Decarbonising the Art World: Can Creativity Save the Climate?
“What is worth more – art or life?”
That searing question, hurled by activist Phoebe Plummer after flinging tomato soup at Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, wasn’t just a protest – it was a mirror. Held up to a global industry often romanticized for its refinement and legacy, but rarely scrutinized for its carbon cost. It forced the art world to reckon with a truth it has long avoided:
The global art market emits more CO₂ annually than many European nations.
Seventy million tonnes. That was the estimated annual carbon footprint of the global art industry in 2021. That’s more than the national emissions of Austria or Greece. And the major culprits? The jet-setting lifestyle of art fairs, the constant shipping of fragile artworks across continents, and the energy-guzzling demands of perfectly climate-controlled museums.
The Invisible Smog Behind the Velvet Ropes
Art fairs are the lifeblood of the art economy. For galleries, they’re essential revenue generators. For collectors, they’re networking galas. But behind the glitz lies a carbon-heavy reality.
International art fairs draw over 1.2 million visitors per year.
Air freight produces 11x more emissions per ton than road transport and 68x more than sea.
Visitor travel accounts for roughly 74% of the visual arts sector’s emissions.
That’s not counting the temporary booths, crates, new carpets, and throwaway infrastructure—all of which typically end up in landfills within days.
A Climate Catastrophe in the Making
Before the pandemic, only 3% of art dealers considered sustainability a business priority. Their top focus? Attending more fairs, finding new collectors, and building influence.
This wasn’t mere apathy—it was systemic dependence. The art market evolved around in-person experiences, where visibility meant hopping continents, and prestige meant showing up. But by 2024, this approach was no longer sustainable—ethically or ecologically.
One example is the Caspar David Friedrich exhibition in Greifswald. It drew 75,000 visitors in just seven weeks. A triumph? Perhaps. But when you factor in the travel, the emissions are staggering. It’s exhibitions like these that drive the 52 million tonnes of carbon emissions attributed to art world visitor travel alone.
A Creative Awakening
The good news? The art world is responding—not just with statements, but with strategy.
Take the Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC), founded in 2020 in London. In just four years, it grew to over 1,500 members across 50+ countries—galleries, museums, artists, shippers, and collectors. Every member commits to cut emissions by at least 50% by 2030, and to shift toward near-zero waste.
Their tools include:
A carbon calculator tailored to galleries and exhibitions.
Sustainability toolkits for art fairs, shipping, and operations.
A fair commitment charter, now signed by Frieze, Art Basel, TEFAF, and more.
The message is clear: sustainability is no longer optional—it’s operational.
Art Fairs Get an Eco-Conscience
Frieze, once known for its signature plush carpets, now reclaims and recycles every square inch. The walls, tents, lighting—all reused annually.
They’ve:
Switched to 100% LED lighting.
Integrated biofuels and battery storage into fair operations.
Committed to near-zero waste by 2030.
Similarly, Hauser & Wirth—a heavyweight gallery with spaces in London, New York, Zurich, and LA—has pledged a 50% emissions cut by 2030. They’ve already:
Transitioned 70% of their global energy supply to renewables.
Launched carbon budgets per exhibition, treating carbon like money.
Built their new Los Angeles gallery to LEED Platinum standards.
These aren't token gestures. They're blueprints.
Digitalisation: The Airplane Alternative
The pandemic proved what few had dared suggest: art can travel without moving.
Platforms like Vortic now offer high-fidelity, virtual reality exhibitions that replicate the experience of walking through a gallery—without the air miles. The results?
96% emissions reduction in fully digital exhibitions.
A 278x decrease in emissions by replacing flights from London to Miami with a virtual art fair.
Even hybrid shows, where only part of the work travels physically, can halve the emissions.
Digital auctions too are booming. They cut travel emissions, reduce need for glossy catalogues, and expand global access—no business class tickets required.
And with Ethereum’s 2022 upgrade to proof-of-stake, even NFTs have gone green, slashing their energy usage by 99.9%.
Rethinking Museums: From Carbon Halls to Climate Havens
Major museums are following suit. The Bizot Group Green Protocol now guides many institutions to relax rigid climate controls—saving enormous energy while keeping art safe.
New strategies include:
Longer exhibitions to reduce shipping frequency.
Local or regional loans to replace intercontinental travel.
Sea and rail freight replacing air cargo where possible.
Some institutions are building entire carbon budgets per exhibition—calculating emissions from crate to wall. Others are tying sustainability into curatorial strategy, prioritising local narratives and materials.
The Artists Lead the Way
Many contemporary artists aren’t just responding to climate change—they’re embodying solutions:
Gary Hume only permits his artworks to be shipped by land or sea.
Tino Sehgal and Gavin Turk have vowed to never fly for their art again.
Sculptor X. Breidenbach created a work designed to fit in an A4 envelope, revolutionizing how we think about scale and shipping.
Installations made from recycled plastics, reclaimed wood, and biodegradable textiles are becoming the norm, not the novelty.
Art is evolving—not just in theme, but in practice.
Green Teams, Carbon Reports & Public Declarations
To operationalize sustainability, the GCC and others recommend:
Green Teams: Designated individuals or committees driving change within an organisation.
Annual Carbon Reports: Using data to track progress and identify hotspots.
Public Environmental Responsibility Statements: Showcasing transparency and accountability.
These aren’t just tactics—they’re the tools of an industry rewriting its rules.
A Global Movement, A Shared Vision
In 2024, 13 major art fairs joined a global Green Fairs Alliance. They committed to:
Reducing emissions 50% by 2030.
Publishing environmental data publicly.
Sharing solutions, not just competing.
Meanwhile, museums across Europe now tie public funding to carbon tracking. The UK’s Arts Council mandates environmental reporting. Austria’s STAGE art fair provides free public transport for ticket-holders, and a zero-flight policy for VIPs.
Policy is catching up. Practice must too.
The Future: Circular, Regenerative, Visionary
The next frontier isn’t just sustainability—it’s regeneration.
Imagine:
Circular exhibitions: Walls, pedestals, and sets reused across continents.
Carbon-inclusive pricing: Collectors offsetting emissions on every artwork purchase.
Green-powered storage: Solar-powered climate-controlled vaults.
Art-for-climate funds: Auctions supporting reforestation, carbon capture, and clean energy.
And more importantly—imagine a world where every exhibition is also a climate statement, where every artwork is born with a conscience.
Final Brushstroke
The art world is standing at a precipice. It can no longer claim the mantle of cultural leadership without acknowledging its environmental responsibilities.
But here's the inspiring truth:
The same creativity that moves hearts can move the planet.
By reimagining how art is created, shared, transported, and celebrated, the industry can become a beacon—proving that beauty and responsibility are not mutually exclusive, but deeply intertwined.
From studios to shipping docks, from VIP lounges to virtual galleries—the great decarbonisation of the art world has begun.
And it’s not just a trend. It’s the masterpiece the planet needs.