arca – Made to Protect nominated for the German Sustainability Award 2027

Cologne, 17 September 2026 – Hasenkamp’s innovative transport crate, arca – Made to Protect, has been nominated for the German Sustainability Award 2027 in the Climate transformation category. According to the award’s jury, arca is among the products helping to drive sustainable transformation. 

With arca, Hasenkamp has developed a reusable transport crate specifically designed to meet the demanding requirements of fine art logistics. The aim is to combine the highest standards of protection for sensitive works of art and cultural heritage with reduced resource consumption and emissions. The crate incorporates materials including fast-growing Paulownia wood, hemp fibre insulation and recycled rubber. An integrated digital climate monitoring system continuously records temperature and relative humidity inside the crate. 

“This nomination is particularly meaningful to us because it recognises the fundamental principle behind arca: sustainability and the highest standards of protection for works of art should not be competing priorities. They should be considered together from the outset,” says Thomas Schneider, Managing Partner of Hasenkamp. “What matters is not just the materials used to manufacture the crate. With arca, we also aim to rethink established processes in fine art logistics, eliminating unnecessary transport movements and reducing resource consumption.” 

Less material, fewer transport movements 

One of arca’s key features is the transport crate’s reusability, with an adjustable internal frame that accommodates objects of different sizes. At the same time, its integrated sensors enable continuous monitoring of the internal climate and allow conditions inside the crate to be compared with those of the surrounding environment. This means that, where conditions permit, empty crates no longer need to be delivered in advance for acclimatisation. Under optimal conditions, this can reduce the number of required lorry journeys by up to two-thirds compared with conventional fine art logistics processes. 

Material selection was also guided by environmental considerations. The product development process incorporated both Product Carbon Footprint (PCF) calculations and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). According to the carbon footprint assessment submitted as part of the award entry, an arca transport crate has a negative carbon footprint of approximately –130 kg CO₂e at the manufacturing stage, compared with approximately +797 kg CO₂e for a comparable conventional climate-controlled crate. The assessment is based on ISO 14067 and the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. 

Further development and international expansion 

Hasenkamp plans to expand the use of arca across its international operations. From the third quarter of 2026, the product is scheduled to be rolled out within the Hasenkamp Group in Scandinavia. An additional crate size is also planned for development by 2027, enabling arca to accommodate a wider range of artwork dimensions and applications. The long-term objective is to progressively replace conventional climate-controlled crates in road transport wherever conservation and logistical requirements allow. 

The finalists for the German Sustainability Award Products 2027 will be announced following the jury meeting in September. The award ceremony will take place on 3 December 2026, as part of the 19th German Sustainability Day in Düsseldorf. 

Further information about arca – Made to Protect is available at madetoprotect.art  

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