As our annual Innovation Forum kicks off in Nice today, our Director for Communications and Marketing Bernd Fesel shares some insights into EIT Culture & Creativity’s mission.
For the past few years, European Union leaders have been working on new policies that will embed principles of sustainability and circularity in all aspects of our lives.
The creative and cultural sectors are industries (CCSI) and uniquely positioned to lead Europe’s this transition, not only strengthening the continent’s economic resilience but going further than that: fostering social inclusion, creating open and diverse societies, and envisioning a brighter future that respects planetary boundaries.
The new Circular Economy Act, along with the European Green Deal and the New European Bauhaus, are driving systemic change by linking environmental sustainability with economic innovation and, ultimately, societal well-being. At EIT Culture & Creativity, we are proud to align our programmes with this vision.
In our work, we prioritize circular and resilient practices in fashion, architecture, audiovisual media, gaming, and cultural heritage to drive sustainable transformation. We have clear and concise impact goals in mind and we’re working towards them every day. For instance, we want to change the fashion sector by increasing the prevalence of collections with circular practices by 5% by the year 2030. You can learn more about our goals through our Strategic Agenda.
Pictured: Startups from EIT Culture & Creativity’s Shape Programme, at an event earlier this year.
A catalyst for Change
The creative industries possess a unique ability to not only envision new paradigms, but to turn them into reality as well.
The linear “take-make-dispose” model, in which materials are used once before being discarded, puts immense pressure on our planet’s resources and ecosystems. While it’s still prevalent today, this model is increasingly being recognized as unsustainable. The circular economy, in contrast, offers a regenerative approach, aiming to keep resources in use for as long as possible and extract maximum value, before these materials are ultimately recovered and reused.
Transitioning to this new model requires innovation, ambition and a fundamental rethinking of design and production processes – areas where creative industries excel.
What this means in practice
Creative industries, encompassing fields like design, fashion, architecture, media, and crafts, possess a unique ability to envision and materialize new possibilities. Their contribution to the circular economy is multifaceted, extending beyond simply using recycled materials.
They act as catalysts for change by:
- Redesigning for longevity and durability, designing products and systems that are built to last. One of the early change makers was the Cradle to Cradle movement, a design principle invited in the 90s by Prof. Dr. Michael Braungart, William Mcdonough and EPEA Hamburg.
- Embracing waste as a resource, seeing potential where others see waste.
- Fostering new business models, such as those providing access to products through renting rather than ownership, incentivizing manufacturers to design for durability and repairability.
- Enhancing material innovation, by developing novel, sustainable materials. The creative application of these new materials in aesthetically pleasing and functional ways is crucial for their widespread adoption.
- Communicating and inspiring change, through compelling visuals, narratives and experiences. Creative professionals are powerful storytellers, they can communicate the urgency and benefits of the circular economy to a wider audience.
The integration of creative thinking into the circular economy is not just about making sustainable products; it’s about reimagining entire systems and fostering a culture of resourcefulness and responsibility. The examples from architecture and fashion further illustrate this transformative power.
Architecture: Building a circular future, brick by brick
The construction industry is a major consumer of resources and a significant contributor to waste. Circular economy principles in architecture aim to minimize this impact through various creative strategies, such as:
- Designing for disassembly: Architects are designing buildings with components that can be easily disassembled, reused, or recycled at the end of the building’s life. This involves using mechanical fastenings instead of permanent adhesives and creating modular systems that can be adapted and used in new ways. Dutch firm MVRDV used this approach for a new office building in Amsterdam.
- Repurposing and upcycling materials, giving them a new lease on life and reducing the demand for new resources. Rotor Deconstruction, a Brussels-based cooperative, salvages materials from demolition sites and sells them for reuse, also collaborating with architects to integrate these unique elements into new buildings.
- Bio-based and renewable materials, like bamboo, timber, hempcrete, and mycelium-based composites. Often, these materials can sequester carbon, helping fight global warming. Projects like the Archi-Bauhof in Germany, which features a building largely constructed from renewable and recycled materials, demonstrate the aesthetic and functional potential of this approach.
- Adaptive reuse, giving buildings a new purpose instead of demolishing them. This preserves cultural heritage while meeting contemporary needs. From transforming old factories into vibrant cultural centres to converting outdated office buildings into modern housing, numerous examples exist. X-UTOPIA, an innovative project funded by the EU, explore the inclusion of AI in the processes of bio-design and creating sustainable solutions.
Concrete creations and fashionable futures
The fashion industry is notorious for its environmental impact, from resource-intensive production to textile waste. To build a more circular fashion system, creative approaches like these are crucial:
- Upcycling and reconstruction: taking discarded garments and textile waste and creatively transforming them into new, high-fashion pieces. Brands like Zero Waste Daniel in New York are renowned for their bold and colourful designs created entirely from pre-consumer textile scraps.
- Rental and subscription models: fashion rental platforms and subscription services are gaining popularity, allowing consumers to access a diverse wardrobe without the need for constant purchase. Companies like Rent the Runway and Nuuly offer curated selections of clothing for temporary use, promoting a shift away from ownership.
- Innovative recycling technologies: while textile recycling has historically faced challenges, advancements in chemical and mechanical recycling are opening up new possibilities. Designers are collaborating with scientists to create new yarns and fabrics from recycled content. Brands like Patagonia are actively investing in and utilizing recycled materials in their collections.
- Design for circularity: Fashion designers are increasingly considering the lifespan of their garments early on in the design stage. This involves using materials that make recycling easier, designing for disassembly and avoiding complex blends that are difficult to separate. Initiatives like the Make Fashion Circular program by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation are driving this shift within the industry.
- Digital fashion and virtual worlds: The rise of digital fashion offers a potentially circular alternative to physical clothing. Virtual garments eliminate the need for physical resources and production, offering a new form of self-expression and reducing the environmental footprint of fashion consumption.
Systematic change requires more than changing systems
As the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, a non-profit organisation working to accelerate the transition to a circular economy, has pointed out, the creative industries are active drivers of this shift by definition.
“The circular economy,” they say, “tackles climate change and other global challenges, like biodiversity loss, waste, and pollution, by decoupling economic activity from the consumption of finite resources.”
Through innovative design, new business models, and powerful communication, architects and fashion designers, among others, are demonstrating that a sustainable future can be both environmentally responsible, social inclusive, humanistic value and nature based – not to mention aesthetically compelling.
Their creative ingenuity is essential in building a truly circular economy where open and inclusive communities are fostered, creativity and culture strives, policies are integrated and coherent, resources are valued and waste is minimized.
Learn more about the Innovation Forum and follow the livestream here.
