Circular Economy in the Creative Industries: Progress, Challenges, and Hard Truths

18th July 2025
2.00pm – 3.30PM BST
Online (Teams)

This 90-minute webinar will present the findings from a new landmark report authored by Professor Martin Charter and Dr Trevor Davis. The research, based on a global survey, large-scale online content analysis, and a critical review of national Circular Economy strategies, reveals the current state of progress, gaps, and opportunities in integrating circularity across the Creative Industries.

Overview
The Creative Industries (including advertising, architecture, crafts, createch, design, fashion, film, gaming, music, performing and visual arts, publishing, and software) are vital to the global economy and cultural landscape. While sustainability awareness is growing, the Circular Economy (CE) presents a more strategic opportunity to preserve value, drive resource efficiency, reduce waste, and align with rising regulatory, consumer, and media expectations.

However, most national Circular Economy strategies (including the EU’s comprehensive Circular Economy Action Plan) offer only limited references to the Creative Industries. Policy engagement is fragmented, and uptake by companies remains inconsistent. The introduction of ISO 59004 in 2024 offers a turning point: it defines the CE as “an economic system that uses a systemic approach to maintain a circular flow of resources while contributing to sustainable development.” Now is the time to apply that definition to the real-world challenges and creative strengths of the sector.

Throughout 2025, The Centre for Sustainable Design® (CfSD) has undertaken in-depth research to identify critical gaps in the transition to circularity across the Creative Industries. This launch event presents initial findings from that work, including a large-scale review of national strategies, original survey data, and insights from over 54,000 examples of online discourse across creative sub-sectors. It also offers actionable recommendations for businesses, policymakers, and industry stakeholders looking to accelerate progress.

Topics

• Inclusion of the Creative Industries in national strategies: Review findings from an analysis of over 70 national Circular Economy strategies, highlighting where Creative Industries are recognised—and where critical policy gaps remain.
• How creative sub-sectors apply circular principles: Explore how different areas of the Creative Industries are engaging with Circular Economy principles, including practical applications of the “12 R strategies” (e.g., Rethink, Redesign, Reuse, Recycle) across digital and physical domains.
• Barriers to progress…and what can be done: Discuss the structural, financial, and knowledge-based obstacles facing practitioners, and explore solutions for embedding circular practices in workflows, production models, and supply chains.
• Inspiring Real-World Examples: Learn from tangible case studies in film, fashion, theatre, and live events that showcase circular innovation in action, from modular design to digital dematerialisation.

Target Audience
This webinar is designed for individuals and organisations working within the Creative Industries or supporting them, especially those concerned with sustainability, innovation, and environmental responsibility. This includes:

• Anyone working in sub-sectors such as advertising, architecture, crafts, createch, design, fashion, film, gaming, music, performing and visual arts, publishing, and software.
• Sustainability leaders and officers.
• Supplier to the Creative Industries (e.g., cameras, lighting, construction materials etc).
• Policy and funding bodies interested in green transition strategies
• Academics and educators developing curricula on circularity.
• Sustainability professionals working in or with micro and small creative enterprises.

Agenda

11:00 – 11:10
Welcome and introductions
Professor Martin Charter

11:10 – 11:30
Presentation of key report findings
Dr Trevor Davis

11:30 – 11:50
Sector-level implications and strategic insights
Professor Martin Charter

11:50 – 12:00
Reflections and practical takeaways for organisations

12:00 – 12:30
Q&A

Registration
The event is free to attend.
To register, please email your name, job title, and organisation to rcarruthers@uca.ac.uk with “CECI Webinar” in the subject line. A Teams link will be sent in advance of the event.

Funding 
This project has been funded by the Research England Strategic Priorities Fund.
Research England is part of UK Research and Innovation, a public body funded by the UK Government. For more information, visit www.ukri.org.