Preventive Conservation is a strategy that focuses on minimising damage with minimal intervention to a collection's items.

Over the last few years, preventive conservation has become one of the most successful ways of preserving collections because it uses science-based strategies to avoid and minimise future deterioration or loss. Measures are irreversible and don’t change an item's aesthetic value; therefore, preventive conservation can also be called the most sustainable and gentle form of protecting cultural heritage. 

The approach in preventive conservation is to manage the risk to preserve cultural heritage. This is done by first assessing the risk and defining the likelihood of a negative impact that might potentially happen. We identify the risks (10 agents of deterioration and loss) using the ABC Method, a well-known Method developed by ICCROM ( the International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property ) and CCI (Canadian Conservation Institute).

Besides the aforementioned reasons why preventive conservation matters, the following three can be labelled as the most significant benefits for collections as well as single items:

1. Preservation for future generations

By applying risk assessment, monitoring, and science-based observation techniques, collection environments can be maintained in the best possible way to slow down degradation processes.

2. Reduction of long-term costs and risks 

This is done by preventing damage instead of responding to already accrued damage. Once material changes (physically and chemically) accrue, they are never fully reversible. 

3. Protection of the integrity and authenticity of objects

Once original material is damaged due to the threads of the environment, it is impossible to reverse this process. Preventive conservation helps objects remain close to their original state, keeping their historical, artistic, and scientific value intact.