CreaTures · Project

Toolkits That Use Arts and Design to Drive Sustainability Behavior Change

environmentPrototypeTRL 4Thin data (2/5)

Imagine you want people to actually care about climate change — not just nod along, but change how they live. CreaTures figured out which kinds of art, design, and creative events actually move the needle on public attitudes toward sustainability. They ran experiments ranging from small community workshops to large public art productions across 6 countries, then packaged what worked into open-access toolkits and guidelines. Think of it as a recipe book for using creativity to get people to act on environmental issues.

By the numbers

consortium partners across the project

countries involved in testing creative practices

minimum large-scale experimental productions deployed publicly

minimum medium-scale experimental productions deployed publicly

minimum small-scale experimental productions deployed publicly

total project deliverables produced

EUR 2,994,315

EU contribution to the project

The business problem

What needed solving

Companies and cities are spending millions on sustainability campaigns that don't change behavior. Traditional corporate communications about climate action produce awareness but not action — employees and citizens nod along but don't change habits. The missing ingredient is creative engagement that makes sustainability personal and emotionally resonant, but most organizations don't know which creative methods actually work.

The solution

What was built

The project built open-access toolkits including printable cards and facilitation guidelines for running creative sustainability engagement. They also produced and tested at least 10 experimental arts productions at small, medium, and large scales across 6 countries, plus a mapping of existing transformational creative practices (Observatory) and a systematic evaluation of what works and why.

Audience

Who needs this

ESG and sustainability consultancies designing employee or community engagement programsMuseums and science centers developing climate-themed exhibitions and public programmingCity governments running citizen participation campaigns for climate action plansCorporate CSR departments trying to move beyond report-driven sustainability messagingEvent and experience design agencies creating sustainability-themed activations

Business applications

Who can put this to work

Corporate Sustainability & ESG Consulting

SME

Target: Sustainability consultancies and ESG advisory firms helping companies meet reporting and engagement goals

If you are a sustainability consultancy struggling to move clients beyond checkbox compliance toward genuine cultural change — this project developed open-access toolkits and guidelines from at least 10 experimental productions across 6 countries, showing which creative engagement methods actually shift attitudes. You could integrate these evidence-based approaches into your client programs to drive measurable behavioral outcomes.

Cultural Institutions & Museums

any

Target: Museums, science centers, and cultural venues with sustainability programming

If you are a museum or cultural venue looking to make your climate exhibitions more than passive displays — this project tested at least 2 large-scale and 4 medium-scale experimental productions with real public interaction. The resulting resources and printable toolkits give you tested formats for exhibitions and events that actively engage visitors in sustainability topics rather than just informing them.

Urban Planning & City Administration

enterprise

Target: Municipal governments and urban development agencies running citizen engagement programs

If you are a city administration trying to get residents genuinely involved in climate action plans — this project produced evidence-based guidelines from co-creative workshops showing how arts-based engagement outperforms traditional town halls. The toolkit of printable cards and facilitation guides was designed for easy adoption by non-arts professionals working with diverse communities.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to access or license the CreaTures toolkits?

The project produced open-access resources including printable cards, toolkits, and guidelines. Based on the deliverable descriptions, these were designed for free distribution and easy spreadability. There is no indication of licensing fees for the core outputs.

Can these creative methods scale to large corporate or city-wide programs?

The project explicitly tested at multiple scales: at least 2 large-scale, 4 medium-scale, and 4 small-scale experimental productions deployed in public or with specific communities. This provides evidence across different deployment sizes, though adapting to corporate contexts would require customization.

Is there intellectual property or licensing involved?

Based on available project data, the key outputs — toolkits, guidelines, and printable cards — were produced as open-access resources. The project was publicly funded with EUR 2,994,315 from the EU under a Research and Innovation Action, which typically requires open access to results.

How do I know these creative methods actually work?

The project included a dedicated Evaluation phase that systematically tested both new and existing creative practices for their impact on sustainability attitudes. Results from 31 deliverables across 12 partners in 6 countries provide cross-cultural evidence. However, long-term behavioral change metrics may be limited given the 3-year project timeline.

Who in my organization would implement this?

The toolkits were designed for creative practitioners and decision-makers, but the printable card format and guidelines were built for accessibility by non-specialists. Your corporate communications, CSR, or community engagement teams would be the natural fit for deploying these methods.

Is this still actively supported or is it a finished project?

CreaTures ran from 2020 to 2022 and is now closed. The consortium was led by Aalto University in Finland with 12 partners. While active development has ended, the open-access resources remain available through the project website at creatures-eu.org.

Consortium

Who built it

The CreaTures consortium brings together 12 partners from 6 countries (Australia, Spain, Finland, Netherlands, Slovenia, UK), led by Aalto University in Finland. The mix is unusual: 4 universities, 3 industry partners, and 5 classified as 'other' — likely arts organizations, cultural institutions, and NGOs. With 4 SMEs and a 25% industry ratio, this is primarily a research-and-arts consortium rather than an industry-driven one. For a business looking to adopt these methods, the academic and arts-heavy partnership means the outputs are well-researched and culturally tested across diverse European contexts, but you would likely need a commercial intermediary to package them for corporate use.

AALTO KORKEAKOULUSAATIO SRCoordinator · FI
ROYAL MELBOURNE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY SPAIN SLparticipant · ES
ROYAL MELBOURNE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY*RMIT UNIVERSITYinternationalpartner · AU
THE UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEXparticipant · UK
UNIVERSITEIT UTRECHTparticipant · NL
ZAVOD ZA KULTURO, UMETNOST IN IZOBRAZEVANJE KERSNIKOVAparticipant · SI

How to reach the team

The project was coordinated by Aalto University (Finland). SciTransfer can help identify and connect you with the right research team members.

Order a report on this consortium See AALTO KORKEAKOULUSAATIO SR profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want to use evidence-based creative methods for your sustainability engagement programs? SciTransfer can connect you with the CreaTures research team and help adapt their toolkits to your specific industry context.

Order a report on this topic More in Environment & Climate