Intro

In 2020, the health crisis has impacted sustainability and consumption. More social movements were created during the pandemic. Among the consequences of the pandemic, we can mention the change in the consumers’ mentality and behaviour. With the crisis consumers have started to be more interested in human relation, gratitude, and empathy. Now they expect brands to show more empathy and authenticity in their communication policy.
                                                                                          

Show your environmental responsibility

Consumers’ online search has changed. In fact, they started to be interested in concepts like “solar panel on roof” or “sustainable finance”. One of the weaknesses of businesses is their communication on sustainability. Most of the time, environmental issues are represented through abstract pictures. Brands often use the picture of the lone polar bear for example. But these pictures are too impersonal for consumers. This is why brands ‘communication style is changing. Now brands emphasize authenticity in their visual communication. Moreover, the pandemic of covid 19,  highlighted concepts such as human relations and authenticity.

Sustainability is reaching a new era. The United Nations have also changed the consumers’ mentality through their definition of sustainability. They explain that sustainability is not only based on the preservation of the environment. Actually, sustainability is also focused on human health, social equality, and economic vitality. Moreover, no one is questioning anymore the reality of climate change and its consequences. For this reason, the biggest global companies are setting ambitious sustainable objectives. In European countries, 53% of consumers are looking for more eco-friendly products,  90% of them expect brands to help them to find a better way of consumption.  In addition, the youngest European consumers, aged 18 to 39, are ready to pay environmental taxes (Source: Europa.eu). 
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With all the environmental issues, more and more consumers are defining themselves as ecologists. They are looking for an eco-friendlier lifestyle. Because of this change, companies give more importance to environmental challenges. By 2030, 75% of the biggest global companies plan to reach carbon neutrality ( Source : sustainablebrands.com). Another strategy for the CEO of multinational companies is to extend the life of their material resources. 

Consumers want companies to show their environmental responsibility. This research for green consumption impacts the building of trust between businesses and consumers. In order to reach this effective communication, companies need to build trust through real stories. Consumers are aware of greenwashing, so businesses need to emphasize what they are really doing to protect the environment. Finally, search showed that sustainability is a key factor in consumers ‘decision-making process.

                                                         
                                                                                                   “Actions speak louder than words”

What is Design thinking for impact incubation?

In the context of this project the “Design thinking for impact incubation” is a holistic approach, set of rules and principles that can enhance the impact of the diverse types of social enterprises and projects on resolving social challenges through a focused and well-defined role of mentors. The expectations from mentors in the same context are that they are knowledgeable and capable of using design thinking techniques, whilst working with the social entrepreneurs.

In our Output, called "Design Thinking for Impact Incubation Toolkit" you will find the answers of the following three key questions:
  1. What kind of impact the social enterprise is looked for?
  2. What is a social impact incubation?
  3. What is design thinking for the mentors of social entrepreneurs?

The Intellectual Output 2 “Design Thinking for Impact Incubation Toolkit” is the second instrument of the “The Impact Incubator for Nurturing Sustainability” (i2 SustainIT) Project.

The key idea for the development of this toolkit is that having the right design thinking tool, tailored to mentors to support social entrepreneurs, is of great importance for the early stage of incubation of a social business idea. Especially when expecting a high impact, whether societal, environmental, economic.

5 influent female leaders in sustainability

Nowadaysmore and more women are now leading the way to greener business and consumption. These women are famous for their leadership style. They are working as CEO or CSO (Chief Sustainability Officer) in global companies, some have also created their own foundation or business in order to combine their passion for the environment with their work. The following five women are among the most influential in the field of sustainability.
https://twitter.com/virginiehelias

DoSomething.org, is a non-profit digital platform that aims to social change. DoSomething.org, offers social change through civil actions campaigns to make real-world impact on causes they care about.  She raised awareness on the negative impact of marine waste. In 2010, she founded the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, which aims to reinvent production and consumption. One of its goals is also to create sustainable alternatives. Furthermore, in 2018, her foundation launched its New Plastics Economy Global Commitment in collaboration with UN Environment to eliminate plastic waste.  She uses organic cotton, avoiding endangered forests and reducing usage of oil-based synthetics. Her 60 stores worldwide focus on sustainability. These stores use green energy powered by wind turbines. And her campaigning against the use of fur has seen other luxury houses follow suit, including Gucci, Versace, and Armani.
  • Rowena Bird  Lush 
She is responsible for finding new business partners around the world to develop innovative and sustainable cosmetics. Lush is also a pioneer in the search of new materials to create compostable, recyclable, or refillable packaging. Over 40% of Lush's products are naked (packaging-free) and 90% is made from post-consumer recyclable and biodegradable materials. Virginie embeds sustainability into innovation, brand-building and everyday business practices. She has 26 years of work experience, in brand management and innovation, Virginie Helias is one of the most senior marketing leaders at Procter & Gamble with a broad range of experience across multiple categories and local to global brand management expertise. Moreover, she is recognized for her visioning change management and leadership development skills.

Design Thinking - catalyst for social innovation

Human-centered innovation begins with developing an understanding of the customers’ or users’ unmet or unarticulated needs. Design thinking minimizes the uncertainty and risk of innovation by engaging customers or users through a series of prototypes to learn, test, and refine concepts. Design thinkers rely on customer insights gained from real-world experiments, not just historical data or market research.
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​Design thinking requires a growth mindset, because, in essence, it is a journey of learning and experimentation. Business leaders need to create a culture that rewards risk-taking and teamwork, instead of individual talent. It encourages experimentation, prepares for early failure and treats failure as an opportunity for learning.

The same way of thinking as in the regular business world must be implemented in social business in support of social innovation where design thinking is engaged with creating a positive impact on the target groups and beneficiaries.

​The use of design thinking by the social business mentors and coaches is the same as by the business coaches when they work with the regular business with the difference that the mentorship process is loaded with a more emotional impact on the implementation of social innovations. This difference is similar to the controversy between the value proposition the regular business gives to the users or clients of a commercial product or service and the value proposition one hospital gives to patients of a medical service or the social entrepreneurs propose to the beneficiaries of social service, although these services can also be paid for.

Agenda Update
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Stay tuned for our latest outputs that will be coming out to you very soon... 
  • What to expect?? Next steps
 Output 2 to be published end of September.
 
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August, 2021

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The Impact Incubator for Nurturing Sustainability /i2 SustainIT/ Project No. 2019-1-UK01-KA204-061873 has been co-funded by the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Union. 
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