In a landmark agreement, major art fairs such as Art Basel, Frieze, and TEFAF, along with the Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC), have committed to halving their carbon emissions by 2030. This coalition, encompassing 13 organizations representing over 40 fairs, unveiled a new environmental roadmap. The “Art Fair Co-Commitment Statement” and the “Art Fair Toolkit for Environmental Responsibility” focus on concrete measures to curb emissions, including reducing reliance on single-use materials and minimizing air freight.
The art world has recognized the pressing need to address climate change, particularly as air freight accounts for a significant portion of art fairs’ environmental impact.
Through this commitment, the coalition aims to educate visitors, exhibitors, and supply chains about their carbon footprint and encourage sustainable practices across the industry.
Helen Lowndes, Director of the GCC, remarked, “We are now deep into an era of climate breakdown… leading fairs have recognized that there is no more business as usual.” This acknowledgment of the global climate crisis is driving the sector to adopt more sustainable practices, including tracking and reducing emissions at every level.
Frieze has already taken substantial steps towards sustainability, with its London fair reducing emissions from 207 tonnes in 2018 to 90 tonnes in 2019, though this didn’t account for the footprint of visitors or the transportation of art. Similarly, TEFAF has reduced energy consumption by 43% at its Maastricht event since 2019, with its Head of Fairs, Will Korner, stating, “Structural change requires immediate collective action.”
The GCC, founded in 2020, now has more than 1,500 arts organizations signed up, underscoring the growing momentum for a sustainable future within the art sector.
The new alliance of fairs aims to cut carbon emissions by focusing on reducing air freight and single-use materials. Their toolkit offers practical steps for organizers to track and minimize environmental impacts.