The global art market has an estimated annual carbon footprint of around 70 million tons of CO₂ equivalent. This footprint is comparable to the national emissions of countries such as Austria or Greece. In recent years, the reality of the environmental impact of the art market—particularly the travel generated by art fairs, the transportation of artworks, and the production of non-biodegradable waste—has become an increasingly pressing issue for the sector, prompting a certain level of mobilization. Today, awareness of the need to find more ecological and sustainable solutions is rising—among professionals and collectors, as well as among artists themselves—to motivate art market players to innovate and implement clear strategies to reduce emissions.

 Currently, the Gallery Climate Coalition, which has just reached 2,000 members, encourages its affiliates to commit to halving their CO₂ emissions by 2030 and offers resources and guidance to support art professionals. Key market players, including the largest international and regional fairs, auction houses, and a number of galleries, have joined the coalition. However, more has to be done.

In the context of the “Infusing Life” exhibition, This is your Heart has gathered experts and practitioners in the field to share insights on existing solutions and devise new partnerships for lower carbon exhibitions, packaging and shipping practices. Artists, curators, gallery owners, Art Foundations, collectors, transporters, and art restorers gathered for an insightful debate on the critical subject of art and sustainability.

The Talk benefited from the expertise of Ms. Isabelle Harsch, CEO of Harsch Transport and President of the Geneva Chamber of Commerce and Industry who explained how Harsch, a major Swiss partner specialized in Fine Art transport and storage, is evolving their practices to lower their environmental footprint whithout compromising the security of art works. Ms. Elsa Akesson, artist and Director of SpongyBags®, a brilliant start-up involved in developing sustainable art packaging, shared how the Spongy Bags® innovation has revolutionized her life as an artist and the shipping practice of leading Art collections, Galleries and Art schools who are early adopters of the sustainable and reusable bags. Ms. Alice Bonnot, an Art&Sustainability consultant and curator based in London, provided an overview on the current state of play - key statistics, areas with highest footprint and useful initiatives and resources available to art professionals - and provided strategic guidance to plan and implement low-impact art exhibitions. Finally, Ms. Andrea Hoffmann, a well-known art restorer shared insights on the conservation parameters to take into account for packaging and shipping art works and the need to step up training in this area, in particular for artists and institutions in the Global South.