International Conference:
"Museums and Sustainability. Needs and Opportunities."
An international conference dedicated to the role of museums in the transition towards sustainability, understood as a cultural, social and environmental challenge. The conference brings together experiences, practices and perspectives, with the aim of exploring the opportunities and responsibilities of the museum sector. An opportunity to reflect on new management models and on the potential of museums as agents of change.
Why Now
The transition towards sustainability is no longer a theoretical horizon, but a concrete and urgent necessity. The 2030 Agenda and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set out a systemic transformation that profoundly affects the cultural sector as well. In this context, museums and cultural institutions are called upon to reflect on their role, the responsibilities that come with it, and the opportunities they have to make an active contribution. Environmental challenges, from climate change to the management of natural resources, make this process a central concern of contemporary policies and practices.
The Potential of Museums
The relationship between museums and sustainability is now recognised as strategic by international institutions such as the European Union, UNESCO and ICOM. Beyond safeguarding collections, museums hold a wealth of intangible heritage made up of knowledge, values and narratives that reflect scientific, cultural and social developments. Through aesthetic experiences and the sharing of knowledge, they contribute to individual and collective well-being, fostering awareness and helping to reduce conflict. At the same time, museums can act directly and concretely by rethinking their own processes, reducing their environmental impact, and developing new management, educational and relational models capable of engaging territories and communities.
An International Platform for Dialogue
I Musei nella sostenibilità. Necessità e Opportunità was conceived as a national and international space for dialogue and reflection on these issues. Organised with the involvement of ICOM-ICAMT, the conference aims to explore the needs and opportunities that museums are called upon to address. Through an exchange of experiences, approaches and perspectives, the objective is to make the principles of sustainability more accessible and actionable, identifying shared strategies and models that can be applied to the day-to-day management of cultural institutions.
III Edition | November 13, 2026
Braidense National Library and Sala Bassetti, Ground Floor, Courtyard of Honour, Pinacoteca di Brera, Milan
Programme
TO BE ANNOUNCED
II Edition | November 27, 2025
Fondazione Luigi Rovati - Milan
Programme
LEADERSHIP FOR CHANGE
Chiara Rostagno, Marco Edoardo Minoja, Adelina De Vito
moderates Patrizia Asproni
BENEFITS OF CHANGE
Giovanna Forlanelli, Jean Hilgersom, Matteo Ferrario, Marco Bruni
moderates Guido Guerzoni
FUTURE SCENARIOS
Philippe Chiambaretta, Alessia Salerno, Mauro Acito
moderates Maddalena d’Alfonso
A NEW PARADIGM FOR AUDIENCES
Michele Ciacciofera, Monica Rusconi, Giacomo Ardesio, Anna Fresa
moderates Cristiana Campanini
The conference provided a comprehensive and coherent overview in which museum sustainability emerged as a cross-cutting practice, capable of connecting governance, architecture, curatorship, participation and communication. Rather than a sector-specific issue, sustainability emerged as an operational principle that permeates the entire cultural system, prompting institutions, professionals and communities to reflect on their role in a time of ecological and social transition.
Participation was broad and diverse. Around eighty people attended the conference in person, including architects, curators, museum directors, cultural managers, students, researchers and professionals from a range of different fields. The event also expanded its international accessibility through a language mediation service.
Gender equality represented another distinctive element of the initiative. More than 60% of the institutional representatives attending and invited to the conference were women.
The conference also consolidated and expanded a network of relationships among cultural institutions, foundations, architecture practices, universities and professional organisations, generating new opportunities for collaboration at both national and international level.
The initiative laid the foundations for a stable and engaged community of practice, strengthening the project as a reference event and a permanent platform for dialogue and innovation within the cultural sector.
The conference is co-organised with ICOM-ICAMT, in collaboration with the Fondazione Luigi Rovati.
The conference is held under the patronage of Regione Lombardia, the Municipality of Milan, the City of Turin, the Order of Architects, Planners, Landscape Architects and Conservators of the Province of Milan, and Fondazione Cariplo.
I Edition | November 15, 2024
Gallerie d'Italia - Turin
Programme
LEADERSHIP FOR CHANGE
Patrizia Asproni, Guido Guerzoni
moderates Maddalena d’Alfonso
BENEFITS OF CHANGE
Bruno Barsanti, Tiziana Maffei
moderates Fortunato d’Amico
A BOOKLET FOR SUSTAINABILITY
Costanza Profumo
FUTURE SCENARIOS
Maddalena d’Alfonso, Timothy Ventimiglia
moderates Alessandro Colombo
A NEW PARADIGM FOR AUDIENCES
Martin Fokken, Federica Manoli, Silvia Foschi
moderates Veronica Rodenigo
The conference provided an important opportunity for discussion and exchange on sustainability within cultural institutions. The focus was on integrating sustainable practices into museum management, addressing ecological, social and economic challenges. Sustainability has become a priority for cultural institutions, which are called upon to reduce their environmental impact while maintaining their educational mission.
During the event, Display & Design ETS’s self-assessment toolkit was presented to support museums in adopting sustainable strategies. Despite the challenges involved, practical solutions were proposed, including training, financial incentives and stronger collaborative networks between museums and professionals. The conference represented an important step towards defining more sustainable models for the cultural sector.
The conference is organised with the involvement of ICOM-ICAMT,
with the support of Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, Goppion, Md’A Design Agency and OTT ART,
in collaboration with the Order of Architects PPC of Turin and the Fondazione per l’architettura / Torino, and under the patronage of the City of Turin.
Technical Partner: Craafts
Media Partner: Il Giornale dell’Architettura
