'28th Cultural Arts Institution Practitioners ESG Forum' Held
Samsung Foundation of Culture Jeonnam Provincial Museum of Art Human Exhibition Traveling Exhibition View. Photo by Samsung Foundation of Culture
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] The Samsung Foundation of Culture announced on the 27th that it has established three core strategies?carbon emission reduction, happy companionship, and transparent responsible management?and will actively promote ESG management.
To achieve the three core strategies, the foundation conducted an ESG management environment diagnosis last year and formed an ESG committee led by the CEO, appointing three external members.
The ESG committee converted the energy consumption over the past three years into greenhouse gas emissions. Based on this, they analyze energy usage monthly and are making efforts to reduce carbon emissions. From the exhibition preparation stage, eco-friendly materials are used, and efforts to minimize exhibition waste generation are also underway.
In particular, during the exhibitions ‘Art Spectrum 2022’ and ‘Ian Cheng: World Construction,’ temporary walls were installed using modular partitions, which the foundation explained reduced waste volume by about 50% compared to previous exhibitions after the exhibition ended.
Except for the second floor of the fine art exhibition hall, which uses ultraviolet-free fluorescent lights to protect ancient paintings, all exhibition lighting has been replaced with LEDs. Additionally, instead of flyers, visitors are provided with exhibition explanations and tour programs through the ‘Leeum Digital Guide,’ and mobile tickets are sent to reservation holders to minimize paper use.
At the Leeum Store, packaging bags made from 100% biodegradable resin that can be reused and decomposed by microorganisms are used. They also offer products made from eco-friendly materials such as masks recycled from PET bottles.
Employees are encouraged to reduce the use of disposable plastics and paper cups by providing personal tumblers, and efforts to reduce carbon emissions include holding meetings in metaverse (virtual world) spaces.
The foundation is preparing to obtain ISO 14001 (Environmental Management System) and ISO 45001 (Occupational Health and Safety Management System) certifications by the second half of this year to establish management systems for environment and safety that comply with international standards.
On the 28th of this month, an ESG forum for cultural and artistic institution practitioners will be held at the Leeum Museum conference room, targeting over 20 cultural and artistic institutions.
At this forum, practitioners and curators from various institutions such as museums, corporate foundations, and national institutions will attend to share key information on ESG and know-how on measuring and managing carbon emissions.
Furthermore, the foundation is conducting its first regional touring exhibition to provide more local residents nationwide with opportunities to appreciate culture and arts.
First, the planned exhibition ‘Human, Seven Questions’ was held at the Jeonnam Provincial Museum from February 24 to May 29. The Hoam Museum’s planned exhibition ‘Metallurgy: Great Wisdom’ will be held at the National Cheongju Museum from May 31 to August 28, and in September at the National Gimhae Museum.
Additionally, to commemorate the 112th anniversary of the martyrdom of independence activist Ahn Junggeun, the foundation is supporting the preservation treatment of one family photo album and two calligraphy pieces of Ahn, which have been difficult to preserve. The artifacts are scheduled to complete preservation work by March next year and will be handed over to the ‘Ahn Junggeun Memorial Association.’
The foundation published an ESG report summarizing the achievements of its sustainable management activities last year on its website on the 21st. Next year, it plans to publish its first sustainable management report.
A foundation official stated, “Going forward, as a public interest corporation, we will emphasize management principles prioritizing compliance and ethical management, and establish a management system to ensure transparent and fair project progress through the board of directors and various committees under it.”
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