Unearthed: The Power of Gardening. Sustainability learnings and carbon footprint.

This report provides a comprehensive evaluation of Unearthed: The Power of Gardening, a major British Library exhibition delivered in 2025 with a deliberate commitment to sustainable practice. The report assesses the exhibition’s carbon footprint, examines sustainability decisions made across all departments, compares outcomes with sector norms, and proposes future actions to strengthen institutional practice.

Its findings show that sustainability was embedded across the lifecycle of the exhibition, from early concept development through design, procurement, installation, and deinstallation, building on existing institutional plans and established working practices within teams.

This is the final report of a PhD placement at the British Library by student Luke Farrell, completed from July 2025 to January 2026.