A safe move: how we pack our treasures

02 May 2023

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If you’ve ever moved house, you’ll know just how important it is to pack your belongings securely in sturdy boxes. The same goes for our valuable and delicate collection pieces, which we pack with great care and efficiency before transporting them to the new storage facilities at the Erfgoedfabriek. We’ve already packed thousands of objects. Routine work? Not at all: every object is unique and sometimes calls for creative solutions.

To move our collections safely and efficiently, each piece must be prepared for transport. This is necessary for every single object – around 50,000 of them! – using a standardised, transparent and safe method. We follow the same steps each time: cleaning, registering, photographing, labelling, and finally packing. Read more about the steps we take to prepare a object for moving here. In this month’s moving blog, we shine a light on that final step: sustainable and safe packing.

Sustainable Packing

So, isn't packing objects for a move just a matter of wrapping everything in bubble wrap or tissue paper? Not at all. That method is outdated and could even be dangerous for our collection pieces.

Different materials (wood, textiles, metal, etc.) require different approaches, and each object has its own sensitivities. Place everything in bubble wrap and the objects become invisible, meaning you can no longer see which parts are most fragile when handling them. We still use bubble wrap, but far less than we used to. Large amounts of bubble plastic are no longer environmentally responsible either. Limiting these single-use plastics as much as possible is a sustainable choice.

Most of our packaging will not only be used to safely transport items to the Heritage Factory – it will also serve as long-term storage packing. Sustainable packing choices are therefore important.

Eliminating movement inside the packaging

We prefer standardised packaging made from inert materials that have no impact on the collection pieces. Our aim is to use as little material as possible while stabilising the object inside its packaging, giving it enough support to minimise any risk of damage. This makes the packaging suitable for both transport and long-term storage at the Erfgoedfabriek.

Our collection contains an enormous variety of objects and materials. Some objects require a bit of creativity to pack and transport safely. Fortunately, our moving team has no shortage of ingenuity. Our technical workshop is home to skilled craftspeople who help devise creative solutions for more complex objects — such as designing safe, custom-made packaging for a fragile miniature ship (see photo).