Since its launch in London in 2020, the Gallery Climate Coalition (GCC) has supported many arts organisations in addressing their climate impacts and taking steps to implement sustainable operations. Over the past six years GCC has expanded—opening volunteer branches in cities like Berlin and New York—and contracted, revising its structure in September 2024 by closing its chapters apart from the London headquarters. At that time, GCC cited a lack of funds and a need to address how it can forge a successful path forward. On Wednesday (Earth Day), GCC revealed the next step in its growth with the launch of a new consultancy called Climate Action Services International (Casi). With a remit of helping galleries, museums and cultural organisations translate climate commitments into measurable action, the launch of Casi reflects a growing recognition that ambition alone is no longer sufficient to decarbonise complex, globally dispersed operations.
As a charity, GCC seeks to spur sector-wide awareness and action free of charge and will continue to do so, offering crucial tools like emissions calculators and guidance aligned with international climate targets. But arts workers and institutions cannot reasonably be expected to have the technical skills and knowledge to achieve all their environmental goals, and it seems these and other factors have made it difficult for many to implement the changes required. Casi is intended to help bridge that gap.
“The idea for a dedicated consultancy arm actually predates GCC’s launch in 2020,” Heath Lowndes, the founder of Casi, tells The Art Newspaper. “Right from the beginning, it was clear that while shared standards, tools and advocacy are essential, many organisations would require hands-on, tailored support to implement meaningful change. Over the past five years, that demand has grown significantly. Casi has been developed in direct response to this, shaped by ongoing feedback and requests from GCC members.”
Casi will provide organisation-specific services including carbon auditing, decarbonisation strategies, governance advice and staff training. “Climate action is complex,” Lowndes says. “It can require technical knowledge, organisational alignment and the ability to translate high-level commitments into detailed operational change. We know many organisations face constraints around time, capacity and in-house expertise, which can make it difficult to move forward with confidence.”
Casi’s offerings are tailored to the operational realities and global nature of the visual arts sector, where things like international shipping, temporary exhibitions and energy-intensive installations complicate emissions reduction efforts.
“This is not just about reducing emissions at an organisational level,” Lowndes adds. “The visual arts sector has a unique cultural influence. When institutions model responsible practice and communicate it effectively, they can help shape wider public understanding and behaviour. Supporting implementation, therefore, is about unlocking both operational impact and the sector’s broader potential to drive cultural change beyond emissions reductions alone.” Casi joins a small group of climate consultants who have been supporting the art industry, including Ki Culture, Laura Lupton and Rute Collaborative.
With a seed funding grant from Murmur, the launch of Casi follows a pilot phase during which it worked with institutions including English Heritage, Hauser & Wirth and Art Fund. Unlike traditional consultancies, Casi bills itself as a “mission-driven social enterprise”, and has pledged to reinvest 51% of its profits into GCC.
“The relationship is designed to be complementary and through the social enterprise model the two organisations will function symbiotically,” Lowndes says. “GCC creates the framework, standards and shared ambition, while Casi helps organisations operationalise that ambition in a way that is credible, measurable and achievable. Through the reinvestment of its profits, Casi strengthens GCC financially, creating a more resilient and diversified funding model for the charity and a critical time.”
The creation of Casi underscores a broader shift in the cultural sector, where climate strategy is increasingly viewed not as a peripheral concern but as an organisational priority. But transitioning to green operations involves technical adjustments. The art world is rethinking how exhibitions are produced, how artworks are transported, how buildings are constructed and operated, and how institutions define their role in a climate-constrained world. It might just need some guidance along the way.
