‘When it comes to temporary exhibitions, today's main challenge lies in reconciling sustainability and aesthetic considerations’

Why are temporary exhibitions especially useful tools for assessing museums’ carbon footprints and putting environmentally responsible policies in place?

L.C. - First of all, it's worth noting that this all started with the implementation of a museum-wide Heritage Ecology Plan. From there, ideas germinated, and one of the ones that took root most quickly was the idea of working on our temporary exhibitions which offered a relatively easy starting place due to their smaller scope. Temporary exhibitions allow us to track each step of a project, from the initial idea to end-of-life, and to gather data quickly. This is important because the quality of a carbon assessment depends on the reliability of its data.

Was Figures of the Fool an arbitrary choice or did this exhibition fulfil certain criteria? 

L.C. - It was an intentional choice. We chose Figures of the Fool because it was a very typical example of the museum's programming for the spaces we were looking at. And with more than 300 works and 90 loaning institutions, it also provided insight into a broad scope of activity.

Carbon assessments are synonymous with methodology and calculations. How did you handle the data analysis aspect of the project?

L.C. - We worked with a company that specialises in doing this type of carbon assessment. They provided us with a table for data collection. We then reached out to the various service providers and museum divisions that worked on the exhibition in order to gather the required data. The methodology we used was based on two main types of data. When we had access to precise physical data (for example, the number of kilometres a truck travelled to deliver works, the total weight of the wood and glass used to construct a display), we would convert these figures into greenhouse gas emissions. And when we didn't have access to data that could be expressed in material terms, we based our measurements on the financial costs of the operation, and applied benchmark ratios published by The French Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME).

How much time did it take you to complete this analysis?

L.C. - It took us six months. The Louvre had already undertaken museum-wide emissions analyses which were led by Maxime Caussanel, our Head of Sustainable Development. However, no carbon assessments focussing specifically on temporary exhibitions had ever been done. So we first needed to develop a methodology that was adapted to this new scope, define which sectors would be taken into account, and talk with the teams whose help we would need to collect the necessary data. We needed data on everything from exhibition design, to transport, to communications, to public relations, to marketing and publishing.

So a large number people needed to be involved...

L.C. - Around 40 people contributed to the assessment. Getting everyone on board was an important part of the project, particularly because this type of data collection was new to some divisions. But despite this, all the teams we worked with were very willing to participate and proactive. The results of the assessment have generated a lot of interest and we've received a number of suggestions for future projects. The goal was never solely to complete an assessment, the idea was always that the information we gathered would allow us to identify new areas of focus and to shift from analysis to action.

And what potential decarbonisation strategies have you identified?

L.C. – The Figures of the Fool assessment allowed us to single out three areas with particularly large footprints: exhibition design, transport, and communications. These results have given us concrete priorities for where to take action.

There's been a lot of talk in the exhibition design world about ‘reusing’ design elements. Is that an option that you've explored? 

C. G.-N. - Absolutely. We now ask our exhibition designers to look at past exhibitions and determine what elements can be reused in future exhibitions. And when certain elements can't be immediately reused in a new project, we're exploring ways to repurpose those elements elsewhere in the museum. So right from the beginning of the design process, we're thinking about where each exhibition element might eventually wind up.

How so?

C. G.-N. - Before we can even really delve into the question of reuse, we start by working on two areas that are key to ecodesign: exhibition design and ecoconstruction. Exhibition design consists of imagining an exhibition space that meets all our necessary scientific and aesthetic criteria while also focusing on extending the lifespan of each element used, particularly through reuse. Ecoconstruction centres on material selection, procurement, recycling, waste management, etc. Our aim is really to integrate these criteria more fully into our design and construction contracts. For example, the reuse of structural elements, such as the wooden cladding for exhibition panels, is now one of the criteria we use when selecting our providers.

And are there any other approaches that you're exploring or that you've already implemented?

C. G.-N. – Yes, one of the main things we've done is to extend the length of our exhibitions which helps to mitigate their overall carbon footprint. Primeval Waters ran for ten months, Louvre Photo ran from November 26 to May 27, and Object will run for seven months and will only include loans from institutions in Paris.

We’re also thinking about the future of the printed textiles used in exhibitions. They could potentially be upcycled into new objects. 

Does the reuse approach that you've adopted encourage you to work more closely with any other partners besides your service providers?

C. G.-N. - We have reached out to other museums and institutions, primarily within Île-de-France, but also in other regions. Display cases that the Louvre doesn't have a use for once an exhibition ends, could well be put to use by another institution. There's also a French ministerial donation platform that allows for cultural establishments, as well as other associations and structures, to share materials for reuse.

L.C. - A sustainable development structure, which includes several Parisian museums such as the Musée du Quai Branly, has been created to address the issue of transport. 

C. G.-N. - However, when it comes to environmental responsibility, logistics generally prove to pose a major challenge.

Why is that?

L.C. - In order for a material to be reused, it must be dismantled and stored and a recipient must be found.  All of this takes time as well as human and financial resources. And that's not even taking transport into account. Each time a display element has to be transported, its carbon footprint grows. So it's important that we also factor that in when making choices. We have to take a long-term approach and try to calculate the impacts of various solutions over a span of several years.

In the context of today's ‘here and now’ culture, I imagine maybe it isn't always easy to fully grasp the wide-ranging and long-term benefits that this type of initiative could offer.

L.C. - It's true that there's work to be done in terms of raising awareness regarding these new practices. But change is already happening, particularly as new legislation begins to establish stricter frameworks. 

Are you required to meet specific decarbonisation targets?

L.C. - We're currently working to define our targets, using the Figures of the Fool carbon assessment as a basis. We're developing an ecodesign tool specifically for the exhibition production process, by setting ourselves targets such as a certain percentage of materials that must be reused or a certain ratio for loaned works. And why not also include a carbon budget in our feasibility studies? There are so many different avenues to explore! But it all comes back to the same question: how to reconcile sustainability and aesthetic considerations.

Do you feel confident about the next steps you want to take?

L.C. – The enthusiasm from our colleagues when we presented the carbon assessments proves that this issue is generating a great deal of interest. A curator colleague has even proposed an exhibition built entirely around ecodesign, which could serve as a pilot project. It's very encouraging to see that our commitment to environmental responsibility continues to inspire our teams.