Ecologically Sustainable Creative Work?

This chapter explores the role of creative work in the green transition, focussing on how cultural policies shape its relationship with ecological sustainability. Although recent international and European initiatives increasingly recognize the importance of culture, they largely instrumentalize creative work for economic growth, thereby neglecting its ecological and political potential. The chapter challenges the long-standing perception of creative labour as immaterial by highlighting its tangible dependencies, ranging from digital infrastructures and global mobility to the ecological impact of AI. At the same time, it highlights how marginalized, community-based, and non-capitalist cultural practices across Europe and beyond already embody more ecological and egalitarian forms of cultural production. By analyzing policies such as the New European Bauhaus, we identify openings and limitations for aligning creative work with just sustainability. We advocate an ‘ecological turn in culture’ that necessitates moving beyond anthropocentric and growth-oriented narratives, improving working conditions and income security, safeguarding artistic freedom and supporting collective, locally rooted practices. Rather than merely greening existing creative economies, recognizing and scaling such alternatives is essential for culture to play a meaningful role in ecological and socially just futures.