The visual arts sector is estimated to be responsible for 18 million tonnes of CO2 emissions each year, of which commercial galleries account for 11% (Julie’s Bicycle, ‘The Art of Zero’).
In an effort to reduce our own role in this, and in a wider environmental crisis, Ingleby joined the Gallery Climate Coalition in 2020, an international charity and membership organisation providing sector-specific sustainability guidance.
Since then, we have established the following targets toward reducing our environmental impact, and take these actions in the knowledge that we aren’t yet doing everything right - we still have a great deal to do and much to learn:
• Halve our carbon emissions by 2030, from a pre-Covid baseline, acting in line with the 2015 Paris climate agreement
• Carbon Reporting - regularly calculate the carbon footprint of our operations to track progress towards this target
• Ensure all of our packing materials are reusable or roadside recyclable by 2026, as a step towards zero-waste operations by 2030
• Avoid fossil-fuel derived materials, including artificial polymers such as bottled water, packaging foam, or disposable plastic packaging
• Work with our domestic and international shipping partners to agree low emission and low waste options at every opportunity
• Maintain a Green Team with representatives from different parts of our organisation, who meet to track progress on all of these targets and actions at least once a month. Ingleby’s 2023 Green Team members include:
• Tommy Stuart, Joe Etchell & Calvin Laing - Technical & Operations
• Andy Goring & Zoe Berkeley – Registrars
• Richard and Florence Ingleby - Director