A question we’ve been asked by several GCC members is how can we meet our carbon targets when our organisation is growing? This article aims to lay out some clear advice in this area. This is still an area of discussion and development, so please do let us know what you think!

The question of growth

Firstly, it’s important to understand that this isn’t a challenge unique to the arts sector.

Much of the global economy is still based on the assumption that economic growth can continue forever on a planet of finite resources, which clearly cannot be the case. Instead, we need to find alternative economic models based on meeting the needs of the world’s population within the limits of the living planet. A lot of fascinating and inspiring thinking is already happening in this area – for example, the “Doughnut Economics” model developed by Kate Raworth (as summarised here), this recent EU conference on alternatives to economic growth, and the work of the Wellbeing Economy Alliance.

At GCC’s Climate Crisis >> Art Action symposium at Bishopsgate Institute in March 2023 there were some really interesting discussions on how the art world could help move society towards these kinds of alternatives, and find ways to model and trial them within our own practices. For example, some arts organisations are considering holding fewer exhibitions but for longer periods, and spending more time on higher-quality engagement with local communities rather than constantly aiming to hold bigger and grander events to draw in maximum footfall. As part of the shift towards a regenerative art world, GCC members are starting to rethink the assumption that success means constantly doing more and more. You can see an onstage discussion of this topic between ex-Tate Director Frances Morris and economist Kate Raworth here.

This is easier said than done, however – especially for arts businesses that are currently stuck within an economic system that pits commercial companies against each other, creating major pressure for business growth to keep up with one’s rivals.

While we work towards alternative models not based on endless economic expansion, we do still need a solution for organisations that are planning significant growth between now and 2030, including non-profits and public galleries that are looking to expand their operations, businesses that have already grown significantly since setting a 2019 carbon baseline, or startups that will need a burst of initial growth in order to become a viable business in the first place. 

Setting carbon targets

To address this question, it’s important to step back and remind ourselves what our carbon targets are. By joining GCC, arts organisations pledge to at least halve their greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 (from a 2019 baseline or nearest equivalent). This is in line with the minimum global reduction required by climate science, for a chance of avoiding the worst impacts of the climate crisis.

For arts organisations that are planning to remain roughly the same size between now and 2030, meeting this target will be a case of measuring their 2019 (or equivalent) annual emissions, and mapping out a path to halving them by 2030. But for organisations that are planning to grow their operations significantly between now and 2030 – for example, by opening new galleries or taking on a lot of extra staff – the situation is, on the face of it, slightly more complex. 

However, there are some other factors that may help to simplify this question. Since GCC first set the “50% by 2030” target in 2020, global emissions have - apart from a dip during the COVID-19 pandemic - continued to rise. Meanwhile, the global injustice at the heart of the climate crisis – with those people and countries who have done least to cause the crisis being overwhelmingly in the frontline of its worst effects – has become ever clearer. In response to both of these issues, GCC is keen to encourage all its members to see the 50% reduction target as the bare minimum only, and for as many members as possible to push further towards a 70 – 90% reduction by 2030, in line with the growing urgency of the climate crisis and a fairer distribution of reductions towards the Global North (where the majority of GCC’s members are based). Some example paths towards this scale of reductions can be found in GCC’s Decarbonisation Reduction Plan for arts businesses, and a number of GCC members are already on track for these kinds of targets.

For organisations that are planning major growth, these expanded targets can be reached by simply sticking to a 50% reduction from their existing baseline. For example, an organisation that doubles in size while halving its emissions will achieve the equivalent of a 75% reduction. So GCC members with significant growth plans can still respond to the increased urgency of the crisis without needing to increase the ambition of their existing targets – they just need to work hard to ensure that they achieve their existing 50% reduction target as part of their plans for growth.

We see this as a more straightforward solution than trying to develop additional measures of relative emissions reduction based on, for example, turnover or staff numbers. It also reflects an important truth: the climate doesn’t know or care whether our organisations are growing. The only thing that matters is how much greenhouse gas we are putting in the atmosphere.

We’re in the middle of a climate emergency, which means that anyone planning for business growth at this moment in history has a responsibility to do it in a way that has the minimum climate impact. 

Planning for growth

Any organisation planning for significant growth must by definition have a certain amount of resources available for realising this expansion. Responsible growth in a climate crisis means committing those resources in a way that minimises the carbon emissions from any new buildings, events or activities, to ensure the organisation stays on track for a halving of its total emissions by 2030. If this isn’t possible, then the growth plans should not be going ahead in their current form, and will need rethinking – or else other significant actions will be needed to reduce the overall emissions of the organisation before 2030.

Obviously the type and scale of the planned growth is also crucial here. If a small arts organisation is thinking of adding a staff member, or holding an extra event next year as a one-off, then this shouldn’t make a major difference to the 2030 targets. On the other hand, if an arts business is thinking of opening a new gallery, increasing the number or size of its annual art fairs or taking on 50% more artists (and thus significant extra staff to support them), then this would count as “significant growth”. If in doubt, please contact GCC and we can advise you on this.

Accounting for growth

But what about organisations that have already grown since setting a 2019 baseline, and weren’t able to put these kinds of minimising measures in place beforehand?

We know of at least a few GCC members who are in this situation, and who are worried that their recent growth has made their 2030 target extra challenging to meet. We want to reassure those members that those 50% targets are indeed still achievable.

There are a number of trends that are already working in our favour: the increasing availability and affordability of low-carbon technologies for heating, cooling and ground transport; the growing concern around the climate crisis amongst artists, audiences, and other key stakeholders; the ongoing decarbonisation of electricity grids in most countries; and a wealth of new initiatives, charities and startups offering more sustainable methods for storing, transporting and packaging artworks.

If we can boost and accelerate these trends, and work collectively to change habits and expectations across the arts sector around international travel, shipping, sales and exhibition practices, then the rate of change required is very much within our grasp. The key factor, we believe, will be working together and supporting each other to develop - and implement - action plans that meet the scale of the challenge.

Start-ups and small organisations

For start-ups and other small arts organisations that currently have a minimal carbon footprint but are planning to grow: in your case, setting a 2030 reduction target obviously isn’t appropriate. Instead, we would strongly advise building low-carbon and regenerative practice into your organisation from the very start.

As noted above, in a climate crisis the only responsible way to grow an organisation is by minimising emissions and maximising positive environmental impacts at every stage. 

Newer organisations have a unique opportunity to build in these practices from the very beginning, showcase better ways of doing things and start out as future-ready, leapfrogging the unsustainable status quo.

We’re looking into developing separate guidance specifically for small organisations in this position.

An illustrative example

To help visualise all of this, here’s an (imaginary) example of how this might work in practice.

• A commercial art gallery had a carbon footprint of 250 tCO2e in 2019. This consisted of 100 tonnes from international shipping, 80 tonnes from business flights, 50 tonnes from gallery energy use, and 20 tonnes from packaging, printing, local transport and other elements.

• In 2020, they joined GCC and committed to reducing their footprint by 50% by 2030.

• However, they already had plans to open an additional gallery in 2025 in a different country. This gallery would be roughly the same size as their existing gallery and so could potentially double their carbon footprint.

• To counter this, in addition to the actions they were taking to decarbonise their existing operations, they adjusted their expansion plans to ensure their new gallery space was fully retrofitted with insulation, solar panels, efficient lighting, climate-friendly air conditioning, and heat pumps before it opened. To do this, they had to change their plans and obtain a slightly smaller building, with a different legal arrangement to allow them to carry out these improvements. 

• They also decided that air transport of art to and from the new gallery would be capped at a maximum of 50% from the start, with the remainder going by ocean, road and rail. The proportion of air transport to and from the new gallery would then reduce to 25% by 2030. 

• Similarly, staff travel policies at the new gallery would be based around minimising flights from the very start, embedding this in the team culture and using it as a showcase to encourage similar behaviour at the original gallery.

• Meanwhile, improvements in energy use, a shift from air to ocean freight and new travel policies at the original gallery also drove carbon reductions there.

• At the same time, the art gallery worked in collaboration with others in the art world to shift practices and expectations around art fairs, exhibitions, viewings and events, supporting low-carbon alternatives and reducing the overall need for international travel and transport across the whole sector. 

• As a result, by 2030 the emissions from the original gallery had fallen to 30 tonnes from international shipping, 30 tonnes from business flights, 15 tonnes from energy use (helped by the greening of the national electricity grid), and 5 tonnes from other elements (again, helped along by the greening of the wider economy).

• The new gallery, meanwhile, emitted just 20 tonnes from international shipping, 10 tonnes from business flights, 10 tonnes from energy use and 5 tonnes from other elements in 2030, resulting in total emissions across both galleries of 125 tCO2e – a halving from the 2019 baseline.