Made our 2025 Exhibitions Connect event free from single use plastic.
- Used an app to share Exhibitions Connect event information instead of delegates printing information.
- Created carbon budgets that our Consulting Team work to.
As of March 2026 we have:
- Continued to develop the online resource hub on sustainable exhibition making. We have added resources as they have been developed.
- Rolled out training in how to use the Rethinking Touring Exhibitions tool working with the Museums Development Network across England in 2025 and agreed sessions to run in Scotland and Northern Ireland in 2026. Join our mailing list to be the first to hear about training dates.
- Completed a full year of more detailed carbon reporting and hit our targets to reduce emissions by members of the Consulting Team.
- We have reduced total emissions from 6 tonnes in 2023-24 to 3 tonnes in 2024-25.
- We became a Gallery Climate Coalition member in August 2025.
- Carried out team digital cleaning to reduce our carbon footprint.
- Achieved Carbon Literacy training in the team including carbon literate trainer status.
As of March 2026 we set ourselves additional goals to achieve by 2028:
- To maintain total emissions, despite increasing levels of activity, significantly lower than 2023-2024
- To investigate the carbon impacts of digital technology as they relate to our own organisation and to digital / immersive exhibitions making in order to support their reduction
– Updated March 2026
