Traditions as tools for innovation

Crafts-led innovation is all about using traditional craft skills—like weaving, pottery, wood carving, leatherwork, or glassblowing—to inspire new ideas, products, or services. These time-honored techniques aren’t just about keeping old traditions alive; they can also help solve modern challenges.

HERE ARE EKIP´S MAIN FINDINGS

Based on the discussions with and input from participants in the Policy Lab as well as further refinement in a Community Review Workshop and background research, a series of recommendations were developed to foster crafts-led innovation and tackle its challenges, key among them are:

• Establish a unified, cross-domain EU strategy adaptable to national and regional contexts, promoting crafts’ diverse economic, cultural, and social dimensions beyond cultural heritage alone.
• Expand lifelong learning and training programs for craftspeople, encompassing innovation competences, digital skills, financial literacy, sustainability, and business management.
• Strengthen networks and infrastructures by supporting creative hubs, advocacy groups, and local bodies dedicated to crafts-led innovation, enabling better representation and collaborative opportunities.
• Encourage more inclusive and accessible funding schemes specifically tailored to support crafts-related projects, alongside sustainable financial models that fairly remunerate craftspeople.
• Adapt regulatory frameworks to balance preservation with innovation, allowing traditional craft techniques to evolve naturally while safeguarding their core values.

Find out more!

Download the report with policy recommendations on crafts-led innovation in EKIP’s Knowledge Bank.

EKIP POLICY RECOMMENDATION

Expand lifelong learning and training programs for craftspeople, encompassing innovation competences, digital skills, financial literacy, sustainability, and business management.

How can Open Innovation Unlock the Flexible Learning Paths? How can we co-learn together?

Stepping into an open innovation space means embracing mutual respect and curiosity for others’ expertise. While familiar to some, this way of working together is still a fresh and exciting experience for many.

”Still, what often takes place in such an environment is not more extraordinary than exchange of experience and viewpoints and joint learning”, says  Elisa Kraatari, researcher at Humak UAS and a partner of ekip.

In contexts that bring together experts from different and even clearly distinct sectors, a selection of methods from yet another field, crafts, can well introduce and lead to learning processes and changes of perspective unlike others.

The absolute strong-point about craft practices and methods and their application in crafts-led innovation is that as primates we typically are inclined to think through and with our hands.

For the unaccustomed hand experimenting with haptics and materiality can energise with enriching realisations and even (re)-innervate one’s thinking in unexpected ways.

Lowering the threshold to operate in open innovation contexts, even in different roles, would call for awareness raising about its benefits to craftspeople and to familiarize with the concept together with peers. That is Elisa kraataris belief.

”From my andragogic point of view, I would see open innovation quintessentially as on opportunity to learning, not only new skills but indeed as learning from others, thus accessing increased capacity in innovation competences, too.”

At the heart of any meaningful exchange—whether between craftspeople, creatives, or tech experts—is a shared spirit of curiosity, respect, and a genuine desire to learn from one another.

”No matter whether taking place among craftspeople of different fields or experts coming from both crafts, other CCIs, or, say, technology and engineering, at the core I would see respectful curiousness to others’ skills and knowledge and the genuine will to explore and learn.”

EKIP POLICY RECOMMENDATION:

Strengthen networks and infrastructures by supporting creative hubs, advocacy groups, and local bodies dedicated to crafts-led innovation, enabling better representation and collaborative opportunities.

How can open innovation around infrastructures become of cultural value to CCI?

”In my opinion – as policy advisor at the cultural department of the City of Rotterdam – it is clear: where people live, there will be culture. And, part of the society will be forward thinking and acting people.”, that is Martijn van der Mark´s strong belief

How can we strengthen open innovation and make the most of cultural value? For Martijn, these two questions go hand in hand.

”Culture is something we create, share, and celebrate together—and that’s exactly the spirit behind open innovation.”

This is especially true when the goal is to tackle big social challenges. By opening up the process, experts not only drive new ideas forward but also invite the wider public to get involved, making innovation more meaningful and inclusive.

In fields like architecture, design, digital culture, film, and media, it’s a long-standing tradition to bring together society, technology, the economy, and culture. This mix often leads to fresh ways of working, thinking, living, and creating new experiences for people.

”In Rotterdam we have several examples of cultural activities, hubs and ecosystems that are the katalysator of connecting this worlds. For example debates, lectures, festivals, biennals and exhibitions – digital, virtual or IRL – accelerate open innovation, together with generating and attracting public attention.”

EKIP POLICY RECOMMENDATION

 Encourage more inclusive and accessible funding schemesspecifically tailored to support crafts-related projects, alongside sustainable financial models that fairly remunerate craftspeople.

Sometimes we forget the powerful tools society already holds — policies, funding models, and regulatory mechanisms designed for other sectors. With a bit of tweaking and the will to adapt, these same tools could drive meaningful development in the creative industries. Yet, it’s often not the lack of potential, but the lack of awareness or initiative, that holds progress back.

Sweden has long been a leader in using public procurement to shape better outcomes — especially in the realm of school food. By setting clear requirements for ecological quality and animal welfare, local politicians and policymakers have ensured that school meals go beyond nutrition to reflect broader societal values. This approach, known as innovation procurement, isn’t just about food — it’s a powerful tool that could be repurposed to support other sectors.

In contrast, the craft and cultural industries have yet to benefit from the same level of strategic policy engagement.

” While procurement practices in food are well-established, traditional craftsmanship remains under-leveraged. The difference is striking — no one would dream of renovating Notre-Dame with plastic windows. Yet, everyday renovation and restoration projects often sideline skilled local artisans in favor of short-term fixes. The tools exist. It’s a matter of recognizing their potential and applying them where they’re needed most”, says Katarina Scott, Senior Project Development at Future by Lund in Sweden and a member of ekip.

It’s not just about policies—it’s about thinking long-term. Renovating windows with local artisans might extend their life by 70 years, compared to 30 for mass-produced ones. And when local materials and knowledge are valued, a new market emerges—just as it has for organic food.

“Thousands of years of craft knowledge can shape a sustainable future,” she adds. “We already have the tools. It’s time to use them better—just as we’ve done in food.”

EKIP POLICY RECOMMENDATION

Adapt regulatory frameworks to balance preservation with innovation, allowing traditional craft techniques to evolve naturally while safeguarding their core values.

When it comes to building a supportive regulatory framework for the creative sector, local authorities often play a crucial role. And once again, the food industry may offer a model worth replicating.

”Take champagne, for instance—only sparkling wine from the Champagne region of France can legally bear the name. It’s a clear example of how regulatory systems can protect and promote regional craftsmanship. This kind of geographic authentication isn’t limited to beverages; it’s food craft, and it sets a precedent for other sectors”, says Charlotte Lorentz Hjort, coordinator for ekip.

Now imagine applying similar protections to traditional arts. Sami silk, for example, could be tagged and verified as authentic using modern tools like DPP (Digital Product Passports) and blockchain. Just as Sweden has officially recognized regional specialties like Skåne’s spettekaka as culturally significant, the same framework could support and preserve local crafts.

“We’ve done it with food—why not with craft?” Charlotte Lorentz Hjort asks. “The tools already exist. It’s just a matter of applying them more widely.”

By leveraging both technology and policy, the creative sector can take a cue from food regulation to build systems of authenticity, sustainability, and economic value — not just for today, but for generations to come.