The Realistic Future of the Courier
- Simon Dent
- Mar 23, 2021
- 3 min read
The American Institute for Conservation (AIC) published in March 2021 a note ‘On Virtual Courier Oversight’ in which the use of virtual courier tools are described as ‘[…) a necessary compromise during the pandemic, they do not constitute best practice’(1). The final paragraph of the document mentions the environmental impact and mitigation including the reduction of the number of loans, possible courier sharing and offsetting to reduce the carbon footprint produced by museum loans for exhibitions. Some institutions are putting sustainability ‘centre-stage’ and making permanent changes to their loan policies, ‘ceasing to require in-person couriers for outgoing loans, and in turn declining to offer support for couriers for requested loans’.(2)
The Paris Agreement (ratified by 193 countries) sets limits to global warming by 2050 to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial temperatures. This goal will become embedded into museum strategies in the coming years, as they become imperative rather than a voluntary add-on. Museums that are financed through public funds are an administrative instrument for change and they can leverage improvements and technological advances upstream in the supply chain, agree loan conditions with partner organisations and advocate for procedure change in museum practice, including preventive conservation. Some museums are already making decisions about the viability of loans measured against the environmental impact of the courier transport. In July 2019 the Directors of Tate Sites declared a Climate Emergency(3) and committed to putting this at ‘centre-stage’ and set the overriding goal of reducing their carbon emissions by 20% before 2023.
There seems to be a stand-off between the ‘best-practice’ camp which includes the associations of professionals with the mission of ‘upholding professional standards’ and the ‘virtual’ camp who embrace the technology(4) that has permitted an acceptable level of stewardship during the pandemic and see that it can now help to achieve the Global Emissions targets set by the Paris Agreement - as well as reducing exhibition costs for museums with battered post-COVID budgets. In March 2021 the shippers/registrars group For the Love of Art holds a webinar on the subject and in May 2021 the IIC holds a discussion for its members – it is the hot topic.
The Museum of Wales case study(5) from 2011 showed that courier travel accounts for 45% of the carbon footprint of exhibition transport, and that the Business Class tickets and extra seats are the main cause of this. AIC suggests purchasing carbon offsets as a solution. Julie’s Bicycle Executive Summary (2020) argues that ‘[…]carbon offsets are, essentially, a voluntary and retrospective payment for the right to pollute. This has some merit, but there are other measures needed, e.g.: the ‘polluter pays’ principle, progressive carbon taxation, global governance (e.g. recognition of ‘ecocide’ as an international crime); and climate finance to support the transition to a cleaner world that is fair and just. Most critically, offsetting actions should never be a substitute for actions to reduce emissions at source.’(6)
Has the argument for upholding the longstanding professional standards of a sector (that is known for its structural rigidity(7)) come up against a change it cannot hold back? Will climate change take centre stage in museum practice? How will this affect museum exhibition loans? Tune in to the webinar…
REFERENCES
(1) AIC (2021) ‘On Virtual Courier Oversight’ Note from Board of Directors of American Institute of Conservators.
(2) IIC (2021) International Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works. Viewed 23 March 2021. https://www.iiconservation.org/content/aic-annual-meeting-future-courier-travel-panel-discussion
(3) Tate (2019) Tate Directors Declare Climate Emergency, Tate Press Release viewed 23 March 2021 < https://www.tate.org.uk/press/press-releases/tate-directors-declare-climate-emergency>.
(4) Brown, K. (2021). Artnet News. 19 March 2021
(5) Lambert, S. and Henderson, J. (2011) The Carbon Footprint of Museum Loans: A pilot study at Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales. Museum Management and Curatorship
(6) Julie’s Bicycle (2020) Putting a Price on Carbon: From Offsets to True Value. Executive Summary. Arts Council England
(7) Gilbert, C. (2005) Unbundling the Structure of Inertia: Resource versus Routine Rigidity. Academy of Management Journal. Vol. 48
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