Design for a Greener Future
The Design Museum makes the impact of design visible to all, therefore we are committed to showing how we can all do things differently to get better outcomes for the environment. Through our programmes and how the museum’s operations are run, the museum will continue to champion design that makes a difference. Below you can find how we have sought to put in practice this thinking so far.
The Design Museum’s Waste Age exhibition in 2021 highlighted a change in the culture of design: a new generation has taken on the challenge of reducing the industry’s impact and taking responsibility for what they put out into the world. Since then, the museum has been tackling the complex challenge of reducing the CO2e of our exhibitions, displays and touring projects.
In 2023 we created a free guide to designing and developing exhibitions with a low environmental impact, developed in partnership with the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to reduce the environmental impact of temporary exhibitions.
The toolkit addresses key areas that need to be considered when developing an exhibition, from decisions about what to exhibit, to guidance of how to work with build contractors to choose the most suitable materials. It provides creative teams with practical tools and advice to focus attention on areas that have the greatest impact.
In 2024, working in partnership with Art Fund and The Exhibitions Group, the Design Museum developed a new touring tool to support museum professionals to ask the right questions at the right time when developing touring exhibitions and displays. It also signposts a variety of resources to help teams gather data and access further research to make informed decisions. This tool was created for UK institutions developing or co-producing touring exhibitions, but can be adapted for other types of projects.
Click below to find out more and download the toolkit.
The Design Museum’s Environmental Impact team has been delivering consultancy packages for institutions around the UK. In 2024 we worked with 22 organisations as part of the Art Fund’s Going Places programme. Throughout 2025 and 2026 we will be working with 12 museums and galleries as part of the Museums and Galleries Network for Exhibition Touring (MAGNET) project.
The museum also co-chairs a UK-wide peer support network, Museums 2030, a community for greener exhibitions. If you work for a UK museum or gallery and would like further details, please complete the form below.
The museum’s educational programme aims to not only shine a light on the pressing environmental issues we all face, but also to host and foster dialogue, debate and activity that will contribute to developing sustainable solutions.
In 2019 the museum ran a national design challenge for undergraduates around finding new ways of sustainable manufacturing and encouraging increased cross-disciplinary collaboration. This programme, The Great Competition, sought to highlight how industrial innovation can help bring about a healthier, happier and more balanced future for all.
In addition, the museum has hosted a number of events on how design and architecture can take centre stage in shaping a more resilient world, such as bio-design and bio-materials workshops and a symposium in collaboration with the MA Material Futures programme at Central Saint Martins.
In 2016, the Design Museum moved to a Grade II* renovated building on Kensington High Street. This renovation was awarded the BREEAM rating of Very Good for both the design and procurement stage.
Other choices we made in the renovation of the building and its operation include:
Procuring energy from 100% renewable sources backed by Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin (REGO)
Using 100% of the timber from sustainable sources
Maintaining a 0% (nil) to landfill waste strategy
Maintaining a 70% recycling rate target as a minimal baseline
Using a grey water harvesting system supported by SUDs across the estate
Using a district heating system with our neighbouring estate for our heating and hot water systems
Operating as little of the building as possible under gallery conditions and operating heat recovery throughout to minimise energy use
Utilising an onsite battery energy storage system to power the museum from power stored overnight, helping to improve National Grid efficiency and contributing to lower carbon emissions nationally
Reviewing and tailoring lighting and HVAC timings across the estate to minimise energy consumption
The Design Museum Shop believes design can make a big difference in combating waste and has taken steps to reduce its contribution to the problem, focussing on sourcing products which support at least one of our eight climate conscious values.
These are:
Sustainable production: products produced in a way that ensures minimal damage to the environment.
Vegan: products produced wholly from plant-based materials.
Circular / Recyclable: products made using materials previously used by other products, and/or it can be treated using a special industrial process to reclaim its constituent materials for use in future products.
Made in the UK: products manufactured in the UK using locally sourced materials, supporting local communities, and reducing carbon footprint due to a shorter distance to market.
Material from sustainable resources: products using FSC accredited wood and/or it's by-products to ensure forests are alive and thrive for future generations to enjoy.
Organic: products with organic components farmed in a manner that avoids the use of artificial fertilisers and pesticides.
Reduces Waste: products that can be used multiple times and replaces single use plastics and disposables.
Workforce Welfare: product manufacturers actively contribute to maintaining or enhancing the social and economic wellbeing of their workforce.
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