CAITLIN SOUTHWICK

Sustainability in Conservation: Material Use and Sustainability

Sustainable living is an important issue in todays society, and it transcends from our personal life to our working practices. The heritage sector is no exception. Caitlin Southwick, being part of Sustainability in Conservation (SiC), aims to address some of these issues through promoting sustainable practices and alternative materials and treatments.

Southwick used the United Nations Sustainable Development goal to highlight key areas that can be tackled by the heritage sector. 11 out of the 17 goal had relevant targets, for example:

• Responsible Consumption and Production - by taking a more considered approach, and carrying out research and tests, we can be more responsible about the materials we are using within object treatments.
• Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure - by continuing to push forward with research we can find innovative solutions for our conservation problems.
• Life Below Water - this ties in with Responsible Consumption and Production, previous materials have been banned from use due to their arm to acoustic life (such as Synperonic N), but avoiding use of any such material and finding alternatives is the first step

Southwick covered a number of options for conservators but a fantastic source is the SiC website found here.