“If you can’t move collections around, there’s no culture.”
For almost a century fine art logistics company Gander & White has worked with collectors, museums, auction houses, and galleries to transport artworks across the world. Now, 90 years on, the shipper is turning its attention to its role in the climate crisis.
Gander & White has been a member of the Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC) - an organisation committed to creating an environmentally responsible art world - since its inception, and in 2023 its European branches were recognised as active members. Last month, the entire Gander & White group was granted full active membership, and it remains the only asset-based member with an international presence to have achieved this.
Supported by its membership of GCC, Gander & White is committed to creating an environmentally responsible art world. It is working with multiple partners to understand how it can reduce the environmental impact of shipping and over the past three years has taken significant steps to reduce its carbon footprint.
Initiatives so far include solar-powered drivers cabs in their HGVs, a dedicated Green Team, and a groundbreaking partnership with ROKBOX - ROKBOK Loop - for reusable crates, reducing waste by up to 90%. Over 75% of its packing materials are now biodegradable, which is a significant stride towards a greener future.
In a case study for the GCC, Alexander Bradford, Gander & White’s Global Business Development & Sustainability Manager, shared more details on the company's progress, with meticulous data collection allowing the company to identify key areas for improvement and set ambitious goals to drive meaningful change.
The data helped Gander & White to understand where they were having the biggest impacts. The team identified emissions from trucks, energy used to maintain climate and temperature controls in their facilities, packing materials, and international travel as some of their main sources of emissions.
Alexander’s approach is “doing what we can, when we can”, even when current industry norms make it difficult to adopt environmentally responsible practices: “In an industry where it can be hard at times to make change, this is something where we can make concrete movements and efforts to show that we’re doing this,” he says.
“We’d like to be able to position ourselves slightly ahead of climate targets… and it’s really encouraging and exciting - and surprising - to see the scientific advances that are happening, especially with diesel and HGVs.”
“I’m still learning, there’s so much I still don’t know,” he says. “Be open minded and prepared to learn, and look at it as a process, and a journey. In a way we’re all in this together - we have to do this for the future of all of us.”
