Climate Statement for Heritage Organizations

Heritage organisations such as museums, archives and libraries care for our heritage and try to make the fragile objects in their collections available to the public as much as possible, now and in the future. To ensure the future use of the collections, risks in their protection are reduced to an acceptable minimum. Besides factors such as light, pollution, physical forces and safety, climate plays a role. Organisations spend a lot of time and attention on a safe indoor climate where people and objects are comfortable. But controlling the indoor climate costs a lot of energy and thus puts a huge strain on the budget. What possibilities are there to save energy and still provide a safe environment for heritage collections?

Together with national and international colleagues, KIK-IRPA, FARO and the Dutch Cultural Heritage Agency have worked on a text that applies the already existing international climate guidelines within our region. This text, created by the experts of KIK-IRPA's Sustainability Unit, allows most institutions to implement energy-saving measures without endangering the collection. This Climate Statement is a first step and contributes to ongoing international efforts on preventive conservation and sustainability.

The document can be accessed below (available in French and Dutch).