Towards Sustainability in the Museum Sector: A Circular-Economy-Based Model for Museum Collections

Abstract

The article deals with the challenges of sustainable collections management, starting from transdisciplinary study of existing research and the evidence from the global museum practice. Culture is largely considered a fourth pillar of sustainable development, but it can also be understood as a transversal element, intertwined with economic, social and environmental consideration of sustainability. Although socio-cultural sustainability is in the core of museum praxis, there are sustainability-related challenges that haven’t been considerably addressed. Collections are becoming a burden for heritage organizations and in spite of museums’ struggle to be productive, only a small percentage of museum objects are being exploited. Regardless of different policies, there is a constant influx of objects on one side and a critical issue of collections’ disposal on the other side of the management process. In spite of initial axiological discrepancy, the perspective taken in this research shows that the circular based waste management models can show the way in reaching balance between collections growth, use and preservation. We have conceptualized a circular model of museum collections management, focusing on the recycling phase of such a process, and introducing re-use in education as its integral part. The principal aim of the proposal is to provide a novel view of the sustainable collections management options as well as an initial step towards further research into advantages of circular economy for museum sector.