This section is designed to share relevant information on environmental sustainability with beneficiaries of the Creative Europe Programme. The topic is essential across all projects and initiatives under both the Culture and Media strands. 

The Green Transition and the European Green Deal are among the core priorities of the Creative Europe Programme, alongside equality and inclusion, digital transformation, and international cooperation. This means that all projects supported by Creative Europe Programme, without exception, are expected to address the topic of the green transition and aim to make a meaningful contribution in this area through their activities.

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Creative Europe encourages beneficiaries to integrate the Green Transition and the principles of the European Green Deal across all projects. This can be done in various ways depending on the nature of the project, whether it falls under the Culture or Media strand. Below are several possible approaches: 

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Option 1: The project can have the green transition as its main theme or subtheme. A project can directly focus on the green transition as its primary topic or as a significant subtopic.

For example, it could aim to develop sustainable formats for organizing exhibitions, or to design new, environmentally responsible and sustainable touring models.

Projects may also use culture as a tool to address environmental and sustainability issues by:

• Organizing awareness-raising events on environmental topics,

• Promoting the creation of artworks or cultural products that are grounded in green values.

⚠️ Note: Referring to the European Green Deal alone is not sufficient as a theme or subtheme. Sustainability must be integrated into the entire structure of the project and not simply mentioned in the title or included as a standalone activity. 

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Option 2: It is not mandatory for the green transition to be the main theme of the project in order to meet the priority requirement. It is entirely acceptable for a project to demonstrate sustainability at the level of implementation, by ensuring that planned activities are carried out in the most environmentally friendly and responsible way possible.

This can be reflected in various ways, such as:

• Reducing air travel by holding some partner meetings online,

• Prioritizing train travel over flights,

• Calculating and addressing CO₂ emissions resulting from project activities and implementing measures to reduce them,

• Ensuring energy efficiency through smart use of technical equipment and material resources.

Developing a green strategy within the project not only improves the project’s overall sustainability, but can also serve as a catalyst for the green transformation of the participating organizations - a process the European Commission actively encourages and supports. 

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Option 3: Another effective approach is to focus on knowledge sharing, using the network of partner organizations as a platform to exchange best practices, build capacities, and share experiences in working sustainably across different countries. It is important that the results and insights generated through the project are made accessible to other organizations beyond the immediate partnership, so that the knowledge and experience do not remain isolated within the project consortium. Therefore, you are encouraged to consider how you can disseminate your knowledge more widely, through open-access publications, public workshops, webinars, toolkits, or digital platforms, so that others may benefit from your efforts and apply similar approaches in their own work. 
 

Useful materials, tools and guides 

Below you will find a selection of useful materials, tools, guides, and other documents designed to help you better understand how to address and integrate the Green Transition and the European Green Deal within the framework of the Creative Europe Programme. 

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• The document titled "Quality Assessment of Green Aspects in Creative Europe Projects (Culture Strand)" provides valuable insights into the key areas the European Commission focuses on when evaluating the green strategies of Creative Europe projects. It includes a range of practical recommendations and useful tips that can support you in designing and strengthening the green dimension of your project. 

• The Green Producers Tool is a Creative Europe-supported instrument designed to facilitate the process of measuring and reducing emissions in festivals, concerts, events, as well as film and television productions. Note: The tool is not free of charge. 

• The New European Bauhaus Compass is a practical tool that illustrates how to align your work with the three core principles of the New European Bauhaus initiative: Aesthetics, Sustainability, and Inclusion. It can guide cultural and creative actors in embedding these values into the design and implementation of their projects. 

• The European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform is a dedicated European platform that supports the transition to a circular economy. It offers a wide range of tools, good practice examples, and sector-specific information, including for the cultural and creative sectors. 

• Future Festival Tools is a free toolbox designed for festivals and other large-scale events. It includes a self-assessment tool, a free online training course, and a collection of best practice examples to support more sustainable event management. 

• The European Green Deal is a comprehensive package of political initiatives by the European Commission aimed at accelerating the green transition. It is one of the six key political priorities of the Commission for the 2019–2024 period. When developing your project, it is important to familiarize yourself with the core principles of the European Green Deal, as they can help guide your approach and increase your project’s alignment with EU priorities. In this context, the Creative Europe Programme, the EU’s dedicated support programme for the cultural and creative sectors, integrates these principles into its strategic vision and, in some cases, into its project evaluation criteria, particularly regarding environmental sustainability. 

• Greening of the Creative Europe Programme: this 2023 report provides an in-depth overview of why and how the Creative Europe Programme and the projects it supports can contribute to the European Green Deal and the broader green transition. The full version of the report is available here. For practical guidance and inspiration, you can also refer to the accompanying sub-report: “The Good Environmental Practices Guide.” 

• The New European Bauhaus (NEB) is a flagship EU initiative under the European Green Deal that explores how the green transition can become an integral part of people’s daily lives, emphasizing the important role of art and culture in this process. NEB is explicitly referenced in several EU funding programme descriptions, and it is strongly recommended to consider this initiative when designing your project. You can consult the New European Bauhaus: A Handbook, which outlines the core principles of the initiative and provides practical advice on how to integrate NEB into your project from the very beginning. 

• Creative Europe 2014–2020: Gender Equality, Sustainability and Digitalisation: This publication offers inspiration on how to integrate sustainability into your Creative Europe projects. It presents a comparative analysis of projects and initiatives funded during the 2014–2020 programming period, with a focus on sustainability, gender equality, and digital transformation. The report can help you identify relevant approaches and best practices for shaping impactful and future-oriented cultural and creative projects. 

• The Ultimate Cookbook for Cultural Managers: The EU Green Deal and Live Performance Organisations: This guide offers a comprehensive overview of the EU’s political framework for the green transition, explaining its rationale and how it connects to the European performing arts and music sectors. It serves as a practical resource for cultural managers seeking to align their work with the goals of the European Green Deal. The publication was developed jointly by Pearle – Live Performance Europe and the European Festivals Association (EFA).

• Creatives Unite: Greening is a European online platform that provides information and tools to support cultural life across Europe. The platform features a dedicated section on the green transition, offering up-to-date and relevant resources related to the European cultural sector’s engagement with climate action and sustainability. 

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