Christie’s Is Cutting Its Catalogue Pages and Print Materials in Half Next Year to Curb Its Environmental Impact

In an effort to reduce its environmental footprint, Christie’s
is planning to cut in half its production of printed materials and
boost its investment in digital communications.

The move comes after the auction house found that 52 percent of
lots sold worldwide were purchased by people who did not receive
print catalogues. The statistics were even higher—70 percent—for
buyers from live auctions.

“Nearly all Christie’s global client base are now digitally
engaged on a transactional basis with a complete collecting
experience online,” Christie’s CEO Guillame Cerutti said in a
statement. “From engaging general content to our detailed
catalogues, bidder registration and post-sale processes, all can be
accessed via screens of choice.”

Christie’s currently produces more than 700,000 printed
materials per year, most of which are catalogues and gallery
guides, making the new initiative, “not only possible but
essential,” according to a statement from Cerutti. The auction
house says it plans to slim down its catalogues, rather than cut
them altogether.

Cost savings from the print cuts will be reinvested into digital
engagement. Meanwhile, executives are also looking at Christie’s
travel-related carbon footprint.

Earlier this season, Phillips auction house also stopped
producing hard-copy catalogues for its “New Now” sales in New York
and London, which are focused on younger, emerging artists.

“This new approach goes hand-in-hand with the tremendous
increase in digital engagement we’ve seen from collectors around
the world,” said head of sale Sam Mansour in a statement announcing
the initiative. “Online accounts have grown by over 300 percent
since 2017, and Phillips now receives online bids for over 60
percent of our lots.”

Mansour said that as more clients adopt its digital
channels, whether from their phones or tablets, laptops or
desktops, “we’re moving the majority of our content to those
platforms.”

Sotheby’s declined to share details of their 2020 plans for
print catalogues, but noted that digital developments are under way
and will be shared in the New Year.

The post Christie’s Is Cutting Its Catalogue Pages and Print
Materials in Half Next Year to Curb Its Environmental Impact
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