Our journey to regenerative practice


All activity at TBA21 is fundamentally driven by artists and the belief in art and culture as a carrier of social and environmental transformation. Our vision is a world based on relationality that embraces complexity and nurtures kinship among humans and with the more-than-human. We see a just and resilient world that rethinks the rights of allkind to create new systems based on respect and mutual care – a world that creates conditions that are regenerative to life.

In line with this vision, TBA21 is committed to moving beyond offsetting and harm reduction practices to placing environmental, social, cultural, and economic regeneration at the core of our work.

As members of the Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC) and a committee member of the GCC-Spain, we are dedicated to improving our and the wider sector’s practices, following the four key aspects of the GCC: 

1. Carbon footprint reduction - minimizing the emissions from our activities by means of energy efficiency in exhibitions, programming, transportation, art handling, and shipping.

2.  Sustainable operations -  integrating sustainability into the activities and roles of the entire foundation, such as waste reduction, sustainable material sourcing, water conservation, and sustainable partnerships. 

3. Climate advocacy - creating exhibitions and programming focusing on ecological literacy and action, promoting community engagement in places of operation, joining and supporting art industry associations and initiatives aligned with our sustainability values, and collaborating with policymakers to advance climate-friendly policies. 

4. Monitoring and reporting - to measure and assess our use of resources with independent verification, ensuring data transparency and continuous improvement. 

 
WHAT WE HAVE DONE
  • Promoted energy-saving and waste-reduction habits among staff
  • Offset emissions through carbon offset programs
  • Banned single-use plastics in events and offices, promoting reusable alternatives
  • Sourced sustainable and eco-friendly materials
  • Partnered with sustainable, locally sourced seasonal providers catering for events and openings
  • Conducted a baseline report of all our emissions from our operations in 2019
  • Formed a green team 

 
WHAT IS NEXT?
  • Reducing emissions by 50 % against our 2019 baseline by 2030
  • Annual carbon, waste, and water audit, monitoring and publishing the results
  • Reducing organizational air travel by 25% from our 2019 Baseline
  • Plant-based catering at all our events.
  • Reviewing travel policies and practices and reducing attendance at international events
  • Working with other GCC members to progress more sustainable packaging, transport, and energy-saving solutions for the whole sector.
  • Positively contributing to and promoting the objectives of the Gallery Climate Coalition Spain as a committee member. 
  • Evaluating the ecological and social impact of the TBA21 Collection, with case studies, to be published in Autumn 2024

 
OUR GREEN TEAM
TBA21 maintains a Green Team with representatives from different parts of the organization that tracks progress on sustainability targets and ensures their actionability. 

Angela Constantino, Chief Financial and Legal Officer
Araceli Galán, Project manager
Katarina Rakušček, Content Strategist
Simone Sentall, Head of Collection
Niall Smith, Director of Becoming
 
For more information on our Sustainability Strategy, click HERE.

TBA21 is an Active Member of the Gallery Climate Coalition