Environmental Sustainability Statement – 2025 update

Modern Art Oxford recognises the urgency and the gravity of the environmental emergency and is committed to taking the fullest action to mitigate its impact on the environment.

Operating in safe, ethical and environmentally responsible approaches across the organisation is vital to who we are. This statement was originally written in 2024, has been updated with 2025 achievements and objectives and holds us accountable to complying with, and where possible exceeding, environmental legislation which reduces the negative environmental impacts of our organisation in energy use, water use, waste, travel and resources. 

We are in the process of better understanding our carbon emissions, as active members of the Gallery Climate Coalition and reporting carbon emissions annually through Julie’s Bicycle. 

Having identified energy consumption as the largest source of carbon emissions in the Modern Art Oxford building, sustainability consultancy and enabling work was factored into a Capital Redevelopment Project in 2024. Renewal of these heating services is planned to take place in 2025, with the installation of an air to water Air Source Heat Pump system. Ultimately providing an estimated 80%* reduction in carbon emissions.

*Heating Feasibility Report – Method Consulting, February 2024

Our exhibitions programme involves the display of work by international artists. Therefore, carbon emissions are generated through shipping and freight. Wherever possible, we borrow from UK and European lenders, combine shipping journeys and avoid air freight. Some exhibitions require new temporary walls to be built. We source sustainable materials and reuse and recycle construction materials in-house. Built structures are deconstructed and reused or offered to local organisations rather than sent to landfill.

Our objectives in relation to Environmental Action are as follows:

• To reduce carbon emissions and landfill annually by 5% each totalling a 20% reduction by the end of the 2026/27 FY.  

• To be carbon neutral by 2040, in line with Oxford City Council’s environmental charter.
• To use the opportunities arising from our content creation and programming to raise awareness of environmental concerns and encourage action.
• Continue to encourage zero and low carbon forms of transport for staff and visitors.
• Ensuring the majority of our international shipping is carried out by sea, rail or road rather than air by 2028.
• Ensuring all of our packing materials are reusable or curbside recyclable by 2026, as a step towards zero-waste operations by 2040.
• Audit building energy efficiency within 2024 ground floor refurbishment project, reducing energy use through replacement of heating services.
• To learn from and share best practice with other galleries and local businesses.
• To strengthen our evaluation and analysis methods to better understand and communicate the impact of our Environmental Action Plan.
• To be an active member of the Green Arts Charter for Oxford and the Galleries Climate Coalition, and to work with Julie’s Bicycle on the Creative Green Programme, playing a leading role where possible.
• To communicate our environmental targets and practices to all stakeholders including staff, visitors and suppliers.

Modern Art Oxford will deliver these through its Sustainability Action Plan each year, which is embedded in its procurement and working processes, reviewed annually and monitored on an ongoing basis by the Environmental Working Group. As part of this we have created individual objectives, broken down year by year, for each of our departments, a summary of which can be found below, along with an update on progress from the 24/25 financial year.

Departmental sustainability updates for 24/25 and 25/26 objectives

Operations and Facilities

• Increase recycling by 20% and reduce landfill by 20% by March 2026
  • 30% increase in recycling from 23/24, 45% reduction in landfill from 22/23 FY 
• Reduce in-house material printed internally by 50% by March 2026
  • 25% achieved 23/24 – 24/25 FY
• Reduce energy consumption by 5% each year 2023-2026
  • Current level of reduction 17% 22/23 – 24/25 FY

Digital and Communications

Following a sustainability audit of our website in January 2024 it was recommended we improve the performance of our mobile site, reduce the size of images on the site, improve some code efficiency and improve the performance on our online Shop. These changes were made to the site in June 2024.

When the initial audit was done on our website:

• The first visit to the main Modern Art Oxford website released 16.075g of carbon, and return visits released 12.328g
• Now the first visit to the main Modern Art Oxford website releases 6.297g of carbon, and return visits release 4.794g
• Therefore we have reduced our carbon emissions of first visits by 23% and return visits by 24%
• Before we carried out the recommendations from the environmental audit, the total amount of carbon emissions we created per month on our website was 138.27kg. It is now 53.89kg. This is a reduction of 61%.

• We will look at doing another environmental audit in September 2025, with the results being enacted by March 2026 and reported on in the April 2026 statement

In March 2024 the Digital and Communications team logged their social media usage at the end of each day for 2 working weeks. An average for a day was then created and all team members’ numbers were then added together.

• From this the total emissions from our social media worked out to be 40gCO₂Eq per day and 16,045gCO₂Eq per year.
• This same process was repeated in March 2025 and the total emissions are now 28gCO₂Eq per day and 10,247gCO₂Eq per year, a reduction of 30% per day and 37% per year

Development

• The success of Modern Art Oxford’s capital fundraising campaign enabled the gallery to broaden the scope of the project and deliver critical enhancements to its environmental performance. Most significant has been the replacement of a life-expired boiler with air-to-water heat source pump delivering up to 80% reduction in carbon emissions. Other environmental gains as a result of the project and funding secured, as advised by the 2023 audit, include the installation of air curtains to provide effective heating and climate separation.
• Modern Art Oxford continues to audit its partners to ensure shared priorities around environmental sustainability, celebrating positive examples and stories where appropriate.
• In consultation with the Director, the Development team continues to explore national supporter trips and short haul destinations reached by rail. In 2024/25, Modern Art Oxford has sought to increase local events, pairing visits where possible to make the most of supporter travel and a rich local offer.
• Caterers used for supporter events at Modern Art Oxford in 2024-25 promote sustainable practices in all aspects of food sourcing, production and service. For example, the local supplier Waste2Taste who uses only surplus ingredients. Vegan/vegetarian/zero waste restaurants are included in the programme when hosting off site. 

Exhibitions

• We now report on carbon emissions from all exhibition projects and are working on reducing carbon emissions year on year. We are in the processing of producing an audit of recent exhibitions to establish a CO2e baseline for exhibition projects going forward
• We are developing a database of materials and their CO2e to help inform exhibition design and planning and enable us to make sustainable choices in exhibition design and production
• We continue to make careful and informed curatorial decisions about loaning artworks from international collections and secure UK-based loans wherever possible. This year we worked with the Bildmuseet Sweden as a shipping partner for the exhibition Belkis Ayon: Sikan Illuminations which helped us to reduce air freight carbon emissions by 15tcO2. 
• Wherever possible, the curatorial team carries out research using train travel and continues to conduct international meetings via video call. 
• We have set a carbon budget of 35tcO2 for international exhibitions (requiring shipping via air freight) and a budget of 10tcO2 for European/ UK shows for 2025-26
• This year we have reduced virgin/ single use plastics by 75% by re-using packing materials. We collaborated with Bildmuseet so that they could reuse the artwork supports from the Belkis Ayon exhibition which significantly reduced their exhibition production materials 

Commercial 

• In 24/25 we achieved 55% Oxfordshire produced items in the Cafe, and we are looking to achieve 70% Oxfordshire produced items by March 2026, particularly focussing on locally produced drinks and meat items
• We continue to find ways to reduce food waste and will increase recycling by 50% in the Cafe by March 2026
• We will eliminate all waste in Cafe through the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle process by March 2026
• We have removed all use of single use plastics from all areas by March 2025. Continue to explore more sustainable alternative solutions by March 2026
• We will reduce energy consumption in cafe and kitchen by 5% each year 2023-2026
• We have achieved 86% UK produced items in Retail by March 2025 with a priority for Oxford-based suppliers. Aim to maintain or increase this % by March 2026.
• We continue to reduce surplus stock in retail by 50% by March 2026
• We have eliminated all waste in Retail through the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle process by March 2025

Communities, Participation and Practice

• We ensure that wherever possible workshop materials are bought from sustainable suppliers.
• We continue to avoid using Amazon where possible
• We shop locally to avoid unnecessary and excessive deliveries
• The team regularly audits the content of the Studio cupboards and uses a catalogue of materials that has been shared with producers to avoid duplicate purchases and waste. The Studio assistant regularly schedules conversations around materials usage, to make sure materials are re-used and shared between projects, to avoid wastage.
• The team ensures that issues around sustainability and our environmental impact are engaged with and reflected on regularly with the groups we work with, encouraging the usage of sustainable and recycled/recyclable materials also outside of the gallery spaces.
• We ensure that workshop participants are aware of any reused or repurposed materials used within sessions or project builds, in order to make carbon awareness part of our everyday conversations about material choices and artwork production
• We use natural paints, dyes etc in workshops where possible
• We continue to seek guidance and advice from the international community of arts organisations working with the Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC) to reduce the environmental impact of our exhibitions programme