Since the previous edition of the Bizot Green Protocol was published in 2015, plenty of research has been conducted on material behaviour and environmental requirements. New data and knowledge demonstrate that the adoption of wider climatic conditions does not compromise the safety of most collections. At the NEMO European Museum Conference 2023, Stefan Simon (Rathgen Research Laboratory) and Łukasz Bratasz (Jerzy Haber Institute of Catalysis and Surface Chemistry and Polish Academy of Sciences) discussed, amongst others, this topic by criticising the overuse of climate control systems and suggesting how museums could use energy more responsibly. Check out the recording of the panel that they participated in: Part of the problem.
The refreshed version of the Bizot Green Protocol is a science-based guiding principles, climate control guidelines, and a set of handbooks to accompany the protocol, offering scientific evidence, museum testimonials, and practical tools to facilitate its seamless adoption and implementation. The guidelines highlight the importance of a systemic and collective effort, encouraging museums to prioritise sustainable practices as a core ethic.
It is accompanied by a second handbook, the Mobility towards Greener Transport, which provides museum colleagues with case studies and tools to help the adoption of more sustainable practices relating to the movement of objects in particular in the search for alternative to air freight wherever possible and the adoption of virtual courier as the default option.
- Learn more about the refreshed protocol in an article by CIMAM – International Committee for Museums and Collections of Modern Art
