The GREENART Project: Environmentally Friendly and Low Impact Materials for the Conservation of Cultural Heritage

While some green solutions and advanced materials have been proposed in recent decades to improve on traditional conservation processes, conservation practice still uses petroleum-based compounds and procedures that lack time- or energy-efficiency, and are not sustainable. Tackling these issues, the GREENART project (GREen ENdeavor in Art ResToration, Horizon Europe, 2022–2025) is developing green and sustainable systems for the remedial and preventive conservation of works of art, following a ‘safe and sustainable by design’ approach where green components are firstly screened and then used to formulate new materials. This contribution reviews traditional and state-of-the-art materials used in protective coatings, foams and packaging materials, consolidants, cleaning systems, and monitoring tools, and introduces the novel solutions the GREENART project is developing for each of these classes. Some of the new products are already being assessed, and the main processes in the formulation of the solutions are outlined. Life cycle assessment will be carried out before the commercial production of the new systems to demonstrate their full sustainability. Finally, perspectives are discussed, highlighting the role of GREENART in promoting a green transition for cultural heritage preservation.