Who we listened to
- 120valid survey responses
- 16countries reached
- 43participants in 6 focus groups
- 34expert interviews
A cross-national needs assessment rating 29 ESG competencies across four domains, for both importance and current level.
Erasmus+ project · 2025 – 2028
Shape
the future
of culture
Guiding sustainable transformation within the GLAM sector through ESG competencies.
ESG4GLAM closes the sector’s ESG knowledge gap with a validated Training Course and an open Knowledge Box, empowering your institution to innovate and produce a full Sustainability Report.
Agreement n° 2025-1-IT01-KA220-VET-000364271
CUP: G81 B25000690006
The context
Context: what are GLAMs
Galleries
Libraries
Archives
Museums
01Cultural institutions: Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums.
02Their role is to preserve, curate, and make cultural heritage and knowledge accessible.
03Promoting culture and cultural identity by engaging local, national, and international communities.
04Addressing challenges such as funding constraints, digital transformation, and audience expectations.
Challenges and gaps
The cultural paradox
GLAM institutions drive the public narrative on inclusion and the climate crisis. They are the custodians of memory and heritage. They lack the operational frameworks (ESG) and skills to transform good intentions into measurable long-term strategies.
Internally, the sector faces:
- Extreme weather events threatening heritage
- Financial fragility and reliance on public funding
- Siloed, unreported, and unmeasurable initiatives
Project mission
Project Mission and vision
The project envisions a future where GLAM institutions lead sustainability initiatives, promote cultural engagement, and contribute to community well-being with the right tools and a structured approach.
- 01Integrated holistic approach
Environmental, Social, Governance
- 02Widespread and cross-functional upskilling
of existing staff
- 03ESG Framework and Training Course
A knowledge box and a 35-hour online course
- 04Production of a Sustainability Report
the legacy of the project
The goals
ESG for the GLAM world the goals
Three dimensions, one integrated approach to make cultural institutions sustainable over time.
E
Environmental
Energy optimization of spaces, reduction of CO2 emissions, low-energy conservation methodologies, and responsible management of physical and digital waste.
S
Social
Transforming spaces into representative places. Development of accessible and inclusive programs.
G
Governance
Ethics, transparency, and trust. Advanced risk management for the protection of heritage and adoption of structured policies to ethically attract new funding.
Project solution
Translating ESG metrics for culture
It is not possible to directly implement corporate ESG models in the cultural world. ESG4GLAM acts as a filter and “translator.”
150experts and professionals from the GLAM world involved
- 01 · In
ESG Corporate Framework
Focused on the business world and linked to profit goals and more concentrated time scales.
- 02 · Filter
Research, Surveys, and Focus Groups
Involvement of 150 experts and professionals from the GLAM world in market research, surveys, and focus groups to map skills, the state of the art, and gaps.
- 03 · Out
Tailored GLAM Competencies
Creation of a bespoke framework with indicators and KPIs designed specifically for the GLAM world.
Competency needs analysis · Survey, focus groups, expert interviews
ESG skills & readiness in the GLAM sector
Readiness
65%High awareness, limited structure
of organisations have no formal ESG responsibilities, or are unsure whether any exist. Yet all four ESG domains score above 4.2 out of 5 on importance: awareness is not the missing piece, institutional structure is.
Skills gap · average score out of 5
Capacity trails importance in every domain
Cross-cuttinggap 1.68 · largest4.232.55
Environmentalgap 1.514.282.77
Socialgap 1.264.473.21
Governancegap 1.254.303.05
Importance Current level
Single biggest gap
1.88Environmental emergency preparedness
The widest gap of all 29 competencies: importance 4.36, current level 2.48. It concerns the safeguarding of collections, buildings and staff in the face of climate-related risk.
Paradox
54.2%vs13.3%Practice runs ahead of strategy
54.2% of organisations have engaged with ESG-related practice for more than three years, yet only 13.3% report an explicit ESG strategy.
Focus groups & interviews
What holds institutions back, and what they ask for
- Barriers
- Financial constraints
- Time and workload pressure
- ESG framed as compliance
- Coordination in complex institutions
- Training they want
- Practical, hands-on formats
- Peer learning and mentoring
- Modular, flexible formats
- Micro-credentials from a recognised body
Three methods, one consistent picture
Survey, focus groups and expert interviews converge on the same priority competencies and structural barriers.
Explore the needs analysis reportCompetency framework
ESG Competency Framework for the GLAM sector
A structured, evidence-based model of the Environmental, Social and Governance competencies needed by professionals and institutions across galleries, libraries, archives and museums, grounded directly in the needs analysis.
- 31ESG competencies
- 4Interconnected domains
- L1–L5Progression levels
- EQF 3–8European Qualifications Framework
Cross-cutting
The foundational, enabling literacy without which E/S/G action risks staying isolated or superficial.
- Basic ESG literacy in the GLAM context
- Using basic ESG data and indicators
- Digital sustainability and responsible use of AI
Environmental
Managing the ecological footprint of collections, buildings, exhibitions and operations.
- Energy and climate control management
- Ecologically informed preventive conservation
- Preparedness for environmental emergencies
Social
Delivering inclusive, participatory and socially accountable practice, audience- and staff-facing.
- Inclusive access and participation
- Community engagement and co-creation
- Staff wellbeing and fair working conditions
Governance
Ethical, legal and managerial capacities to embed ESG into strategy, accountability and reporting.
- Ethics and integrity in cultural stewardship
- Transparency and accountability
- Stakeholder communication and ESG reporting
Five levels, one career-long pathway
- L1AssociateEQF 3–4
- L2ProfessionalEQF 5–6
- L3Senior Professional / ManagerEQF 6–7
- L4Lead Professional / Senior ManagerEQF 7–8
- L5PrincipalEQF 8
91.2%
Validated by the sector
93 of 102 respondents consider the framework a valid reference tool for the European GLAM sector
- 10focus groups in four countries
- 37participants
- 10/10groups judged it comprehensive
Validation survey, 102 respondents, data as of 30 September 2026. Bars: share of yes answers from the survey plus 5 sector experts from the focus groups (n = 107).
A solution based on two pillars
Investing in existing staff through accessible and validated tools, without creating new structural costs.
ESG Training Course
- 35 hours of recorded content
- 7 modules of e-learning on the Heritup Academy platform
- EQF aligned micro-credentials
- EN + partnership languages
ESG Knowledge Box
- 50+ documents, case studies, self-assessment tools and practical guidelines
- Open access centralized digital repository
- Best practices transferred from the corporate world to the cultural sector
What we deliver
Project objectives
- 01
Market Validation & Strategic Awareness Building
Gather evidence, raise awareness about urgent ESG professional needs in GLAM.
- 02
EU Competency Standard Establishment
Deliver a comprehensive EU framework defining essential ESG skills for GLAM job market.
- 03
Training Course prototyping
Design course and digital knowledge box providing practical ESG experience for GLAM.
- 04
VET Course Testing and Validation
Test and validate modular ESG Training Course and platform with over 100 professionals.
- 05
The ESG Knowledge Box
Open, centralized digital repository offering ESG research, case studies, and practical tools.
- 06
Results Dissemination and Exploitation
Maximize project visibility, disseminate results widely, ensuring long-term sustainability and exploitation.
Project timeline and value
Project value and duration
- 30Months duration
- Erasmus+Programme type
- €250,000Budget (lump sum)
Research WP2
Needs analysis and definition of the Competence Framework
Creation WP3
Development of the Training Course and the ESG Knowledge Box
Validation WP4
Testing of tools, in the field and online
Project legacy
The Legacy: The Sustainability Report
The ultimate goal of the project is not just course delivery, but to equip the sector with a new mindset and a new institutional language.
- Transparency
- It provides a clear and structured overview of the organization’s commitment, demonstrating ethics and responsibility toward local communities, and potentially becoming a focal point for ESG awareness.
- Dialogue
- It replaces vague intentions with tangible data to actively engage with policymakers.
- Financial Sustainability
- A Sustainability Report is a key tool, essential today, to attract new investments, ethical sponsors, and funding.
A formula for a cultural transition
We want to integrate sustainability into the decision-making DNA of GLAM professionals.
Certified competenciesTraining course
Operational toolsKnowledge box
Resilient institutions ready to lead the climate, social, and ethical transition
Project overview
Watch the project video
ESG4GLAM empowers GLAM professionals with essential ESG skills, enabling them to produce crucial Sustainability Reports.
News
All news
Digital collections have a footprint too: AI and data in the ESG4GLAM framework
A competence the survey did not measure The ESG4GLAM competency framework has 31 competences, but the survey that inspired it rated only 29. The...
Prepared for Emergencies: The Role of the ESG Framework for Museums, Libraries, and Archives – The ESG4GLAM Multiplier Event
European cultural heritage faces unprecedented challenges, from climate change to geopolitical crises. In this scenario, how can museums, libraries,...
Preparing for the unexpected: the environmental competences in the ESG4GLAM framework
The framework in brief Our earlier article presented the ESG4GLAM competency framework and the evidence behind it. This one opens the framework up...
Press review
Project partners and stakeholders
Project partners
- 4Countries
- 5Partners
- Italy
- Latvia
- Serbia
- Finland
- Finland
Project stakeholders
Innovation requires participation
Help us to shape the future of culture
Share your insights to help us design the first European ESG framework tailored for the GLAM sector. Become an official stakeholder to unlock priority access to the 35-hour training course before the public launch.
