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Bizot Green Protocol

At the UK Museum COP event in 2023 NMDC members endorsed the refreshed 'Bizot Green Protocol', committing to environmentally sustainable practice across all areas of museum activity and the adoption of a 'greener practice first mindset'.

The Bizot Green Protocol begins with a Declaration of intention: 

We acknowledge the need for our museums to contribute to effecting change in our ways of working and addressing with a sense of urgency the climate and nature crisis.

With the Bizot Green Protocol, the Bizot Group recognizes that:

  • museums need to approach long-term collections care in a way that is environmentally sustainable.
  • this necessary shift requires proactive and strategic engagement at all museum levels.
  • ‘greener museum practices’ call for a systemic and collective effort and the large adoption of a ‘greener practice first mindset’ which implies that we have to opt out from a greener practice as this may not always be possible to apply rather than discarding it on the name of habits. As such, collaboration, trust and reciprocity are at the heart of the directions set out in the Protocol and its associated handbooks.

Our approach is evidence based and has been shaped by the expertise and practice of museum professionals across the museum fields (ie. restoration, conservation science, facilities management, security, registrars, exhibitions, sustainability managers) as well as climate science and international reports such as those published by the IPCC.

The Bizot Green Protocol is composed of guiding principles, guidelines relating to climate controls and a series of handbooks to provide evidence, shared practice and tools.

We commit to refresh our work every 5 years to ensure we incorporate the latest knowledge and technological advances and, in turn, support museums to deliver their mandate in the most sustainable way possible.

Download the full Bizot Green Protocol. 

Download the accompanying guidance documents: 

The Bizot Group is an international network of art museum directors from major institutions around the world including several NMDC members. The 2023 document is an update of the original Protocol agreed in 2015. Read more about previous work on environmental standards for collections by the Bizot Group, NMDC and others here.