The Guggenheim Bilbao Museum is the first museum to confirm its carbon footprint, including indirect emissions. In order to massively reduce its carbon imprint, the Museum came up with an aspiring plan for energy management, exhibition programming and public programs. Environmental sustainability is one of the primary goals in its 2021–23 Strategic Plan, which includes the development of an Environmental Sustainability Strategic Framework in accordance with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals.
The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao has presented a sustainability plan that is groundbreaking in the museum world, aiming to minimize the environmental impact of its activities through the implementation of energetically sustainable solutions and non-polluting processes, while encouraging ecoefficiency-oriented activities.
Moreover, the Museum assessed the carbon footprint of a major portion of its indirect emissions in 2019. The computation of indirect emissions, referred to as “Scope 3,” is critical for identifying potential for increased energy efficiency and savings in the Museum’s everyday operations. The Guggenheim Institution in Bilbao is the first museum in the world to take this step. It has analyzed and verified its carbon footprint for art shipment and staff (courier) journeys, which account for one-third of total emissions. As a result of these discoveries, the Museum has consolidated existing projects and will take additional steps to minimize the consumption of energy and raw materials used in display organization.
