Sustainability

By offering regional products, we can reduce our CO2 emissions. That is why the Centraal Museum works with local suppliers for its two museum cafés and shops. And by not serving meat or fish in our museum cafés or at events, we reduce our ecological footprint even further. Our menu also features mostly organic products. At the Centraal Museum, it is updated for every collection exhibition.

Green Key is the leading sustainability certification for the tourism and leisure industry in the Netherlands. Today, more than seven hundred Dutch businesses carry this certification, from hotels and restaurants to zoos and holiday parks. A green key by the door means that a business values sustainability and puts it into practice throughout its operations.

We are proud that the Centraal Museum has been awarded a Golden Green Key as a sustainable museum venue, as this means we go the extra mile to help create a better future for our planet.

The Centraal Museum has a heat pump, which helps us reduce our energy consumption. In addition, the museum uses energy-efficient lighting and motion sensors both in the museum itself and in its offices, and we opt for energy-efficient climate control wherever possible. We are also looking at how to optimise climate settings in the permanent collection galleries, so that less energy is used while the collection remains well preserved.

Solar panels have also been installed in the windows of the Centraal Museum's museum café, which is connected to the district heating network. During the most recent renovation, the Centraal Museum's former patios were replaced with flat roofs fitted with solar panels. Our solar panels generate no less than 25% of our total energy consumption.

All taps in the museum are fitted with water-saving aerators. These are tested monthly to measure how many litres of water flow from each tap per minute.

In addition, there is underfloor heating in many areas, the glazing in the rear and new sections of the building has been upgraded, and we have sustainable exterior cladding. Thanks to all the measures we took during the most recent renovation, heat escapes from the building less quickly and the cold is kept out more effectively, so we need less heating.

Maintenance and sustainability improvements

A maintenance and sustainability plan has been drawn up for the museum’s various wings. The plan is based on the energy assessment carried out by the Province of Utrecht for all of our museum’s buildings. The first phase of the plan began in 2024 with major maintenance work on the chapel, including the replacement of the slate roof and gutter lining. Work on the Monastery, the Stables and the Garden Room will follow in the coming years.

Together, we aim to minimize waste by using reusable, compostable and recyclable materials. Paper, plastic and general waste are collected separately; you'll find paper recycling bins throughout the office, as well as several plastic collection points. We also work with a circular economy company to reduce waste.

For several years now, exhibition materials from the Centraal Museum, such as partition walls, have been reused. For example, we are a member of Museumgoed, a platform dedicated to sharing, renting, storing and reusing exhibition materials.
At the office, we work with Albeka and order refurbished office furniture. For example, they reupholster old chairs.

We believe it is important to lead by example and bring people together. We do this in various ways: through projects for newcomers without residency status, free admission for U-pas holders, and special programmes for local residents. We also offer educational programmes for schools at our three locations and for the very youngest visitors at the Miffy Museum. In addition, we create employment and work experience opportunities, develop programmes for people who face barriers to employment or have a disability, and provide a platform for works by outsider artists. In this way, we aim to be a museum that makes a meaningful contribution to the wider community.

We make conscious choices in everything we purchase. We consider the entire life cycle of a product or service: from sourcing and production to use and reuse. Wherever possible, we opt for sustainable, Fairtrade, organic or local alternatives. In doing so, we always assess the impact on people, the environment and the local community. This also encourages our suppliers and partners to move towards more sustainable and innovative ways of working. Together, we work in accordance with the Code of Ethics.