ARoS presents its first sustainability strategy

In recent years, ARoS has taken concrete steps towards more sustainable operations. These efforts are now brought together in a comprehensive strategy for climate, resources and nature, designed to deliver on the ambitious goals set out in the museum’s Vision 2033.

Since 2023, ARoS has been working strategically and systematically to reduce the climate impact of its activities. Initiatives include increasing the circular use of materials, reducing environmental impact, improving climate control in the galleries and achieving certifications such as Green Attraction.

“Sustainability is one of the eight strategic pillars of our Vision 2033 and an area to which we are strongly committed. We have already launched several concrete initiatives, and with our new sustainability strategy, we are now bringing these efforts together to establish a shared direction across the museum,” says Museum Director Rebecca Matthews.

A sustainability strategy centred around three areas

The new sustainability strategy – Sustainability as a Driving Force – brings ARoS’ sustainability efforts together across three key areas:

A Climate in Balance focuses, among other things, on reducing the museum’s carbon emissions. ARoS is working towards a 50 per cent reduction across the museum by 2033, with the long-term ambition of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.

Respect for Resources is about adopting a more circular approach. As a museum with a changing programme of exhibitions, ARoS uses a wide range of materials. The ambition is to reduce resource consumption, reuse more materials and extend the life of more of the materials and objects used.

Finally, Clean Nature focuses on reducing pollution across ARoS’ own value chain. Among other measures, ARoS aims to reduce pollution from its operations and value chain, increase the proportion of organic and environmentally certified products it purchases, and explore how the museum can contribute to greater biodiversity and nature restoration.

The strategy also focuses on how art can act as a catalyst for change, inspiring visitors, partners, and other museums and cultural institutions to adopt more sustainable practices.

Sustainability at ARoS is an ongoing effort, and we still have a long way to go. We are continuously exploring new ways of working to better align sustainability with sound finances, practical considerations and world-class art.

The sustainability strategy has been developed with the generous support of the Augustinus Foundation and can be read here: [link]

Carbon Footprint Report

The museum’s first carbon footprint report, covering 2024, was produced in close collaboration with the consultancy firm Nordic Sustainability. Among its findings, it identified building operations, the ARoS Shop and the ARoS Café as the areas with the greatest potential for emissions reductions. Climate action plans have subsequently been developed for all three areas as part of the new sustainability strategy.

The latest carbon footprint report, covering 2025, shows that the concrete measures introduced to make the food served in the ARoS Café more climate-friendly are having an impact and reducing carbon emissions.

As the volume and quality of collected data continue to improve, the carbon footprint report will become an increasingly valuable tool for targeting initiatives to make the museum’s operations more sustainable.

For further information, please contact:

ARoS Press and Communications
presse@aros.dk
+45 61904942