Environmental responsibility statement

We are already seeing the impacts of existing warming with devastating droughts, storms and floods across the world. Related crises include collapsing biodiversity, dangerous levels of air pollution, and plastic contamination in our rivers and oceans.

Without urgent action from across society, these problems will rapidly escalate. As a fine art shipper, we are aware that we have an impact on the environment, due to emissions from our trucks, shipping, inhouse bespoke packing and casing solutions, and energy required to maintain climate and temperature control at our facilities meeting the levels acceptable to maintain the integrity of client’s artworks stored. This of course includes air travel required for our technicians to attend international art fairs and installation projects.

At Williams and Hill, our mission is to provide sustainable services & solutions to the art sector where possible. To fulfil this mission, we need to take urgent environmental action, because art and culture across the world is directly threatened by the climate crisis, and those from marginalised communities and cultures are most at risk, while also holding many of the most effective solutions to the climate crisis.

As an organisation, we know that our main direct environmental impacts include fuel emissions powering our trucking fleet, packing materials used, traveling to art fairs, shipping of artworks, and energy use in our buildings.

We have committed to tackling these impacts by:

Joining the Gallery Climate Coalition, and pledging to at least halve our carbon emissions by 2030, from a 2021 baseline assuming that we will be able to do so without impacting the safety of the items we store/ ship and that fuel efficiency increases to the extent that reducing emissions by this amount does not impinge our ability to ship the goods we are asked to ship. i.e. that we are still able to properly function as a business.

• Ensuring that we offer sea, rail and road as an alternative to air where viable.
• Reducing our building energy use and seeking green energy alternatives when contracts come up for renewal.
• Conducting audits of our packaging suppliers to find opportunities of sourcing recyclable materials without impacting the safety of items we store and ship.

The actions we are taking to meet these targets include:

Ensuring our clients are aware of alternatives to airfreight and making sure we provide them with cut off dates for sending freight via sea rather than air to meet the arrivals deadline.

• Reviewing our staff travel policies and practices, and planning our attendance at international events to reduce the need for air travel where possible.
• Looking into where we carry out energy audits of our buildings to find opportunities for energy reduction and renewable generation.
• Working with other GCC members on projects to help develop more sustainable packaging, transport and energy saving solutions for the whole sector.
• Speaking to our suppliers and service providers about their carbon footprint, and looking for opportunities to encourage them to take action, or to switch to alternative suppliers who will.
• Maintaining a Green Team with representatives from different parts of the organisation, that meets to track progress on all of these targets and actions quarterly.

We aim to take action in line with the principles of climate justice, recognising the connections between the climate crisis and other global injustices. We want our environmental actions to support – rather than undermine or ignore – the needs of people on the frontlines of marginalisation and injustice.

We have set these targets and are taking actions in the knowledge that we aren’t yet doing everything right. We still have a great deal to do and much to learn. We welcome feedback from our clients on this environmental statement, our targets, and on our plans for action.

Daniel Smith
Head of Compliance and Sustainability