Cultural and Creative Industries enabling green transitions: Is the New European Bauhaus a catalyst?

NEB stands out by blending science, technology, art, and culture, fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration. With insights from cultural and creative industries, NEB can shape a sustainable, resilient future. Photo: iStockphoto

ekip’s analysis examined how the New European Bauhaus (NEB) and other EU policies support cultural and creative industries (CCI) in the green transition, and how policymakers can further enhance their role.

In 2019, the European Union set the green transition as a key priority through the European Green Deal, addressing challenges such as biodiversity loss, circular economies, sustainable mobility, and clean energy. Achieving these objectives requires restructuring production and value chains and redefining the relationship with nature, with fairness and inclusivity as central principles.

The New European Bauhaus (NEB) initiative was launched to connect the Green Deal with citizens’ everyday lives by promoting a future that is beautiful, sustainable, and inclusive. By merging science and technology with art and culture, NEB creates space for collaboration across disciplines and positions CCI as key contributors to sustainable innovation.

Assessing NEB’s support for creative industries

ekip focused on analysing to what extent NEB and other EU initiatives provide a supportive framework for CCI actors to participate in the green transition, and how policymakers can further strengthen their role.

Here are ekip’s main findings

CCI actors across Europe show a strong willingness to accelerate the green transition through innovation by translating complex issues into experiences accessible to society. NEB provides a fertile framework for CCI to contribute by:

• Creating awareness about the urgency of the green transition
  
• Building inclusive networks beyond traditional triple-helix actors
  
• Encouraging the phase-out of unsustainable practices
  
• Experimenting to visualise sustainable futures
  

Systemic approach lacking

Despite active local NEB chapters, labs, and working groups, a systemic approach to fully include CCI actors is lacking. National and regional governments seek clearer policy guidance and incentives. Green transition policies remain largely technology- and industry-driven, while CCI potential is not always recognised. The focus on the built environment further excludes creative sectors not directly linked to architecture or physical heritage.

Find out more about ekip’s main policy recommendations

ekip recommends developing an open innovation ecosystem for the green transition by actively involving CCI actors in vision-setting and strategic decision-making processes. According to Isabelle De Voldere (IDEA Consult), CCI involvement is often limited to project-level participation, rather than long-term policy development.

Fully integrating CCI into strategic frameworks allows them to contribute alternative perspectives, foster transdisciplinary innovation, and engage in more sustainable innovation partnerships. More structured funding models beyond short-term projects would enable social testing grounds, citizen involvement, and scalable sustainable practices across sectors.