Survey · Focus Groups · Expert Interviews
ESG Skills &
Readiness in
the GLAM Sector
A cross-national needs assessment exploring ESG competencies, engagement levels and institutional readiness among Galleries, Libraries, Archives and Museums professionals — combining an online survey, six focus groups and 34 expert interviews.
Who participated
Survey respondents
Current state
ESG engagement & governance
Skills assessment · 29 competencies, 4 domains
ESG competency gap
Where to start
Top priority competencies
6 focus groups (43 participants) · 34 expert interviews
Barriers & preferred learning formats
The survey does not include quantified data on preferred training formats. These findings are drawn from the qualitative synthesis of the six focus groups and 34 expert interviews, which converged consistently across countries and institution types.
- Practical, hands-on formats connected to real institutional tasks — the most widely supported format overall, well ahead of theoretical instruction.
- Peer learning & mentoring between institutions, including structured exchanges and embedded specialist support.
- Modular, flexible formats that fit around existing professional commitments, reflecting universal time constraints.
- Micro-credentials & certificates, valued only when issued or endorsed by a credible, recognised body — institutions are wary of reputational or “greenwashing” risk otherwise.
What the data tells us
Key outcomes & findings
High awareness, limited structure
65% of organisations have no formal ESG responsibilities, or are unsure whether any exist — yet all four ESG domains score above 4.2/5 on importance. Awareness is not the missing piece; institutional structure is.
65% no / unclear ESG rolesCross-cutting competencies: the systemic gap
Integrated ESG literacy scores 4.23 in importance but only 2.55 in current capacity (Δ 1.68) — the largest of all four domains, and near-uniform across its five items, pointing to a broad, not isolated, deficit.
1.68 point domain gapEnvironmental emergency preparedness
The largest gap of all 29 competencies surveyed (Δ 1.88) — directly relevant to the safeguarding of collections, buildings and staff in the face of climate-related risk.
1.88 point item gapPractice runs ahead of strategy
54.2% of organisations report ESG-related engagement of more than three years, yet only 13.3% report an explicit ESG strategy. Substantive practice exists but remains institutionally under-codified.
54% engaged 3+ yearsSocial domain: closest to being solved
The social domain records both the highest importance (4.47) and the highest current level (3.21) of all four domains — reflecting GLAM institutions’ long-standing public mission — though a 1.26 gap remains.
3.21 current level / 5Three methods, one consistent picture
The survey (120 responses), 6 focus groups (43 participants, 4 countries) and 34 expert interviews (5 countries) converge on the same priority competencies and structural barriers — financial constraints and time chief among them.
3 converging methodsAbout this study
Methodology
This report combines three complementary methods within the ESG4GLAM project (Erasmus+ KA220-VET). An online survey, implemented via Forminator, rated 29 ESG competencies across four domains — cross-cutting, environmental, social and governance — on a 1–5 scale for both importance and current level; 142 submissions were collected between January and May 2026, of which 120 were retained as valid. Six focus groups (43 participants) were held across Italy, Latvia, Serbia and Finland between March and May 2026. Thirty-four expert interviews were conducted across Finland, Latvia, Serbia, Austria and Italy, combining written questionnaires and video interviews.