November 2024
Sustainable Art Destination: Serlachius’ ISO 14001 environmental certificate extended
Granted in 2021, Serlachius’ ISO 14001 certificate for environmental management was renewed early November, extending its validity until 2027. During the two-day audit, Serlachius’ environmental and sustainability efforts were found to be exemplary.
The external audit was carried out by Kiwa Inspecta. During the audit, Serlachius environmental management system, collections operations, properties and investment activities were examined.
The key environmental aspects of Serlachius’ museum operations include the sustainable and efficient use of natural resources, the preservation of cultural heritage, and responsible advocacy.
Serlachius received the ISO 14001 environmental certificate in 2021. It is the most widely used and internationally recognised environmental management system, applicable across a broad range of industries. The system includes regular internal and external audits to monitor the implementation of environmental and sustainability work. In addition to the ISO 14001 certification, Serlachius holds the Sustainable Travel Finland label granted by Visit Finland.
Major steps in saving natural resources
Serlachius has made significant environmental investments in recent years. In winter 2023–24, Serlachius Headquarters underwent an energy renovation transitioning the property from district heating to renewable geothermal heating and cooling. In addition, solar panels producing electrical energy have been installed in the workshop of the exhibition production.
The consumption clean tap water has been reduced by introducing the Smartvatten system, which measures real-time water usage and alerts to any deviations, as well as by switching to lake water for irrigation of park areas.
Reducing waste generation and recycling are integral to Serlachius’ daily operations. Particular attention has been paid to the reuse of exhibition structures and other material related to exhibition production. For example, partition wall elements in exhibition spaces are reusable, which reduces the amount of construction waste generated during exhibition changes.
Getting to the museum by public transport
The movement of museum visitors is internationally recognised as one of the biggest sources of climate emissions in museum operations. As Serlachius is located far away from larger population centres, particular attention has been paid to this issue.
Serlachius offers and promotes low-carbon and affordable transport options to visitors in collaboration with various partners. During the summer season, the Serlachius Art & Sauna Express bus runs daily from Tampere to the museum. The route has already been used by thousands of museum visitors.
Museum visitors have access to borrowable and free Jopo bicycles and, in the summer season, to city bikes which can be rented from the nearest Vilppula railway station. In addition, an affordable shared taxi service has been developed for the winter season between the railway station and museums. The service is available on Tuesdays, during Serlachius Art Sauna’s public sauna day, and on Saturdays.
