LONDON.- A new packaging and shipping service for the art world will be a game changer for galleries, auction houses and museums, reducing the cost of shipping and dramatically reducing carbon emissions by up to 90%. ROKBOX LOOP launched at Art Basel (15-18 June 2023), an international art fair staged annually in Basel, Switzerland (amongst other iterations internationally), where UBS will be the first to use the revolutionary new system to ship its works of art. This will simultaneously reduce CO2, waste, pollutants, and cost whilst positively contributing to its ESG targets.

What is ROKBOX LOOP?

ROKBOX LOOP provides sustainable, protective art shipment crates on a rental basis, eradicating the need for single-use crates. The new system is light, reusable and 100% recyclable.

The product has been brought to market thanks to the backing of Gander & White and Haas & Company, the first shippers to provide their clients with the rental system. Initially, the reusable crates will be available in seven global cities*. Future global hub locations include North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. Further shippers will be invited to offer ROKBOX LOOP from the autumn.

How it works

Clients will access the ROKBOX LOOP service via an online booking system, reserving and renting the required cases for one month. Cases are collected from and returned to any of the seven launch hubs. 180 crates are currently available with numbers anticipated to increase significantly as demand grows.

Sustainability credentials

Research into the life cycle of ROKBOX LOOP in comparison to traditional crate shells was undertaken by Sustainability Tools in Cultural Heritage (STiCH). The team found that traditional crates operated a make-use-destroy system, manufacturing in wood and using plastic foam cushioning that would typically be incinerated after use. ROKBOX crates were shown to have significantly lower CO2 impacts than single-use wooden and reusable fibreglass crates, the latter due to their weight. The crates also demonstrated very low levels of carcinogens and ecotoxicity.

Speaking about the launch, ROKBOX CEO Andrew Stramentoff, comments, “We believe that ROKBOX LOOP will revolutionise the way the industry packs and ships its art, simultaneously reducing waste and CO2 whilst lowering costs. This progressive new service was made possible thanks to the backing of Gander & White and Haas & Company, proving we can achieve extraordinary things when we collaborate with visionary partners.”

Gander & White’s Managing Director, Oliver Howell, responds, “We take our moral duty to improve our working practises seriously, driving change that reduces our impact on the environment. The ROKBOX team had a captivating vision of a more sustainable art world, and we are proud to support them.”

Sonja Kappenburg, Director at Gander & White Paris, says, “je suis très enthousiaste à l’idée de ce nouveau projet, qui témoigne de notre engagement à rechercher et à adopter des solutions de transport durable chaque fois que cela est possible.

I am very enthusiastic about this new project, which demonstrates our dedication to researching sustainable transport solutions whenever possible.”

Haas & Company’s Managing Partner, Armando Haas, adds, “ROKBOK LOOP is the first cost-effective, sustainable, safe, easy-accessible and readily available third-party fine art packing alternative. Thanks to the endorsement of the Gallery Climate Coalition, we believe that museums, galleries and auction houses will be eager to employ this ground-breaking new product.”