Social Innovation

Blending science, community and nature in modern Irish spirits with pro-social disruption

Szilvia Szabó — Thu, 05 Sep 2024 14:47:56 +0000

Blending science, community and nature in modern Irish spirits with pro-social disruption

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Circular Business

Circular Design

Social Innovation

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Sustainable business

This article is part of the 'Celebrating Circular` initiative and story collection that spotlights trailblazer Irish businesses making strides towards a more sustainable and low-carbon economy.

There are many ways to design an innovative product, develop a community, or care for the environment, but doing all these things together is extremely rare.

Blending science, community and nature makes creating modern Irish spirits different at Dublin-based Stillgarden Distillery.

“We call this pro-social disruption,” explains Viki Baird, Co-Founder, also known as the Boss Lady.

This approach has led the enterprise to win multiple awards since its launch in 2020, but that's more of an indicator that they are on the right path rather than a driver.

“We keep production independent and local in every bit of what we do, focusing on building a community and giving back besides running a business.”

Viki Baird, Co-Founder of Stillgarden Distillery

Recognising potential

Managing a community garden might be the most obvious manifestation of this mindset, as she shares that this element of the business is her pride and joy.

“We are based in an up-and-coming neighbourhood in Dublin 8, which didn't have the best reputation. There was an abandoned land close to us that was a hub for antisocial behaviour, where we saw the potential to create a community garden. Everyone said we were mad, and it will never work.”

With the support from Dublin City Council, they turned the site into a flourishing garden, which now plays a vital part in creating their products while inviting people to become part of a new type of community.

“We have our ups and downs, including a constant fight against vandalism, but eventually, as we hosted programmes and kept the garden open, it started attracting more people from the neighbourhood.”

Grow kits used in the Social Botanist Project

The birth of the Social Botanist Project

When COVID and lockdowns hit, they were still early in the development phase of the garden, so they created the Social Botanist project to give herb growing kits to out-of-work bartenders to take home and bring back grown plants.

Using these plants to populate the garden sparked the idea to use the two plants that thrived the most, mint and lavender, as ingredients to create their flagship Social Gin.

Harnessing a pro-social attitude and leading with sustainability

In addition to the garden, other business areas also reflect their pro-social attitude.

“We use motion-activated lights, reuse packaging that comes in with our supplies and run a bottle brought back scheme where we give discounts or free products for glasses that customers return.”

Viki explains that in production, they use vacuum distillation, which requires less energy while capturing the essence of ingredients, resulting in beautiful flavours.

“We are also mindful of food waste and aim to repurpose byproducts in making ice cream and tea bags. We give away what we cannot use to local chicken farmers, and we even have a tradition of collaborating with local bakers to make Christmas gin cakes using our byproducts.”

Stillgarden Distillery is also committed to the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan, an initiative to protect pollinators such as bees and butterflies and ensure their vital role in Ireland’s ecosystem.

Their garden has dedicated sections that are maintained to go a little more “wild” to encourage a diverse range of pollinators.

Questioning the obvious to adopt changes for a more sustainable business

On a personal level, Viki doesn't like waste, which comes across in how she manages every aspect of the business.

“I feel passionate about avoiding waste and questioning what we are doing and why.”

Sharing what they have learned is also important to her, and she was thrilled to give a lecture as part of the MODOS sustainable business course.

“I think this programme gives participants a great overview with practical examples so they can challenge the obvious with more confidence.”

Building meaningful connections and empowering the local community

Being sociable and enjoying connecting with people makes it easier for Viki to build meaningful relationships with others, whether she visits their stockist, hosts events, or meets with their gardening community.

“We offer a lot of points for connection through having a lovely visitor centre, hosting the social botanist events or running tasting events and masterclasses where people can create their own spirit by choosing from about 110 ingredients.”

It is a lot to look after, and being a business owner is a 24/7 job for Viki, but nature walks with her husband and cycling clear her head and refresh her thoughts when needed.

Looking at what they have achieved in Dublin 8 regarding transforming a community, she envisions replicating this model and starting to create small local communities, potentially with production sites in other parts of Ireland and abroad in the future.

“Using our pro-social approach to change other underdeveloped areas would be an amazing opportunity to scale our impact and improve people's lives.”

The Social Gin is Ireland’s first community produced gin made with mint and lavender grown by Social Botanists at home and then planted in Stillgarden Community Garden.

Explore other inspirational stories as part of the Celebrating Circular initiative supported by the Regional Waste Management Planning Offices and Dublin City Council.

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New narrative to position Africa as an ideal impact investment frontier

Climate Journal reporting — Mon, 20 Nov 2023 14:55:04 +0000

New narrative to position Africa as an ideal impact investment frontier

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The African Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA) launched a new communication channel, The Africa Advantage digital magazine, to smash assumptions and showcase the continent as a globally competitive destination for impact capital.

As an ecosystem builder and a network of social investors collaborating to mobilise and deploy impact investments in Africa, AVPA hopes that with this new format, they can better present market potential, innovation, human capital and a wealth of untapped opportunities.

“Africa's complex and unique social challenges have often been viewed as an embarrassment, but instead, we see them as exciting impact investing opportunities for social transformation”, says Dr Frank Aswani, CEO of AVPA and the Editor-in-Chief of The Africa Advantage magazine.

The first edition of the publication features a collection of sector or opportunity-specific articles written by African experts, highlighting the unique opportunities not just for Africa but the world at large.

Topics include Africa`s impact investing landscape, interviews with leading changemakers, impact entrepreneurs and policymakers such as Ojoma Ochai, Managing Partner of The Creative Economy Practice at CC Hub, which aims to stimulate innovation and technology application to catalyse African Creative Economy growth.

Dr Frank Aswani, CEO of AVPA and the Editor-in-Chief of The Africa Advantage magazine.

Dr Aswani adds:

“We intend to connect a diverse network of social investors, ecosystem enablers, innovators, policymakers and knowledge actors, not just within Africa, but also with those from Asia, Europe, North and Latin America.”

AVPA believes that while Africa faces socio-environmental challenges similar to those of other developing regions, it contains unique features that, when fully exploited, can potentially bring innovative sustainable solutions to regional and global challenges.

The organisation emphasised that unique opportunities could arise from a continent characterised by its young and diverse population, rich natural resources and various social challenges, providing unparalleled opportunities for testing innovative and globally scalable solutions.

They see these factors as enablers, making Africa the ideal sandbox for innovations with positive societal and environmental impact while testing new markets, products, services, new finance structures and impact business models.

The scope of The Africa Advantage magazine is to go beyond information dissemination and build a foundation to catalyse discussions and ultimately stimulate incremental impact capital deployment to and on the continent.

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Building a pipeline for social and climate innovation in Portugal

Szilvia Szabó — Wed, 11 Oct 2023 13:34:20 +0000

Building a pipeline for social and climate innovation in Portugal

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Social Entrepreneurship

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Social innovation has gained significant attention in Portugal in recent years, with various initiatives, policies, and organisations focused on addressing social and environmental challenges through innovative solutions.

Casa do Impacto is Portugal's biggest impact entrepreneurship hub, based in Lisbon, incubating over 60 startups.

Inês Sequeira, Founder and Director of Casa do Impacto, highlights that since its opening in 2018, this hub for social innovation has put Portugal on the map of the impact ecosystem, gathering the resources and network to grow an impact venture.

It is a dedicated space where stakeholders contribute and collaborate to make the necessary paradigm shift in business, with over 3 million euros already invested in supporting social innovators throughout its activity.

The hub aims to create an exciting pipeline of innovative solutions linked with the 17 SDGs through accelerator and incubator programs and investment.

“Given the scope of Casa do Impacto's work, we intend to articulate the different interventions regarding their complementarity to constitute a "pipeline" capable of covering the various stages and needs of entrepreneurship initiatives and social and environmental innovation,” says Inês.

Inês Sequeira, Founder and Director of Casa do Impacto, Portugal.

They run accelerator programs, such as the Triggers to help develop and support innovative projects focusing on environmental issues while responding to societal challenges induced by the climate emergency.

“As part of the process, we offer access to training, mentoring sessions, exchange of experiences and case studies, and, in addition to rigorous monitoring of the work carried out,” Inês further explains.

Furthermore, participants can benefit from accessing an extensive network of program partners.

“At Casa do Impacto, we strive to accelerate change and focus our efforts on bringing solutions to life that are able to combine climate justice and social justice.”

Inês thinks we need to create conditions where socially and environmentally responsible projects can emerge, saying that providing proper training, for instance, can significantly enhance the chances of having more and better ideas that can be transformed into enterprises.

They aim to support the consolidation and expansion of innovative, environmentally sustainable products and services in the market to become alternative responses and thus contribute to a fair and socially balanced climate transition.

“Social enterprises can contribute to building a more sustainable and just economy in various ways. I believe we need to collaborate more, pilot new solutions, invest when they’re ready, and close the circle.”

She emphasises that social enterprises are well-placed to change the tide in climate and social innovation while playing a vital role in creating future jobs, attracting investments and inspiring change.

They are keen to create a supportive environment where collaboration with other social innovators, organisations, and stakeholders is encouraged so they can have all the resources, expertise and support to bring their projects to life.

Regarding funding, Inês adds:

“Access to capital through grants, loans, or equity investment can remove financial barriers and support the growth of these projects. Casa do Impacto provides these innovators with the necessary tools and initiatives to help pre-seed and seed-stage projects secure finances.“

A rising topic in the country is the circular economy, which could be the most potent multifunctional instrument to tackle the current triple planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity and pollution.

Social enterprises from the Casa do Impacto community are also embracing circularity, such as La Virgule, which upcycles discarded sports and outdoor equipment to reduce waste and transform materials into usable products or Matterpieces, which design high-end cladding material made out of inert waste from demolitions, like glass, bricks, cement, stones.

Circular Economy Portugal (CEP) is an initiative that aims to accelerate the transition to a circular economy in Portugal through knowledge-sharing, capacity-building and hands-on action.

Circular Pioneers from their community include Novonovo, a digital platform that helps the creative community to locate second-hand materials and products, reCloset, an online second-hand fashion platform and Vintage for a Cause, a vintage style clothing brand using industrial textile waste and support women through training.

Portuguese social enterprise La Virgule upcycles sports and outdoor equipment. Image: La Virgule

Nãm is Portugal's first circular urban farming project, producing mushrooms and natural fertiliser from coffee grounds collected in Lisbon. Image: Circular Economy Portugal

Portugal is also addressing the challenges of climate change with initiatives aimed at reducing carbon emissions, increasing the use of renewable energy, and promoting sustainable practices backed by governmental grants and tools besides EU support.

The European Investment Fund (EIF) has recently announced that it will help to facilitate investments in Portuguese businesses involved with the sustainable energy transition, climate resilience, sustainable use of the marine environment and the circular economy.

One of the financial instruments launched as part of the Growth Blue I initiative involves a €28m blue economy-focused private equity fund, a trailblazer construction in southern Europe, according to EIF, allocating resources for blue economy investments with climate impact and sustainable development goals.

Inês looks into the future with much hope and envisions a new Hub in Lisbon where they can triplicate the number of projects incubated and promote more and more pilots with corporate and public organisations with Casa do Impacto’s Startups.

She also wishes to expand their activity to other locations in Portugal and scale abroad.

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At the forefront of empowering civil society leaders for a decade

Szilvia Szabó — Tue, 03 Oct 2023 12:13:28 +0000

At the forefront of empowering civil society leaders for a decade

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Social Economy

Social Entrepreneurship

Social Innovation

Topic

Social Impact

The NGO Academy has become one of the strongest ecosystem builders in the Central Eastern European (CEE) region, dedicated to strengthening Civil Society through capacity-building training and educational activities to empower leaders.

Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Peter Vandor, one of the Founders and Academic Directors of NGO Academy, founded together with the ERSTE Foundation in 2013, shares insights about their impact over the years.

Peter Vandor, one of the Founders and Academic Directors of NGO Academy, Co-Founder of Social Entrepreneurship Center at the Vienna University of Economics and Business. Image: Igor Ripak

“In recent years, the environment for Civil Society in the Central Eastern European region has increasingly become a `shrinking space`, suffering from difficult and unpredictable political and economic environments and lack of international support,”

Peter describes the current situation.

He adds that by the beginning of 2000, many organisations that previously supported the civil sector had left the region, which left organisations providing social services or working on human rights or environmental protection vulnerable to external factors.

“We try to support these organisations by helping them to grow their talent and competencies.

We train their leaders and key staff in a range of organisational topics, from fundraising and innovation to impact measurement, burnout prevention and strategy development.”

Peter has a broad overview of the sector by working shoulder-to-shoulder with his colleague, Reinhard Millner, Head of the Social Entrepreneurship Center at the Vienna University of Economics and Business, where they provide academic learning experiences and promote the development of social entrepreneurship and social innovation.

In the past ten years, NGO Academy has reached hundreds of organisations and trained over 6000 leaders through 290 workshops, management courses and MSc programmes focusing on Social Innovation and Management.

Number of NGO Academy member organisations in the CEE region. Image: NGO Academy

”NGO Academy began as a start-up – a small team with a profound belief in the idea, with total commitment and high ambition.

Today, the NGO Academy exists through the interactions of many people and organisations and has established itself as an important educational institution,”

said Nicole Traxler from the ERSTE Foundation.

Based on their recent survey, nine out of ten participants said they benefited from the new knowledge they acquired through these programs, and almost 80 per cent confirmed that they would find it financially challenging to take part in other offerings that are not supported.

Lejla Šehić Relić, one of the members and participants of the program, shared:

“NGO Academy is a unique, important programme of capacity building, connecting people and organisations. It provides inspiration, knowledge and support and is a vital bridge between the energy of civil society and the wisdom of an academic community that offers hope.”

Available programmes target leadership, executives and managers from a pool of outstanding civil society organisations within 14 Central and Eastern European countries, bringing knowledge from various areas, such as management, finance and communication skills.

“We try to attend as many of our activities in person as possible and talk with our members to understand their experiences and needs,” Peter explains.

However, the team had to experiment and innovate rather quickly in terms of delivering meaningful and engaging learning experiences due to COVID-19, which heavily impacted most members but, in the end, helped them create a broader selection of course offers that stayed popular post-pandemic.

NGO Academy celebrated ten years of impact in Vienna in September 2023. Image: Igor Ripak

Their results speak for themselves, as 84.6 per cent say that being a member of the NGO Academy has contributed positively to their organisational development, and 57.3 per cent reported having started new projects or activities as a result of NGO Academy training.

Peter adds:

“The part I enjoy most is teaching and discussions with our members in the classroom. Since one of my topics is innovation management, there is often a lot of discussion about where they see society moving and how they plan to respond. Being able to provide a helpful structure and seeing them bring new ideas to life is very rewarding.”

A study that Peter worked on found that many civil society leaders still have an overall positive assessment of this sector in the past 10-15 years, mainly due to the favourable legal frameworks, eye-level dialogue with public authorities and easy access to funding promoted by the European Union.

However, this is mostly the case among countries in the pre-accession phase to become EU members, while member states are not so optimistic anymore.

Member state representatives see an improvement in relationships with municipalities, but working with the central government has often become more challenging, and civil society organisations have become the targets of anti-liberal narratives, framing them as “foreign agents”, threatening their funding or their right to operate.

Other trends include an overall increasing professionalising of the sector, shifting from informal to more formalised activities, and embracing newer forms of operations, including social entrepreneurship.

To celebrate their achievements and shared impact, NGO Academy hosted a 10th-anniversary event in Vienna in September, including TEDx Talks sessions showcasing many of their members` stories and impact.

Headline image: Igor Ripak

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Trailblazer social innovators awarded with funding in Dublin to scale up impact

Climate Journal reporting — Wed, 20 Sep 2023 17:24:01 +0000

Trailblazer social innovators awarded with funding in Dublin to scale up impact

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Local social enterprises addressing societal and environmental challenges received €60,000 in funding at the annual Dublin Social Enterprise Awards 2023 to enhance their operation and scale their impact.

The six awardees work in diverse areas, including sustainability, unemployment, education, health, homelessness and ex-offender reintegration, supporting disadvantaged people while advocating for inclusion in their communities and beyond.

Minister Joe O’Brien, Minister of State with the Department of Rural and Community Development, emphasised the role of social enterprises in his keynote address at the award ceremony:

“They are tangibly helping to address key issues regarding our economy, society and environment while providing employment, opportunities and positive impact.”

One of the awardees is The Mugshot by PACE, which works with people who have criminal records, supporting people back to the community since 2014 to give them work experience and ease their way into mainstream employment.

With three locations across Dublin, this social enterprise provides training and learning opportunities on a professional and personal level.

The Mugshot by PACE is one of the awardees of Dublin City Social Enterprise Awards 2023.

Maggie Clune, representing PACE, says that the funding will allow them to improve their equipment, which they couldn`t have done without this support.

“This year’s awardees clearly highlight how social enterprise can lead positive change in a sustainable way, showing the possibilities when profit and purpose work hand in hand,”

added Ross Curley, Head of Economic Development, Dublin City Council.

Rediscover Furniture runs its operation at the Rediscovery Centre, the National Centre for the Circular Economy, aiming to keep all kinds of furniture in use for as long as possible through restoration, conservation and upcycling to stop them from ending up in landfills.

“The Social Enterprise Award Dublin is going to help us to rent premises where we can display the furniture and the public can come in and buy it all from us, and also to host events like repair cafés,” says Nessa Doran O`Reilly from Rediscover Furniture.

She adds that this support will go a long way so they can improve logistics, marketing and employment, ultimately getting more people involved with a sustainable lifestyle.

Gemma McCabe, Co-Director and COO of the social enterprise Hair Together, also received an award for delivering wellbeing and life skills programmes through the art of hairdressing and barbering.

For her, this recognition means they can expand their services, involve more kids and young adults, and create a three-year plan to sustain their operation financially.

Hair Together social enterprise received funding and support through the Dublin City Social Enterprise Awards 2023.

Other awardees include Dublin Simon Community Charity Shops, Mellow Spring Childcare Development Centre and New Creations Cleaning Service.

Besides the financial support, awardees were presented bespoke trophies handmade by The Yard at Solas Project, a local social enterprise and previous awardee, and they will also benefit from additional support to grow their organisation.

Now in its ninth year, the Dublin City Social Enterprise Awards is organised and managed by various stakeholders in partnership, such as the Dublin City Council, Dublin City Social Enterprise Committee, Inner City Enterprise, Economic Development Office, Local Enterprise Office Dublin City and the Department of Rural and Community Development.

Headline image: Left to the Right - Pearse O'Reilly, Nessa Doran O'Reilly, Minister Joe O'Brien, Erika Pena, Eileen McHugh, Lord Mayor of Dublin, Paul Donoghue, Rachael Duff

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In pursuit of changing lives

Szilvia Szabó — Tue, 01 Aug 2023 20:23:56 +0000

In pursuit of changing lives

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Social Entrepreneurship

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Insights from social entrepreneur Lucia Dal Negro, Founder of Kokono, on building a socially and environmentally conscious enterprise in Uganda.

Kokono is a project started by De-LAB, an Italian social enterprise, designed to address the challenge of keeping infants safe in their first year after birth in Africa.

We produce unique cradles from biodegradable materials to protect children from 0 to 12 months from major health and safety risks, including the malaria mosquito.

From the very beginning, I have worked with a team, and we did not only want to work in the health sector and 'settle' for helping people. We also wanted to do it in an environmentally responsible way. Besides, we thought about logistics and optimised the shape of the cradle in a way that saves a lot of space and makes it easy to stack them up.

Kokono produces unique cradles from biodegradable materials to protect babies from major health and safety risks. Image: Kokono

Moreover, the product is sold without packaging to avoid polluting a country with no actual plastic and waste disposal system.

The next edition of Kokono will also be produced with 50 per cent recovered plastic, which will help decrease its environmental footprint while giving us a chance to raise awareness about the circular economy. It has been a bumpy road since the first design came to life to make this a reality.

The Covid pandemic obviously resulted in a major setback, and there was a grasshopper invasion in East Africa in January 2020, which did not help. We had to adapt not just our business plans but the product’s design. Kokono was originally supposed to be made from banana fibres, but then the grasshopper invasion destroyed all the plantations, so there was no way to use that material.

After rethinking the project, Covid forced us to stop for almost a year because Uganda had the longest lockdown in Africa, and nothing could be done. But luckily, there were also some exceptional positive moments, including the first sale to a private hospital of 40 cradles.

One of the most inspiring moments was when we got the result of the Social Impact Assessment on the first user group of Kokono.

I remember the amazement and pride I felt as I saw that not one of the first 20 children had caught malaria in the six months of using the cradle.

There I realised that we had a future, and it was worth fighting for. It took countless hours of work, patience and dedication to get where we are now.

There was a time when if I had given up, people would have still applauded me anyway because everything was so terribly difficult.

Instead, perseverance won, and thanks to the collaboration with Italian and local partners and the encouragement of the Ugandans, while seeing this idea manifesting and helping people, I did not give up.

To the many social innovators out there trying to make a difference, I would say never to let difficulties get you down: no one ever told us it would be easy.

We are currently looking for equity investors to expand our project, which has succeeded in the proof of concept and market testing phase. Uganda is a huge country, and the demand is massive here and elsewhere as well. With the capital investment, we could support the distribution network and start selling the product on a large scale.

Another thing that impressed me was getting to know the single mothers of the Kawempe slum in Kampala. After the pandemic, their numbers have increased dramatically.

Here you would meet 14-15 years old girls who need to be educated about childcare.

They welcomed the product as if it were a solution 'dropped from the sky'.

It was touching, especially since I expected more resistance towards something new and unknown.

Instead, they were overjoyed. Sometimes understanding each other is much easier than we think and happens profoundly. This experience gave me much strength to go on.

Kokono was first introduced in Uganda, and looking to expand in the next years. Image: Kokono

Having the opportunity to work in the field and interact with people using our solution really keeps me grounded and more determined to raise funds and expand our operations.

In addition to having funds, I would like to have a network of companies that see this as a project for the future and would support us with expertise and vision in other African countries.

Ugandan birth and infant mortality rates are no different from those of other countries on the continent, and the potential to make a significant impact is enormous.

Lucia Dal Negro Founder of Kokono in the middle

I enjoy spending about a month twice a year in Kampala supervising the operations and working with the team. I extricate myself entirely from European and Italian problems and finally connect to the local set-up, feeling the atmosphere.

This society is made up of a young population full of vitality, which dares to dream big even if it does not have the means....and, above all, never complains.

What gives me the energy to keep going is the fact that Kokono really works, saves the lives of children and gives hope to mothers struggling to juggle work and bringing up their kids.

Working with local partners who believe in it and look to us for guidance on moving forward is another factor in making this work.

Finally, I think that if we, as a very small organisation, have made it this far, who knows what larger and more structured companies could do.

There are too many opportunities offered by circular models that must be exploited....it is no longer the time to stand by, and we at De-LAB are ready to build partnerships with those who think like us!

This article is an extract from content originally published in the Circular Economy in Action special edition of the Profit with Purpose Magazine - you can read the full article and other features in the magazine.

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How do trailblazer social innovators shape the Blue Economy?

Business Spirit News reporting — Wed, 12 Apr 2023 08:30:04 +0000

How do trailblazer social innovators shape the Blue Economy?

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Social Innovation

Social Entrepreneurship

Impact Ecosystem

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Blue Economy

Social Enterprise

Impact Hub corner

Stories of visionary entrepreneurs making inclusive and sustainable innovation happen at scale with the support of the global Impact Hub community.

Seafood alternative

Overfishing is putting enormous pressure on ocean ecosystems, but how can delicious and healthy sashimi help?

Bluana Foods startup is connected to Impact Hub Bucharest, Romania, has designed a tasty alternative solution to decrease the need for fresh fish.

The enterprise is creating a plant-based healthy seafood alternative product for tuna and salmon sashimi, using only natural ingredients.

Bluana Foods uses algae extracts with a molecular gastronomy approach to obtain a product such as fish meat.

The startup is entering the growing plant-based market, estimated to reach 15 billion Euros.

“With the help of our team of Chefs, we have a bottom-up molecular gastronomy approach while using natural only ingredients.

Bluana Foods is working on plant-based seafood alternative products for tuna and salmon with a molecular gastronomy approach. Image: Bluana Foods

Currently, we have a founding team, an MVP, and more than 700 people giving positive feedback,” Florin Irimescu, Founder and CEO of Bluana Foods, explains their product development.

The team is working on their market strategy and participating in various high profile accelerator programs such as the Black Sea ClimAccelerator, organised with the support of EIT Climate-KIC (Knowledge and Innovation Centre) and Proveg Incubator program in Berlin, the world’s leading incubator of plant-based and cultured food startups.

Zero impact aquafeed

By adopting Circular Economy principles, enterprise Ittinsect uses insects and agricultural by-products to replace traditional aquaculture and ornamental fish feeds containing fishmeal and fish oils.

As a member of the Impact Hub Siracusa community in Italy, this startup is dedicated to developing and producing innovative fish food with zero fish meal and oil content.

Ittinsect is developing innovative fish food with zero fish meal and oil content. Image: Pexels

“The product is based on a special recipe of enriched insect proteins with the same nutritional properties as fish meal, but with a higher biologic efficiency,”

says Alessandro Romano, CEO of Ittinsect.

They won the EIT Food “Challenge Lab” in 2020, and their concept also impressed the judges at the BlueInvest Awards 2021, as they became finalists in the "Sustainable Food and Feed from the Ocean" category.

The value proposition of Ittinsect is built on the three pillars of product characteristics, being flexible, sustainable and healthy.

By avoiding ocean resources, they contribute to sustainability and stop the chain of microplastics, mercury, fertilisers and other contaminants that generally accumulate in the organisms that are fed with traditional fishmeal.

The Dopper changemaker challenge

The ‘ocean saving bottle’ company, Dopper, organised the third edition of its Changemaker Challenge to find the most innovative student ideas for a plastic-free future with crystal-clear waters.

They teamed up with Impact Hub King’s Cross, UK, Impact Hub Amsterdam and Impact Hub Berlin to engage third-level students from various locations.

Applications poured in from the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Nepal for a chance to win a £5,000 research grant, promotional support and valuable contacts.

Dopper is a social enterprise based in the UK, widely recognised as an activist company encouraging people to see the whole picture about ocean protection and water usage.

The three best ideas from the UK included projects focusing on recycling ghost fishing nets, utilising sea kelps and replacing plastic food packaging with a sustainable alternative.

The Dopper Changemaker Challenge is organised in collaboration with several Impact Hubs to find innovative student ideas for a plastic-free future with crystal-clear waters. Image: Dopper

Lab of tomorrow

The Lab of Tomorrow is a business development program to solve specific challenges in emerging markets. It aims to inspire European and local businesses to jointly create new sustainable and profitable business models, products, and services in emerging markets.

It is an open innovation process based on adopting Design Thinking and Business Design methodologies with strong stakeholder engagement.

In 2022 they brought together European and Thai companies, startups, NGOs, policymakers and researchers to address the challenge of plastic waste reduction in Thailand.

The Lab of Tomorrow is a business development programme to solve specific challenges in emerging markets, such as plastic waste or renewable energy. Image: Pexels

More than half of land-based plastic waste leakage comes from just five countries: China, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.

The challenge of reducing, reusing and replacing single-use plastic in Thailand thus goes far beyond the country’s borders.

The program is managed in collaboration with Impact Hub Berlin, and it runs in partnership with government organisations.

Participants are asked to answer questions like: How might we reduce, reuse or substitute single-use plastic to decrease plastic waste ending up in rivers and oceans in Thailand?

The big issue is divided into sub-challenges like promoting plastic-reduced products and services, increasing plastic and littering awareness of customers, and reducing plastic bottles or promoting the use of a zero-waste kit.

So far, 330 participants have joined seven previous Lab of Tomorrow innovation processes, and 47 promising business ideas have been developed, of which twelve business models are currently in the pilot phase.

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State of the world investigated at global sustainability event

Business Spirit News reporting — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 11:44:48 +0000

State of the world investigated at global sustainability event

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“Society has an illness, which is over analysing everything," said leading environmentalist Professor Gunter Pauli at global sustainability event opening.

The opening of the Planetiers World Gathering (PWG) has kicked off with a passionate speech by Sérgio Ribeiro, Co-founder of this leading global sustainability event, taking place in Lisbon, Portugal, between 24-26 October.

Addressing attendees, Ribeiro highlighted the urgent need for finding a balance across the world's environmental, social and economic sectors and dedicating this summit to inspire action on pressing challenges of our time.

“So many amazing speakers and participants have come to Lisbon this year, amidst such difficult conditions.

They believe in the power of cooperation and the importance of cooperation to achieve the goals of an effective sustainable transition."

Sérgio Ribeiro, Co-founder of the Planetiers World Gathering; Image: Planetiers

Topics covered during the first day included the current energy crisis, the impact of the pandemic, and the growing global social, environmental and economic instability, among others.

Professor Gunter Pauli, entrepreneur and author of The Book Economy book, also took the stage and enthusiastically expressed his views on moving forward, learning from nature and nurturing talents, so they dare to seek knowledge and use it for good.

“Society has an illness, which is over analysing everything. When your house is on fire, you do not go and start writing a strategic plan,”

Prof. Pauli referred to the pledges of becoming net-zero by 2050, which will come too late in his opinion.

Professor Gunter Pauli pointed out that we have no time to waste to act at Planetiers World Gathering 2022; Image: Planetiers

He also shared eye-opening examples occurring in nature that we can take inspiration from to design innovative sustainable solutions.

One of them was the case of dolphins using water bubbles for hunting without harming female fish carrying eggs since they are too heavy to be forced to the surface by the bubbles.

He pointed out that this method can help us find ways for sustainable fishing in a way that would not risk the regeneration of fish species.

A forum on the day focused on the role of the United Nations in building a new global development model, the roadmap for humanity, and the strategies to ensure peace to mark the celebration of the 77th anniversary of the UN.

On Tuesday, October 25th, the event continues with more leaders sharing insights, such as Satya Tripathi, Secretary-General of the Global Alliance for a Sustainable Planet and Ali Tabrizi, Director of Seaspiracy documentary.

Green Tourism, Sportainability, and Techceleration for Sustainability will also be among the topics explored at PWG on the second day.

The Planetiers World Gathering was founded in 2020 and has become a leading global sustainability-focused innovation event, bringing together key stakeholders in climate action and innovation from across the globe.

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Leading global sustainability summit returns to Lisbon

Business Spirit News reporting — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 10:12:47 +0000

Leading global sustainability summit returns to Lisbon

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Conference

Sustainable Development Goals

Innovation

Social Innovation

Portugal

Topic

Sustainable Development Goals

Event

Lisbon

Climate Innovation

Changemakers and impact innovators from every corner of the world to meet in Lisbon.

The Planetiers World Gathering is back as an in-person and online event to bring together changemakers and impact innovators from every corner of the world to meet in Lisbon, Portugal, on 22-26 October.

The focus of this global event is to put sustainability and regeneration in the spotlight, showcasing green and inclusive innovations while elevating impact innovators and igniting system-level change.

Sérgio Ribeiro, CEO and Co-Founder of Planetiers and Co-Founder of Planetiers World Gathering, describes “Planetiers to be the ones who do not just break the system but transform it and make it better, fair and sustainable”.

“Planetiers acts as a call to mobilise companies, government organisations and civil/political decision-makers in the battle to build a sustainable planet for generations to come.”

The summit will be held at the Parque Eduardo VII and Pavilhão Carlos Lopes, Lisbon, focusing on topics such as ecology, climate change, health, poverty, education and peace.

Planetiers World Gathering 2022 edition brings together impact innovators and stakeholders to achive the Sustainable Development Goals. Image: Planetiers

With over 30,000 people from 90 countries expected to attend the event in person and online, it aims to bring together a diverse range of speakers and attendees, driven by the notion of contributing to a sustainable and inclusive transition.

Speakers include Chris Kroll, Founder & CEO of Ecosia and World Fund Investor, David Simas, President of the Obama Foundation and Ursula von Der Leyen, President of the European Commission, among others.

The event's ultimate goal is to help changemakers connect and highlight long-term sustainable solutions amid the impending climate crisis and accelerate a system transformation that can enable us to reach the UN Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

Sérgio Ribeiro, CEO and Co-Founder of Planetiers and Co-Founder of Planetiers World Gathering. Image: Planetiers

“We’ve seen people joining this movement and claiming they are “Planetiers” mainly because they have found a community that brings a constructive narrative of cooperation and hope,” adds Sérgio.

Discussions will highlight the sustainability challenges of our time and raise awareness of the need for long-term solutions to counteract pressing global issues.

Sessions will cover a diverse range of topics, such as Cities for the future, Ocean Innovation, Inclusive green tourism and Sustainable investment and finance.

Showcasing the latest in sustainable technologies, innovative businesses and governance models, the 2022 Planetiers World Gathering will be bolstered by partnerships with several high-profile organisations, such as the European Commission, Tourism of Portugal and Lisbon Municipality.

Various ticket options are available, from daily tickets to all-inclusive access to match attendee’s interests.

Besides the conference program, there will be exhibition areas and interactive workshop sessions.

Planetiers was launched in 2017 as an online platform, and since it has become a leading event, a momentum, and even a symbol for people believing we still have a fighting chance to create a society that works for people and all other creatures on Earth.

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Prosocial disruption delivered by a distillery in Dublin

Bronagh Loughlin — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 12:32:14 +0000

Prosocial disruption delivered by a distillery in Dublin

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Dublin-based company is changing industry practices by designing its spirits through the lenses of science, community and nature.

Viki Baird, Co-Founder of the Stillgarden Distillery, explains their pro-social approach to building and running their business.

She says, “We try to promote social activity but in a different way. For example, we transformed an area of wasteland which was near the distillery. It was full of all sorts of junk, and we turned it into a botanical garden and recruited several ‘Social Botanists’ throughout the first Covid lockdown. We gave people growing kits, which they took away and grew the botanicals at home.”

The Social Botanist project was launched by Stillgarden Distillery in Dublin. Image: Stillgarden Distillery

When the plants had outgrown the boxes, everyone returned and together with the organisers, they planted them in the botanical garden.

After harvesting those botanicals, they collaborated with the botanists to create what they call a ‘Social Gin’.

The distillery gave the botanists three different flavours to choose from, all made with the plants they had grown at home. In this way, local people are playing an essential part in creating this community-based drink.

The company is on a mission to bring our spirit of prosocial disruption to the world through science, community and nature.

Viki explains further: “The science component refers to the fact we have a lab here and lots of excellent equipment like an ultra-sonic ager, and stuff like that which allows us to create different and innovative products.

About the nature side of things, one of our main community projects is the Social Botanist Project, which takes place weekly, so we get new people signing up. We also do on-site garden tours where people can come along for 10 euro, and for that price, they get to look at the garden and enjoy a free drink on our terrace.”

Viki details how the Social Botanist Project works:

“We have hydroponic boxes, and we plant them up for people to take away. There are about eight different botanicals and a special light in each one which helps them grow quicker. It is vital that they grow quickly to enable people working on the same projects to keep up and meet up.

While driving through this area, you can spot some of these boxes on people’s windowsills.

For us, it means people are getting involved and also inspires us to look for other areas of wasteland where we can plant botanicals and engage more social botanists.”

“We try to reuse as much as possible and use this mindset in every aspect of our business.

This includes the packaging we get in, which we reuse where possible in our delivery system. Also, when we make our espresso martini, we take used coffee grains from local coffee shops and reuse those to create this specific drink.

Some of our other gins utilise many healthy materials, which we dry after making our gin and use in tea bags. If there is something we can’t reuse from our ingredients, we give it to local farmers for chicken feed.”

They also run a return your bottle scheme where they give people a discount if they return their bottle and their stopper, andreuse these items rather than put them into the bottle bank.

Viki shares why they have taken this unique approach:

“Because we are called Stillgarden, we always wanted to have a garden on our premises.

Viki Baird, Co-Founder of the Stillgarden Distillery

During the first Covid lockdown, people came to us, just chatting with us, saying they were bored and looking for something to do during the downtime.”

Since they have reopened, there is a great variety of outdoor and indoor experiences that they can offer to visitors, including garden tours and gin tasting.

Eventually, these projects inspired them to do their community-based projects, and the reaction to their efforts was overwhelmingly positive, getting great support from their customers and the local community.

Headline image: Geraud Pfeiffer, Pexels

This content is a piece of an article originally published in the "Make change happen" issue of Profit with Purpose Magazine.

The Summer 2022 edition of the magazine is focusing on making cities sustainable and inclusive, and is available here >>>

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