Collaboration

Trailblazer collaboration sets new narrative for investing in climate action

Szilvia Szabó — Tue, 14 May 2024 15:23:36 +0000

Trailblazer collaboration sets new narrative for investing in climate action

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Climate Action

Nature-based Solutions

Nature Conversation

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Climate Action

While Ireland has the optics of being a green island, it has one of the lowest rates of forest coverage in the European Union.

According to the Irish Agriculture and Food Development Authority, the country witnessed a drastic decline, with only 1 percent of native woodlands remaining compared to 80 percent six thousand years ago.

This might strike as an environmental issue far away from business as usual. Still, a newly forged alliance between a local family business and a charity writes a different narrative.

The Canopy shopping centre in Sligo facilitated a unique collaboration when its owners decided to acquire nearly 90 acres of land for restoration to support Hometree, a charity dedicated to establishing and conserving permanent native woodland.

Situated along the Easkey River in South Sligo, this land is a unique blend of peatland, blanket bog, pockets of ancient Hazelwood, and species-rich grassland.

Ray Ó Foghlu, Hometree's Development Lead, says: "We hope this location will become a showcase site for us and local landowners will see what is possible.

We have plans for a farmer outreach programme here, providing information and financial support for woodland creation along the Easkey River, besides other educational and community programmes.”

Bird`s eye view of the land along the Easkey River in South Sligo to be restored by Hometree. Image:Vincent Monahan, Duck Upon Rock Productions

Hometree's mission to restore Ireland's ancient oceanic woodlands aligns perfectly with The Canopy`s aim to go beyond the obvious when it comes to sustainability in its business strategy.

Neil Monahan, Director of The Canopy, says they were already familiar with the charity`s work.

When a piece of land became available, they started designing a project that could benefit the environment and people locally, in addition to the business sustainability element of managing their carbon footprint.

“Carbon offsetting can seem distant, but we can make it more relatable with this model. We are also in a unique position to create something entirely new, which can also provide learnings and data to other companies,”

Neil says.

He recalls that initially, they didn`t realise the magnitude of this project and all the positive `side-effects` that later justified their investment on multiple levels.

“At first, it was more about land restoration and planting. Then we realised the added benefits of having such rich biodiversity on site that we can further enhance and the opportunity to use this site for education and community engagement.”

Ray adds that as a science-led organisation, Hometree is now working on establishing the ecological baseline for this area by doing walkovers and surveys in addition to using drones and low-orbit satellites so they understand what`s there right now, allowing their expert team to draw up a tailor-made restoration plan.

He also emphasises that with these types of lands, preventing carbon from being released is the biggest win with restoration.

Ray Ó Foghlu (left) and colleague, Jon Dunt (right) from Hometree. Image: Vincent Monahan, Duck Upon Rock Productions

“It`s like putting a cap on a bottle since peatlands are slow to capture carbon but quick to release it,” Ray says, adding that globally, only 3% of the land is covered by peatland, but it holds 30% of the carbon, making degradation a significant threat."

Currently, they are planning for a 12–24 month period, putting measurable indicators into place so they can integrate the learnings to develop the project further.

Besides the positive environmental and community impact, Neil highlights that it makes perfect business sense since their new branding introduced in 2023 revolves around sustainability.

“We carefully designed the interior spaces of the shopping centre, integrating live plants and trees, even adding a green street within the facility where people can enjoy this environment all year round. We are also implementing solar panels to harness renewable energy besides exploring other areas to improve our sustainability.”

They also actively engage with small, sustainable local businesses and facilitate programmes to engage visitors through art, awareness weeks, educational exhibitions, and other events.

Neil admits that they are on the journey to fully explore the potential of a larger-scale sustainability strategy that would help them properly measure their impact across all main activities and engage their stakeholders, especially the shops operating in the centre.

Still, these initiatives have already proven that taking climate action locally as a business brings multiple direct and indirect benefits, including cost efficiency, brand awareness, and customer engagement.

Therefore, they are committed to building on these initial steps and continuing to make a positive impact, including their land restoration project, which they envision as a long-term collaboration with Hometree that can transform local communities and help with climate mitigation.

When asked how the land could look if they succeed, Ray says he would be glad to feel wet under his foot walking these lands instead of dry and crunchy, to see a great variety of native birds returning alongside other species, and to see a site buzzing with life.

He adds that involving farmers is crucial to making this a reality. In the past 2.5 years, he has worked with hundreds of farmers on land restoration and biodiversity projects.

“I believe observation is the beginning of devotion – you have to see it to fall in love with something. In this case, once we can make farmers see what they have on their farms and understand the benefits, it can change their perspective, and they could become advocates for nature with an additional sense of pride.”

Ray hopes that this specific project at the Easkey River will act as an accelerator by delivering tangible results, feeding into their work to restore 4000 acres of native land through facilitating natural regeneration.

Although significant funding and dedicated resources will be needed to achieve their overall goals with the Wild Atlantic Rainforest project, the first steps are promising.

Headline image: Ray Foley and Jon Dunt from Hometree / Photo by Vincent Monahan, Duck Upon Rock Productions

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May 2024

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Profit with Purpose Magazine

Accelerating innovation through enterprise-student collaboration in Dublin

Szilvia Szabó — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 11:41:41 +0000

Accelerating innovation through enterprise-student collaboration in Dublin

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The award-winning ENFUSE program led by Dublin City Council (DCC) and Local Enterprise Office (LEO) Dublin City is open for applications to match local enterprises and social enterprises with teams of Master’s university and college students in Dublin.

During the spring 2024 semester, teams of students will work with selected enterprises to provide insights, propose solutions, and ultimately present a bespoke and tangible plan that sets out how the enterprise can innovate, address challenges, and develop opportunities.

Student teams can assist participating enterprises with various topics ranging from strategy, marketing, and design thinking to finance, data analysis and machine learning.

Steve O'Reilly, communication manager at The Rediscovery Centre, the National Centre for the Circular Economy in Ireland, participated in the program in 2023 by providing a communication challenge to students.

He highlighted that “taking part in ENFUSE helped us think outside the box, provided us with a framework for how to translate theory into publicity, and shaped our marketing for the years to come.”

“With ingenuity, creativity, and flair, the fantastic team of students devised an intelligent marketing campaign that translates a complex topic into something that will really resonate with our target.”

The overall objective of the ENFUSE program is to support local enterprises by providing bespoke plans to innovate, address challenges and develop opportunities while providing Master’s students with real-world experience and enhancing the local innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.

Businesses can benefit from new ideas at no extra cost with extra promotional opportunities, screen potential future employees from the student teams, and avail financial support to employ graduates.

“I highly recommend businesses to participate. It keeps businesses in touch with emerging trends and fresh thinking from the students and allows students to gain live experience with businesses in their community,”

said Kate O'Moore from MAKER, a previous participant of ENFUSE.

The application is open to enterprises, social enterprises, and entrepreneurs primarily based in Dublin, with consideration given also to enterprises based outside Dublin.

The submission deadline is 23:59, 18th of January 2024, through an online application platform.

Shortlisted student teams can also compete at the ENFUSE finals in May, where teams can represent their university and compete by pitching to expert judges on the plan they created for their assigned enterprise.

Greg Swift, head of LEO Dublin City, adds that the competition allows the LEO to "tangibly support local enterprises and also promote the benefits of hiring graduate students who are well placed to support the digital and green transitions, amongst other challenges a business may face”.

ENFUSE final student pitch session 2023 at the Wood Quay Venue, Dublin. Image: Dublin City Council

ENFUSE began in 2019 and has gone from strength to strength since. Involving more universities and colleges, its impact has increased as more enterprises, students and project partners have participated and benefited.

The program was selected as a National Winner in the European Commission’s - European Enterprise Promotion Awards (EEPA) 2022 under category 3, which recognises innovative projects and approaches that improve the business environment and support the digital transition.

In addition, ENFUSE was shortlisted as an overall EEPA European finalist project and shortlisted at Chambers Ireland - Excellence in Local Government Awards 2022 in the category of Promoting Economic Development.

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January 2024

A week dedicated to celebrating and promoting Circular Economy across Europe

Business Spirit News reporting — Thu, 19 Aug 2021 15:22:19 +0000

A week dedicated to celebrating and promoting Circular Economy across Europe

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Circular Economy

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Sustainable Development Goals

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Series of events will be held as part of the fourth Circular Week, an international congress promoting sustainable solutions and Circular Economy.

The fourth edition of the Circular Week will be held 11-17 October 2021 to raise awareness and bring together stakeholders from the field of sustainable development and circular economy.

This year's congress will be held under the motto "Together for a sustainable future".

It will include a series of expert panels, webinars, workshops and networking sessions where representatives of businesses, start-ups, think tanks, and public administration can learn and connect.

“Last year, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Circular Week was attended by over 3,500 people from around the world.

We organized 56 events in cooperation with 17 countries - says Agnieszka Sznyk, president of the Board of the Institute for Innovation and Responsible Development INNOWO, lead organizer of the Circular Week.

This year's edition will focus on solutions addressing critical challenges of the modern economy, like extended producer responsibility, building circular cities, wise food management, development of bioeconomy, sustainable production in the fashion industry, and changes in the plastics industry.

Agnieszka Sznyk, president of the Board of the Institute for Innovation and Responsible Development INNOWO

During Circular Week 2021, daily thematic sessions are also planned for business representatives, such as Business Circular Matchmaking Sessions, devoted to circular industry issues, including textiles and food waste or sustainable agriculture and industry.

“Climate change, which we not only hear about in the media but also experience more and more often, requires decisive action.

Circular Week is an opportunity to exchange knowledge necessary for activities for the benefit of our planet,”

comments Cezary Ludwikowski from the National Centre of Climate Change, one of the partners of the Circular Week 2021.

Over 30 institutions, companies and start-ups, and embassies of European countries have been already joined as partners.

Partner organizations that want to get involved with the Circular Week can still submit their projects and events to be listed and promoted as part of the agenda.

Szynk adds: “This year we will be joined by partners from Scandinavia, Canada and Israel, which is why we focus even more on the topics of innovation that can be implemented and scaled to all markets.

I am pleased with the growing interest in the congress, which proves the growing need for implementing circular economy solutions.”

As every year, the Mazovia Circular Congress will be one of the highlights of the Circular Week 2021, which will take place on October 15 in Warsaw, Poland.

The week-long event is organized in partnership with the European Circular Economy Stakeholder Platform, an EU organization associating Circular Economy stakeholders from the European Union.

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August 2021

Choosing a sustainable lifestyle becomes easier for people living in Galway

Business Spirit News reporting — Wed, 14 Jul 2021 15:57:21 +0000

Choosing a sustainable lifestyle becomes easier for people living in Galway

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Business

Collaboration

Ireland

Sustainable lifestyle

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Business

Family-run supermarket chain Joyce’s Supermarket starts a new collaboration with minimal waste store, reuzi, to bring sustainable products to their customers.

Over 100 sustainability items, from shampoo bars to reusable cups, will now be available at Joyce’s Supermarket Knocknacarra store in Galway, Ireland, as part of a new partnership with sustainable lifestyle shop, reuzi.

Besides the great variety of product range, there will be community-led programmes, custom sustainable setups with information and facts about sustainability.

This unique collaboration is the first time for these independent Irish businesses to join forces with the aim to make it easier for customers to choose sustainable alternatives on a larger scale.

Hundreds of sustainable products became available at Joyce's Supermarkets in Galway, Ireland

Joyce’s Supermarket has been planning to bring more eco-friendly and sustainable choices for their customer over the last couple of years.

"Partnering with reuzi has allowed us to stock over 100 new sustainable products and also tap into the fantastic knowledge of Pat Kane and her team, learning more about what contribution we can make to the environmental cause but also using our platform to help educate the community in which we operate.

We are just starting on our journey but are excited to see what difference we can all make,"

says Aisling Joyce, Operations Director of Joyce’s Supermarket.

The Dublin-based minimal waste store, reuzi, founded by Pat Kane sustainability educator, writer and speaker, aims to spread the word about sustainability while promoting ethically sourced, eco-friendly products to enable change.

Kane highlights the advantages of this special cooperation:

“At reuzi, we believe sustainable living should be straightforward and accessible, and our friends at Joyce's agreed with us.

As an independently owned and operated Irish business, we are truly delighted to be joining forces with the team at Joyce's to bring Galway and surroundings the best of sustainable living.

We’re proud to say this partnership is grounded in our shared values of sustainability.”

Providing quality fresh food with a friendly and personal service to local communities and surrounding areas at nine locations in Galway have made Joyce's Supermarket well-known in the area.

With this initiative, the family-run retail chain can become a trailblazer in promoting sustainability while supporting locally made natural products.

Images: reuzi

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July 2021

Social enterprises can harness university student's creativity to tackle challenges

Anonymous — Thu, 11 Mar 2021 14:59:45 +0000

Social enterprises can harness university student's creativity to tackle challenges

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Incubation

Social Entrepreneurship

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Incubation programme for social enterprises and university students to tackle challenges.

Social Entrepreneurship Incubation Program (SEIP) has launched an open call for social enterprises and purpose-driven businesses to collaborate with university students on advancing their business.

Organisers are looking for social enterprises that have already begun operations, in the idea validation process, or seeking to expand or modify their business model.

Entrepreneurs can enter the incubation programme with a well-defined problem or challenge related to their work.

Participating businesses can benefit from the fresh energies and different mind-set of business school, social entrepreneurship and social science students.

Selected organisations will be matched with creative and enthusiastic students from four European universities and professional mentors to deliver strategic support for their specific problem.

Zsolt Bugarszki PhD, Founder of SEIP and Head of Tallinn University's Social Entrepreneurship MA program in Estonia

“The program was initiated by SEIP (Social Entrepreneurship Incubation Program) that has branches in Ireland, the Netherlands, Estonia, Hungary, Romania, Thailand, Singapore and Canada.

Our incubation programme is closely connected with the Social Entrepreneurship MA programme at Tallinn University.

We had a lot of great experiences with students using their creative energies and knowledge in development work.

On the other hand, we support many social enterprises and purpose-driven businesses, and we see that many of them are struggling with lack of human resources, especially at the start-up phase,” says Zsolt Bugarszki PhD, Founder of SEIP and Head of Tallinn University's Social Entrepreneurship MA program in Estonia.

The first cohort of the cooperation will be organised between the 19th of March and the 28th of May 2021.

Interested businesses can apply by filling out an online form until the 17th of March 2021.

Four universities will provide students with a chance to practice in this collaborative project, where they can work directly with social entrepreneurs and purpose-driven companies from different countries.

“Students are doing this programme as part of their regular courses as an assignment, an internship or as an extracurricular activity while they are supervised and led by their professors, lecturers.

They will learn new things and acquire new skills by doing, instead of sitting in the classroom. This project is a real win-win for social enterprises and students,”

explains Bugarszki further.

Partner institutions include Tallinn University, Estonia; University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, The Netherlands; The Bucharest University of Economic Studies, Faculty of Business Administration in Foreign Language, Romania; ELTE University, Faculty of Special Education, Disability Studies and Social Innovation Lab, Hungary.

Bugarszki adds: “We are working closely with Universities on this experimental programme, and depending on the results, we are hoping to organise it again on a bigger scale in the Autumn semester, involving even more third-level educational institutions if possible.”

Due to the pandemic and international collaboration, all activities will be carried out online.

Headline image: Getty Images

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March 2021

Opportunities in creating a new business as usual

Sinead Connolly — Tue, 15 Dec 2020 11:58:27 +0000

Opportunities in creating a new business as usual

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How best can we use the power of innovation and collaboration to create a better economy?

The following is a summary of the ‘Creating A New Business As Usual’ panel discussion from the Responsible Innovation Summit 2020.

Experts on the panel discussed how best can we use the power of innovation and collaboration to create a better economy that works for business, people and the planet. The session was moderated by Mary Mac Sweeney, Deputy Head of Enterprise and Economic Development at Dublin City Council.

Mac Sweeney opened the discussion by asking Agnieszka Sznyk PhD, President of the Board, Institute of Innovation and Responsible Development (INNOWO) in Poland, about the advantages of a circular economy.

“Circular economy is the future, it's knocking on our doors. It’s a ‘must have’ for businesses because resources are scarce, and we have to think about how we can lead our businesses in a smarter way.

One of the biggest advantages of this concept is that it allows small and medium enterprises to be more competitive with the big corporations,” Sznyk explains.

Agnieszka Sznyk PhD, President of the Board, Institute of Innovation and Responsible Development in Poland

She used the company MUD Jeans in Holland as an example of how a smaller innovative company can lead the way by becoming sustainable using Circular Economy principles.

Back in 2013, Mud Jeans launched an initiative where customers could lease a pair of jeans for a year and then either swap or keep the jeans. Just recently, Levis have started a similar concept in partnership with Ganni.

Sznyk believes that this circular approach in business is not only good for the environment but can also be economically profitable.

One of the challenges that smaller businesses and organisations face is measuring their impact.

Dr. Diarmuid Torney, Associate Professor, School of Law and Government at Dublin City University (DCU)

Dr. Diarmuid Torney, Associate Professor, School of Law and Government at Dublin City University (DCU), shared his experiences about the university’s participation in a voluntary disclosure process.

According to Torney, last year Dublin City University (DCU) was the first university in the world to voluntarily disclose their emissions under their Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) framework.

“It’s quite a challenging task to gather that data. The fascinating thing from the data complied was that only a quarter of DCU’s emissions come from energy,” Torney explained.

He went on to say that the remaining emissions came from construction and transport (commuting and procurement) and though it’s difficult to measure these aspects, they are a huge contributory factor.

Mac Sweeney asked Neven Marinovic, President of Euclid, The European Network for Social Enterprises and Impact-Driven Leaders, if the social enterprises that he works with focus mainly on their climate impact or their social mission?

Marinovic explained that a holistic approach is encouraged, where either of these approaches can be a force for good, by supporting and having a positive impact on all the challenges we are facing, be it environmental, energy, health or social.

He believes adopting a common sense approach to sustainability in business will appeal to leaders, who may be wary of what they think as ‘new’ ideas.

Neven Marinovic, President of Euclid, The European Network for Social Enterprises and Impact-Driven Leaders

“It would be essential for all of us to find a common denominator in how we measure impact because I think a lot of problems come from the fact that people outside of our bubble cannot actually understand what we are talking about and what is behind it,” Marinovic explains.

Overcoming barriers to new ways of thinking is work that Josephine Nzerem is familiar with.

As Regional Director of Ashoka Anglophone West Africa and Director at Venture and Talent, Ashoka Africa, Nzerem is used to challenging dated cultural beliefs to promote equality and innovative thinking.

She believes that people represent the barriers, and you must look at why they see change as a problem. Once you understand that, then you can design a system that works for everyone.

When you solve problems on a material level without dealing with the root problem, it will come back again, but once you identify the root cause, only then you can design a solution to tackle it.

Josephine Nzerem, Regional Director of Ashoka Anglophone West Africa

“Another thing you have to do is to make your message as simple as possible. Because when people understand it, they will run with it.

If it’s ambiguous and you are talking over their heads, they won’t be able to join you,” Nzerem explains.

Co-creation and collaboration are also key, she believes, in spreading and ‘championing’ your message.

Sznyk believes that persistence and bravery is required in leadership to change the ‘business as usual’ attitude.

“If we see the target, if we see the goal, if we want to make a change, we have to be persistent, because it’s not an easy way to go and we will have a lot of barriers, a lot of obstacles. But if we don’t give up too easily, we will reach it finally.”

According to Marinovic, the traditional style of leadership needs to be replaced by a new mindset.

“We need systems where we can all co-create, strive and move forward. A part of that is education, a part is methodologies, and another part is promotion and advocacy,” he explains.

“I think we are all on a learning journey.

We constantly realise the challenges we face and no one organisation or sector is going to be able to manage this transition alone, so I think collaborative leadership is crucial.

There is an important role for government in this.

Bottom-up initiatives from citizens, communities, or business aren’t, in my view, going to be sufficient.

We need the government to set the rules of the game.

And we need the government to provide direction, to specify that strategic intent,” adds Torney.

Governments can play a vital role in supporting the new business model in terms of policy and legislation, Torney believes.

“Strategic direction. This is what governments, in respect of climate change, have been trying to do, in recent years by providing targets and frameworks for 2050 or sooner.

But also in the medium term, which is the way of government in communicating to society and business that we are going to get serious about responding to climate change.

It needs to be a combination of incentives and also regulation, and I don’t think voluntary frameworks are always sufficient, there is a role for the strong arm of the state to set the rules for reporting and operation.

Public procurement is one (area) where the government can directly drive the market by setting high standards for that product that itself consumes,” explains Torney.

The new business model should be small, flexible and local with a change that is triggered, according to Sznyk.

“We don’t have to think big and global, I think it’s not working anymore, I think we should focus more on what is around us, in the local societies, and this is where we should build our business,” she adds.

Mary Mac Sweeney, Deputy Head of Enterprise and Economic Development at Dublin City Council

As the session drew to a close, Mac Sweeney spoke with Nzerem about the challenge of bringing a co-creation and collaboration mindset to commercial enterprises, where profit often dictates decisions.

Nzerem believes that local entrepreneurs must have the freedom to show their business partners what local means to them and how it will work because they understand the local context.

“It’s good to fail because when you fail, you see the way you are not supposed to do it.

And when you launch your enterprise, fail fast and start all over again. Look at the systems around you that you have built, and ask ‘what do I need to leverage to make this work better?

It’s time to create a mindset that will recognise and support local ideas and also encourage innovating on a small scale and building up."

Closing remarks from Nzerem on how to inspire change and budding aspiring entrepreneurs to deliver these changes on the ground.

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December 2020

In this together: empowering collaboration

Bronagh Loughlin — Wed, 04 Nov 2020 16:33:21 +0000

In this together: empowering collaboration

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People getting together to share and cross-pollinate ideas is key in building back better

This article provides a summary of the ‘In this together – empowering collaboration to build back better’ panel discussion from the Responsible Innovation Summit, held on 20-21 October, 2020.

The moderator, Chris MM Gordon, CEO of Irish Social Enterprise Network and Managing Partner of Collaboration Ireland asked five experts to share their opinions and experiences in this field.

The session kicked off with an opening question that iterated through the whole discussion: Are we building back to the capitalist system that is based on GDP and economic growth?

Sophie Benoit, co-founder of the ‘What The Hack’ project, says, we should strive to look for options to explore other opportunities to make our economy work, such as circular economy, which provides many alternatives for companies to be profitable while considering environmental elements in their business.

Recently many businesses have discovered new models for making money and came up with innovative ways of engaging clients due to lockdowns and disruptions in supply chains.

Norman Thompson - Economic Development Researcher, Local Enterprise Office and Dublin City Council

Norman Thompson, Economic Development Researcher at the Local Enterprise Office and Dublin City Council, recommends that we approach from a different perspective.

“It is more difficult to get more people involved in a process. However, when we do take the extra time and effort to do that, it is much more likely to find solutions that benefit more stakeholders in a better way.”

“In our office, we are focused on economic development which is trying to encourage this more long-term, integrated, collaborated focus on economic development that is looking at the economy in a long-term perspective. Traditionally there is far too much focus on the short-term gains without looking at the long-term vision.”

CJ Palmer, founder and CEO of Sustainable mPact from Sweden, feels we should aim for conscious capitalism and redefine the purpose of business and other entities who contributes to economies.

He says, “I cannot help but keep asking the same question: why are we doing this? If you look at capitalism, what is the purpose anyway of making money? Why are we doing business?

Nicole Loeser, Board Director at the Institute of Art and Innovation in Berlin, joins the conversation with a personal view on patterns in our society.

“I belive it is really about understanding that the economic system will fail and collapse due to climate crisis and overconsumption of resources and therefore, I think it is not only about hope and trust and positive outcomes, it’s not just about purpose for me either, it is about value creation and sharing values.”

Nicole’s opinion is that interdisciplinary collaboration is key since we need systemic change instead of just putting a plaster on a wound and that requires knowledge sharing and the ability to learn from each other. Understanding all these different perspectives is the foundation of our societies.

Cailtin Hafer and Sophie Benoit - founders, What The Hack

There is huge opportunity for things to be transformative as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Cailtin Hafer, the other co-founder of the ‘What The Hack’ project says, “I think there’s already been a transformation, because we have been forced to shakeup our norms.

In the last six months, we have pretty much proven that we can change and find ways to turn this situation into a mind-shifting experience that could lead to a better world as a result”.

Normal is normal because we accept and allow it to be normal, however, we have the ability to design a new normal.

The coronavirus is having a visible and life-changing impact on all of our lives. Although this is not the only ‘pandemic’ that we need to face as a result of how our economy has been working over the last few decades.

“I think it is so obvious by now that the economy does not work right.

Take the plastic issue as an example.

It is shocking to see the scale and impact of plastic pollution, which can be easily seen as the ‘plastic pandemic’ as it has a very direct impact on our lives on the long run.” adds Nicole Loeser.

She feels that we really have to understand that over the last 20 years or so the overconsumption and over exploitation of resources, has overruled some common sense in business – such as admitting that natural resources are not infinitive and we cannot externalise the cost of using nature to the detriment of it.

Nicole Loeser - Board Director, Institute of Art and Innovation, Berlin

Norman Thompson says, “I think in any crisis, as bad and as awful as the impact might be, it also presents an incredibly unique opportunity to change and innovate.”

CJ Palmer adds,

“Recently we have seen some of the great sides of humanity too: we still have the ability to be compassionate and to care about each other. It has been a wakeup call for all of humanity on the planet. This could be something to keep as the driving force for change.”

CJ Palmer - founder and CEO, Sustainable mPact, Sweden

He shares a thought from Nelson Mandela: ‘it almost seems impossible until it’s done’.

“We are on the journey heading towards a more sustainable world which is supported by a huge consumer demand to make the shift.”

Sophie Benoit says, “After every crisis in our history, communities got back together to create something new. People are looking to have an impact now too. But it can be difficult to know where to start and what to do. They need to be part of a group to make that work”.

There is huge value in people coming together if we see this as an investment for innovation and a way of creating our future.

Benoit adds, “With hackathons or any other forms of collaboration events, you just don’t know where the change is going to be. You could come up with an idea that is never going to be implemented but one person is going to inspire another person that will put that idea into action or use it to design something else. It does not mean that you have no impact”.

Time is the true enemy here and community intervention is key.

“I think when it comes to these community interventions or the interdisciplinary collaboration, what I find is key is inspiration and we should not forget that. You get the opportunity to meet truly wonderful people.

It’s not about separation any longer, it’s more like what can I contribute to the community and humanity in general”, says Loeser. We require social innovation and we need to change the entire economic system.

Norman Thompson adds,

“If we’re considering economic development, or entrepreneurship or innovation, all of these things thrive on social capital.

In order to build back better, we need key metrics such as social capital because what gets measured, gets done."

Take away thoughts from speakers:

Caitlin: If you’re going to make a change, decide and say it and you will find people and resources to share your ideas with – you have a voice, use it.

Sophie: Do small things that are sustainable – speak to people outside of your comfort zone and adopt actions you can sustain on the long-term – get diverse opinions.

Nicole: Sometimes it is not obvious who is around you. Some people around you, share your mission – expand a network of networks and get closer.

Norman: Effectuation. Get in touch, think who do you know right now who are interested in terms of initiating whatever you want to do – offer support.

CJ: Be the change you want to see, be inspiring, hope and collaborate – start small, get involved.

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November 2020

Alliances Could Not Just Save But Revive Social Innovators

Bronagh Loughlin — Thu, 17 Sep 2020 09:42:46 +0000

Alliances Could Not Just Save But Revive Social Innovators

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Social Economy stakeholders are joining forces to build alliances

Social innovators are coming together for four days to become more resilient at the virtual annual conference of The European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA), running from the 21st to the 24th of September 2020.

Jorgos Papadakis, Marketing and Communications Director for the EVPA details his decision for choosing the theme ‘Building Alliance for Impact’.

He says, “We felt that Building Alliances for Impact was the right theme at the right time. It reflects not only the ever-growing need of all impact investing shareholders to join forces in order to maximize real societal change, but it also corresponds to the specifics of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Dealing with the virus places a lot of these stakeholders, primarily social purpose organizations, under tremendous pressure. And while this annual conference won’t be a pandemic-oriented event, we will have extensive discussions and also showcase specific examples of how such challenges can be tackled in the most effective way”.

Jorgos Papadakis, Marketing and Communications Director, EVPA

The European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA) is a lively network of organisations sharing the same vision and a common goal: creating positive societal impact through venture philanthropy. Its membership covers a full range of organisations within the impact ecosystem, including venture philanthropy funds, social investors, grant-making foundations, impact investing funds, private equity firms, professional service firms, philanthropy advisers, banks and business schools.

The conference’s aim is to bring hundreds of professionals together via 60+ interactive and creative sessions where they will learn, engage, network and get visibility. The interactivity of this virtual event will enable collaboration by facilitating open discussions to explore the alliances which tackle global concerns.

EVPA annual conference brings together stakeholders from the #Investing4Impact networks

These open discussions will not only address the ‘why’ but also the ‘how’ which is essential when it comes to tackling global issues.

Although the conference will have a focus on Europe, collaboration truly knows no borders. Whether the discussion is about investing in Latin America, gaining insights into new platforms such as the Deal Share Platform for Africa or gathering information from Asia as a whole, collaboration is absolutely essential to credibly address the major challenges of our time.

To explore concrete ways of closer cooperation with affiliate #Investing4Impact networks and stakeholders, participants will have a unique opportunity to deep dive into various topics such as ‘just transition’, climate change and socially sustainable development.

Jorgos is passionate about the mission of EVPA and says, “Businesses can usually be investors with impact rather than for impact and this is understandable. On the other hand, they are an integral part of the ecosystem, as standalones or through their corporate foundations.

As such, we feel that they have a lot to contribute and a lot to learn by attending our annual conference as

we will showcase concrete examples of how meaningful investments can be conducted in a very difficult environment.

The conference’s 2nd day for instance is the perfect example on how to build a resilient ecosystem that can correspond to the post-Covid 19 landscape in the best possible way”.

The conference is divided into four main themes across the four days.

Day one is about building alliances. Beginning from the public sector and institutional investors, the effectiveness of venture philanthropy will be put to the test and the amount of risk investors for impact are willing to undertake to achieve societal change assessed.

Day two is under the theme of resilience where they will discuss how to prepare for the future with European business leaders, deal with systemic change, and build trust between social investors and public authorities while also learning from COVID-19 response examples in high impact ventures.

The theme for day three is social enterprises. Social entrepreneurship will be discussed along the whole investing for impact spectrum.

Day four will discuss scaling for impact. The conversation will surround what needs to be done in order to maximise impact exactly where it is needed and with the movement of all players.

Jorgos highlights some of the key points of the conference. He says,

“We’ve decided to split the conference into 4 main subthemes, Building Alliances, Resilience, Social Enterprises and Scaling For Impact.

We plan to showcase how to reach these strategic goals through dedicated sessions and workshops as well as design sprints with networks, social entrepreneurs, institutional investors and initiatives that have contributed to achieve real, tangible, impactful change.

I believe it is a unique, very diverse and very rewarding programme and we would like to invite all purpose-driven innovator, investor and other stakeholders to join us and co-shape the future. Because I firmly believe that investing for impact is the future”.

The EVPA Annual Conference is organised with the support of Impact Capital, DOEN Participaties, EIB Institute, Blueplanet Investments, Grupo Ageas Portugal, Erste Bank Group, Fondazione CRT, Demeter and Fundo Inovacao Social.

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September 2020

5 online events for changemakers to build back better

Anonymous — Fri, 11 Sep 2020 13:19:52 +0000

5 online events for changemakers to build back better

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Responsible Innovation

Business

Although most events are going online, changemakers can still make a positive impact

The COVID-19 pandemic forced most of the game-changer events designed to inspire positive change in society and business to move online. However, the lack of personal touch could actually provide a unique chance to expand and open up the discussions to a global audience.

In this way, organisers and participants can achieve a more significant impact. Here are some of the most exciting and impactful events where changemakers can connect, learn and get inspired.

For Impact Investors and Social Innovators

Building Alliances for Impact – annual conference of The European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA) - 21-24 September

This four days event aims to bring hundreds of professionals together via 60+ interactive and creative sessions to learn, engage, network and get visibility – and ultimately bring positive impact to those in need.

#Investing4Impact networks and stakeholders can deep dive here into topics like ‘just transition’, climate change and socially sustainable development. Participants can choose their area of focus and interest:

Day 1 – Building Alliances - Starting from the public sector and institutional investors, the effectiveness of venture philanthropy will be put to the test, and the amount of risk investors for impact are willing to undertake to achieve societal change assessed.

Day 2 – Resilience – How to prepare for the future with European business leaders, deal with systemic change, build trust between social investors and public authorities but also learn from Covid-19 response examples in high impact ventures.

Day 3 – Social Enterprise Day – Exploring social entrepreneurship along the whole investing for impact spectrum.

Day 4 – Scaling for Impact - What needs to be done in order to maximise impact exactly where it is needed and with the involvement of all players.

“The recent pandemic has clearly shown that building alliances are not only necessary but tremendously effective”, Steven Serneels, outgoing CEO, EVPA.

European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA) is a lively network of organisations sharing the same vision and a common goal: creating positive societal impact through venture philanthropy. Currently, EVPA has over 300 members, mainly based in Europe, showing the sector is rapidly evolving across borders.

How to join: You can buy tickets online at the conference website

Special offer: EVPA offers 50 scholarships for organisations and individuals who would like to join the conference, but have financial restrictions that prevent them from buying the tickets at the regular price!

For Social Enterprise sector stakeholders

Digital Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF) event - 21-25 September

This is the moment to champion the potential of social enterprises – small and large, rural and urban – to bring about inclusive and sustainable economic development.

Week-long online series of events and activities will feature keynotes and plenaries from three different world zones with live Q&A, online networking, and partner-organised fringe events. Speakers will include leading social entrepreneurs and changemakers from across the world, with over 3,000 participants from over 50 countries. SEWF Digital event week features three parts:

Monday/Tuesday focuses on connecting and learning through masterclasses, webinars, group discussion, specialist sessions, and sessions nominated by registered participants.
Wednesday/Thursday room partitions come down (virtually) with a series of keynote addresses and plenaries that will inspire and encourage action.
Friday will focus on reflection and next steps as we close the event.

Social Enterprise World Forum (SEWF) is the leading organisation for the global social enterprise movement.

They are challenging the failed economic models and build a movement by convening global and regional events, partnering with diverse organisations, and influencing policy dialogues.

Image: Pexels

How to join: Book paid tickets.

Reduced price tickets are available for students and small social enterprises. Bursary places are also available for those in lower-income and conflicted affected countries and those from an organisation who have experienced significant hardship due to COVID-19.

For Researchers and Innovators

European Research and Innovation Days - Bringing stakeholders together to shape future research and innovation policy - 22-24 September

This is the European Commission’s annual flagship Research and Innovation event, bringing together policymakers, researchers, entrepreneurs and the public to debate and shape the future of research and innovation in Europe and beyond.

By creating connections between cutting-edge scientific research and the most pressing challenges of a generation, this online gathering represents a unique opportunity to join the conversation and enact real change.

From tackling the climate crisis to building a digital world that works for everyone, participants can delve into the questions that shape who we are and the future we want to live in from the research and innovation perspective.

The conversations will cover the European Green Deal, Horizon Europe mission, the work of the European Innovation Council and more.

How to join: Create your online profile to access all virtual events.

The event is all about collaboration: bringing together individuals and experts from all areas to build connections and ignite a brighter future.

Circular Economy

Circular Week 2020 campaign - 12-18 October

The Circular Week 2020 is an educational and inspirational campaign which aims to inspire transformation towards a Circular Economy and raise awareness about sustainable production and consumption in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The initiative also offers an opportunity to sustainable businesses to promote their work and to stakeholders to connect, while reaching out to the broader public about responsible consumption. It also provides a platform where every organisation, institution or individual could become engaged and take part in this movement and forge alliances.

„In the face of today's epidemiological situation and the economic crisis that we experience, the transformation towards a circular economy seems to be an even more desirable and necessary direction of change”,

said Agnieszka Sznyk, President of the Board at INNOWO (Institute of Innovation and Responsible Development in Poland), main organiser of the event.

How to join: You can register to become a partner or join various events free of charge.

This year, organisers will put more emphasis on how to lead to the development of local entrepreneurship, economic stability with sustainable production and consumption.

For Leaders of Change

Responsible Innovation Summit – the virtual meeting point for innovators - 20-21 October

The power to change to world for the better is in the hands of every innovator. With each innovation, we have the chance not just to create something new but to benefit society, business and the planet.

The 4th edition of the annual international Responsible Innovation Summit aims to inspire innovators from business, research and policy to 'build back better' after the Covid19 pandemic adapting Responsible Innovation and sustainable business practices. Leaders of Change will come together virtually this year to cross-pollinate ideas, learn and network.

All discussions and networking will take place to raise awareness about Responsible Innovation, emerging business models making a 'Profit with Purpose' and to support value-driven enterprises. During the two days, speakers from all over the world will share their expertise, learn from each other and connect.

The main focus this year will be on creating a roadmap to Build Back Better by empowering collaboration; putting Responsible Innovation into practice; mainstreaming Profit with Purpose to become the new Business As Usual; look at leadership and communication trends and skill to deliver change.

Image: Getty images

Besides, three launch event will take place, which gives innovators a chance not just to listen but take action right away.

How to join: You can tune in to the plenary and panel discussions by registering or you can book an upgraded ticket to enjoy more benefits.

There is no shortage of possibilities to use this golden opportunity and facilitate systemic change!

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September 2020

Circular Week 2020 campaign is open for partner applications

Anonymous — Wed, 19 Aug 2020 12:17:04 +0000

Circular Week 2020 campaign is open for partner applications

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One week to raise awareness about Circular Economy, sustainable production and consumption in Europe.

The third edition of the international Circular Week educational and inspirational campaign aims to inspire transformation towards a Circular Economy.

The event will take place between 12-18th October at multiple locations in Europe. Organisers and partners include various organisations who want to raise awareness about Circular Economy, sustainable production and consumption in alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Circular Economy requires stakeholders to change their mindset about the use of natural resources and the way of how the economy works. Currently, the industry operates a linear model of resource consumption by using the "take, use, and throw away" principle.

On the other hand, Circular Economy assumes that raw materials and products will remain in circulation as long as possible, and their value will be maximised. As a result, we will extract fewer natural resources and produce less waste, and those created will be used again for production.

Illustration: Getty Image

One of the critical elements of realising the potentials of Circular Economy principles is a collaboration between different players along the supply chain.

“Circular Economy provides businesses with the opportunity to ensure sustained economic development, minimise environmental impact and maximise social welfare. However, many barriers still exist. This year we are very glad to do so by joining the 2020 edition of Circular Week together with other like-minded peers throughout Europe to underline the importance of collaboration in the transition to a more circular future.” said Stefan Crets, Executive Director at CSR Europe.

The Circular Week initiative also offers an opportunity to sustainable businesses to promote their work and to stakeholders to connect, while reaching out to the broader public about responsible consumption. Finally, Circular Week is a platform where every organisation, institution or individual could become engaged and take part in this movement and forge alliances.

„In the face of today's epidemiological situation and the economic crisis that we experience, the transformation towards a circular economy seems to be an even more desirable and necessary direction of change”,

said Agnieszka Sznyk, President of the Board at INNOWO,, main organsier of the event. „That is why we would like to invite as many organisations and institutions to participate in the 2020 edition of Circular Week to build partnerships and support the transition into a circular economy.”

Anyone who would like to join the week-long series of events dedicated to the Circular Economy can now apply to become an official partner. Event proposals could be focusing on any elements related to the agenda, such as food waste, sustainable fashion, sustainable construction or agriculture, etc.

This year, organisers will put more emphasis on how to lead to the development of local entrepreneurship, economic stability with sustainable production and consumption.

„COVID-19 made us aware that business as usual is not an option anymore, and that we have to come up with more resilient models. Circular Economy can create jobs and contribute to the societal goals, not as an additional cost but as a business model.” - said Freek van Eijk, Managing Director of Holland Circular Hotspot in regards to becoming partners of Circular Week 2020.

The campaign website provides more information regarding the agenda, partners and details on becoming an official partner.

“Circular Week 2020 will be another opportunity to learn from one another, celebrate our successes and identify new opportunities to collaborate,”

said James Close, Head of the Circular Economy Programme, London Waste and Recycling Board.

The main organiser behind the campaign is the Institute of Innovation and Responsible Development, INNOWO. Other prestigious organisations, such as CSR Europe, Circular Economy Forum Austria, LWARB- London Waste and Recycling Board (Great Britain), Circular Change (Slovenia), Circular Futures (Austria), Institut national de l'économie circulaire (Inec) (France) have joined as official partners of Circular Week 2020.

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August 2020