26 Sep Art Basel, Frieze, and More to Halve Emissions by 2030

Source Credit:  Content and images from Ocula Magazine.  Read the original article - https://ocula.com/magazine/art-news/art-basel-frieze-and-more-to-halve-emissions/

Thirteen art fair operators made the commitment in a new alliance established through the nonprofit Gallery Climate Coalition.

Fair operators representing 40 fairs today announced a shared commitment to halving their emissions by 2030. The participating fair operators include market leaders Art Basel, Frieze, and TEFAF, as well as regional fairs such as ARCO (Madrid), CHART (Copenhagen), and Untitled Art (Miami).

This alliance of art fairs came together following a workshop among members of the nonprofit Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC). Their Art Fair Co-Commitment Statement outlines best practices for measuring, reporting, and reducing emissions and waste. The GCC also worked with the fairs to develop a toolkit for reducing art fairs’ contribution to climate change.

TEFAF joined the GCC in 2022. Their Head of Fairs, Will Korner, said they have already reduced energy consumption at TEFAF Maastricht by more than 43% since 2019. Other aspects of producing the fair, such as replacing walls that have been used for 10–20 years, ‘would include high up-front costs and long-term schedules for the correct investments, which TEFAF is committed to and planning as an organisation.’

TEFAF Maastricht 2024. Courtesy TEFAF. Photo: Jiitske Nap.

The fairs’ emissions reduction commitment does not include emissions caused by visitors and galleries travelling to fairs, nor works shipped to them, usually by air. Roughly one third of a typical commercial gallery’s annual greenhouse gas emissions can be attributed to their participation in art fairs, according to a case study conducted by the GCC.

‘Our general rule of thumb is that if the organisation has paid for it, then they are responsible for—and crucially, will have access to the data required for—measuring and monitoring the associated emissions,’ said GCC’s director Heath Lowndes.

‘We don’t expect the fairs to report on other organisations’ emissions, but we do expect them to use their position and influence to mitigate impacts, alongside urgently addressing their own direct emissions,’ Lowndes said. ‘Some of the ways they can do this is by encouraging exhibitors to adopt GCC’s best practices for shipping travel and packaging, incentivising climate-conscious decision-making, and communicating throughout their networks and supply chains about the changes necessary to reduce emissions.’

Korner said travel to fairs ‘seems to be the most significant footprint percentage-wise’, though he noted many of those who attend TEFAF Maastricht travel by train or car, rather than flying.

The Gallery Climate Coalition team. Courtesy GCC.

When it comes to the environmental impacts of shipping works in, he said ‘our main priority in this area is to expand our own coordination with these shippers directly, to facilitate their consolidation of shipments and schedules, which should lead to not only more sustainable options, but lower costs for exhibitors, showing that not all choices in this area come at greater cost.’

Major art fair operators including Art Assembly, Angus Montgomery Arts, and ART021, who together hold events across the Asia Pacific region, have not yet joined the GCC.

Angus Montgomery Arts said they hadn’t been contacted about this initiative, but would reach out to the GCC to learn more. They noted they had developed their own environmental sustainability policy and publicly pledged support for ‘Net Zero Carbon Events’.

Art Assembly’s fairs Art Taipei and Tokyo Gendai are both listed on GCC’s site but not as active members. They said they had taken steps to make their fairs more sustainable, including using LED lighting, less printed materials, less carpet, and partnering with venues who have recognised sustainability management practices.

A spokesperson for Art Assembly said, ‘having taken these measures already, we believe we are now in a position to explore joining the GCC to deepen and improve our existing efforts.’

ART021 did not respond to a request for comment.

‘There is an open invitation to join this initiative for any further art fairs willing to collaborate and commit to these same environmental standards,’ Lowndes said. ‘There is no competition when it comes to climate action—by working together, we can drive systemic change and transition to a more sustainable future in the art world.’

Gallery Climate Coalition booth at Frieze London 2021. Photo: Ben Westoby.

Given the high environmental costs of travelling and shipping works to art fairs, can they ever be truly sustainable?

Nele Verhaerenm, managing director of Art Brussels and Art Antwerp, which signed the statement, said, ‘it depends on your perspective.’

‘You could never visit so many galleries in such a short time. As a collector, you would not only lose valuable time but also generate a significantly larger carbon footprint by visiting each gallery individually.’

Lowndes, for one, is not calling for an end to art fairs.

‘Art fairs are an important part of the market and the ecosystem of the wider visual arts sector, and many galleries rely on the business and networking opportunities art fairs provide,’ he said.

‘Stopping international travel and freight would certainly drastically reduce a gallery’s emissions, and if a gallery stopped participating in art fairs for environmental reasons we would applaud them for that decision; however it wouldn’t be responsible for GCC to call for this, and it is not part of our recommendations.’ —[O]

Source Credit:  Content and images from Ocula Magazine.  Read the original article - https://ocula.com/magazine/art-news/art-basel-frieze-and-more-to-halve-emissions/