DE-FRAMe
The Database of Eco-friendly Art Materials
The Guidelines
The following guidelines are created for artists, curators and other creatives as an aid to make informed decisions when choosing materials for a future artwork or exhibition.
It was developed in line with the principles of sustainable development and circular production.
The main goal of this project is to create a beginner-friendly guide on the subject of sustainability and circular production in art. That’s why some of the field-specific terminology is omitted on purpose, and explanations are written in plain language. If you’d like to dive deeper into the details and know more about the research and theory behind these guidelines, please refer to the section Know your media.
These guidelines are particularly inspired by:
1.
Decide how long you want your artwork to last
The idea of a disposable or reusable artwork might seem unconventional at first, but it might become the necessary step towards a more inclusive (non-anthropocentric) and sustainable art world.
In fact, when choosing materials for the future artwork, artists always decide on the presumable longevity of an artwork. However, this choice is often made subconsciously. In most cases, it is the physical and chemical characteristics of a material that guide artists' decisions. And that means, the longevity of a chosen material follows as a natural effect.
If you’d like to lead a green transformation in the art world by your own example, it would be a good idea to be more aware and explicit of the desirable longevity of your future artwork right from the start.
The logic is simple:
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if you want your artwork to last for ages, go for the durable, indestructible materials;
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otherwise, choose materials that could be easily recycled, reused or disposed without causing harm to nature.
With that being said, material choice should be consistent with the concept and the subject of the artwork. e. g. If you’d like to comment quickly on some recent cultural issue and receive reactions from your contemporaries rather than create a historical document for the next generations, consider using materials that are easy to reuse or recycle. I’m pretty sure that not everyone aims for their artwork to be kept forever in a museum’s repository.
Other cases when you might choose something easy to dispose of or recycle:
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when you are making samples or experimenting, and you are not sure how the final result will turn out;
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when you need to create temporary constructions or objects as part of a set or scenic design for a video or performance.
On the contrary, if you’d like to convey a complex message that links several generations and cultures, you might prefer to select strong, long-lasting materials.
For a “short, yet meaningful life” scenario, search 
for the following tags in the Database:
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Recyclable, biodegradable, compostable
For an “eternal life” scenario, search for the following tags in the Database:
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Durable, strong
2.
Consider how much effort and resources would be needed to maintain your artwork
Some materials are easier to maintain than others.
EXAMPLE
There are quite a lot of materials for painting that appear to be eco-friendly at first sight (for example, linen used for canvas or wooden framing). However, natural pigments are sensitive towards the direct sunlight and canvas is sensitive towards humidity, that’s why it takes quite a lot of effort and resources to maintain paintings in the museum setting. Museums use climate control systems that consume huge amounts of energy. And in most cases, this energy comes from conventional, non-renewable sources. That’s why painting often turns out to be far from what one might consider a sustainable medium.
In general, all surfaces that are covered with color paint should be kept away from direct sunlight. Otherwise, the coating will require renewal.
If you work with interactive digital artworks and media-dependent artworks, be aware of the obsolescence of the technology used to produce the artwork.
It is also important to consider the scale of your artwork, and whether it could be assembled from several parts – large artworks are more difficult to transport and store in a museum’s or collector’s depository.
These are just a few examples of the maintenance issues you might want to take into consideration in advance.
For more information about painting, visit Know your media section.
3.
Choose materials which are produced locally if possible
Logistics are among the largest contributors of greenhouse gases which trap the heat from the Sun and cause the planet’s warming (this explanation is simplified, the real science behind the excessive emissions of greenhouse gases is a bit more complicated).
For the art world, it is important to consider two things: how artworks are transported, and where the art materials come from.
In general, the less transportation, the better for our planet. Yet, if we are to choose among different types of transportation in most cases the following statement would be true:
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electric vehicles are better than non-electric vehicles,
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trains are better than airplanes.
Although there are no official statistics on how much greenhouse gases are emitted in the process of transporting art alone, we can judge by the environmental impact of the logistics sector as a whole.
According to the data published at statista.com, transportation was the second-largest source of emissions worldwide in 2022.
You can find more information on the topic at the Gallery Climate Coalition’s site:
4.
Consider how you are going to combine or mix materials if needed
If you courageously decide that your artwork could be recycled sometime in the future, there is one more important step for you to consider: how many different materials you are going to use, and how exactly you are planning to connect them.
Sometimes we deal not with plain materials, but with mixed or composite ones. You might have run into them, if you work with ready-mades, for example.
Mixed-material objects use distinct resources to create a product (example: cardboard container with a plastic liner). Composite materials merge two resources to create a new material.
Mixed materials are very hard to recycle. That’s because materials must be isolated to effectively process and then reuse them.
If you have decided to pick plain materials, you might need some adhesives to put different parts of an object together. The bad news is that most adhesives available on the market are unsustainable. The good news is that sustainable options already exist.
Look at the reference on Natural adhesives in the Database.
In general, it would be best to follow this advice which comes from object design:
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use fewer materials, components and parts;
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in an artwork’s explication, don’t forget to list the materials that you used;
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make your artwork easy to disassemble (parts made from different materials can be easily separated from each other).
Composite materials are even worse when it comes to recycling. They are far harder to separate because the two materials are combined on a foundational level.
5.
Prepare your artwork for the end of life
Now that you are all set and done with the choice of materials, the last step that remains is to put together all the information on your objects’ life cycle and the materials used. Write a short note for a person who will buy and maintain your artwork in the future on how to take care of it.
If your artwork might go through a transformation over time, and it doesn’t require any special treatment or recovery, don’t forget to mention it. Also, if you’d love your artwork to have a second life (to be recycled or reused), be sure to give direct instructions to its new owner on how to prepare and send the artwork off to its rebirth journey.
Keeping in mind the above guidelines, you are most welcome to move on to the “Know your media” section to explore sustainable practices best suited for the particular medium you work with.
Alternatively, you can go directly to the Database of sustainable art materials to browse for the art materials for your project.