Interview: Nuremberg Children's Museum

As the "Children's Museum Nuremberg", you offer a special range of hands-on exhibitions in the Kachelbau. The focus is on children with their needs and abilities, their childlike curiosity and their innate thirst for knowledge. What was your motivation for completing the assessment?

Our motivation to complete the Corporate Sustainability Navigator Assessment of Bayern Innovativ GmbH was closely linked to our aspiration as a children's museum and environmental station to act as a role model in terms of sustainability. As an institution that deals intensively with the needs and abilities of children, we are aware of the responsibility we bear with regard to a sustainable future. The whole institution approach is particularly important to us. Through the assessment, we wanted to obtain an external perspective in order to be made aware of aspects that we might not have noticed internally. In this way, we can ensure that we are constantly improving our approaches and living up to our claim of being a role model in terms of sustainability.

Did you have specific questions when you started the assessment?

We were particularly interested in which points and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) the assessment would focus on. As a children's museum and environmental station, we play an important role in education for sustainable development, so we wanted to better understand how we can align our activities with the relevant SDGs and further optimize our contribution to a sustainable future.

On a scale of 1 to 5, where would you place yourselves in terms of sustainability and why? (1= we are still at the beginning; 5= we have already implemented many measures)

1: We are still at the beginning with this topic.
2: Sustainability is important to us, but we are still at the beginning of our efforts.
3: We are aware of the importance of sustainability and have taken the first steps.
4: Sustainability is an important part of our work and we have already implemented many measures.
5: Sustainability is very important to us. The topic is part of our strategy.

We would classify ourselves between 4 - 5 because sustainability is an important part of our work and we have already implemented many measures. It is also part of our strategy.

Was there an "aha" moment while completing the assessment? Did you come across something that you hadn't expected?

Yes, we came across aspects that we had previously underestimated, such as the importance of systematically documenting our sustainable measures.

Have you already implemented initial ideas based on the findings of the assessment?

Yes, we have already implemented some ideas based on the findings from the assessment. In the area of saving energy and resources, for example, we have switched the lighting in our rainforest house to energy-saving LED spotlights, thereby significantly reducing energy consumption. We have also improved waste separation in our staff kitchens by using color-coded garbage cans, which has made waste separation easier and more efficient. The taps in the toilets have also been replaced with water-saving models that switch off automatically after a short time.

We have also made adjustments in the area of procurement, such as ordering more office supplies from sustainable suppliers such as memo and using paper printed on one side for internal documents. We also try to procure used materials via platforms such as nebenan.de and kleinanzeigen.de wherever possible in order to conserve resources. Another step was the introduction of a "give-away box" in the checkout area, which has been well received by our visitors.

We have also taken measures to promote the use of environmentally friendly means of transport. By reimbursing the 49 euro ticket, we were able to increase the use of public transport among our employees. Many of our employees are now also taking advantage of the opportunity to work from home, which has greatly reduced the use of cars.

Were you surprised at how you performed compared to your benchmark group?

We were actually a little surprised. We had originally thought that we would already be well above average. But the result showed us that there is still a lot of potential for improvement. Now we are all the more motivated to intensify our efforts and actually achieve our goal of being above average.

You have to contend with special challenges: the museum is located in a listed tiled building, for example, and you are on the move throughout Germany. This makes it (more) difficult to implement "sustainable" measures. What can you recommend to other museums in terms of sustainability?

We try to implement sustainability in small steps and with creative approaches. Our most important advice to other museums would be to focus on what is feasible and not to shy away from supposed obstacles. Even small measures, such as switching to energy-saving lighting or optimizing waste separation, can make a big difference. You should also always involve all employees, as the best ideas often come from within the team. And finally, it is important not to be discouraged by external conditions, but to develop creative solutions that meet the constraints of the museum but also the requirements of sustainability.

How do you integrate sustainability into your (creative) processes?

Sustainability is an integral part of all our processes by including it as an integral part of our planning and decision-making from the outset. When developing our exhibitions and projects, for example, we take care to use resource-saving materials and design processes in such a way that they generate as little waste as possible. Our team is constantly trying to find innovative ways to incorporate sustainability into our educational programs. For example, with every new project, we consider how we can communicate environmental and climate topics in a child-friendly and interactive way without using additional resources. We also actively involve our visitors by raising their awareness in workshops and hands-on activities and showing them how they can make sustainable decisions themselves. In this way, sustainability is not only lived in our internal processes, but also in the way we communicate it to the outside world.

Further information on the assessment