Shaping the vision

Sustainable products and services offer untapped opportunities for future oriented entrepreneurship and innovation. Some 80% of the life cycle environmental and social impacts that arise from products (production, use and disposal stages) are determined during its planning and development phase alone. By fusing creativity, understanding and entrepreneurship, eco-friendly, fashionable, and fair products and services can be realised.

2010 shaping the vision

To provide a forum for collaboration among experts in the field of sustainable design and practitioners from other backgrounds the CSCP organised the conference The Future of Sustainable Products & Services in September 2009. More than 200 policy-makers, corporate representatives, researchers and civil society representatives responded to an invitation to shape the future vision of sustainable products and services. Following presentations by entertaining and informative speakers the core work of the conference revolved around workshops (Brain Labs) in the four areas of design, policy, lifestyles and technologies. The highly interactive and participatory event culminated in a brainstorming and planning exercise for potential new projects and collaboration opportunities to promote sustainable products and services.

Exploring new opportunities

Conference participants were drawn from a broad cross section of professional and geographical backgrounds to draw upon a diverse and rich base of knowledge and experience. Policy makers had the opportunity to learn and understand the need for incentives to support the development and distribution of sustainable products and services. Representatives from the corporate sector could focus on market opportunities through invention and innovation of sustainable products and services. Researchers enjoyed opportunities to  explore new ideas for input to their research agenda and consumers and civil society were exposed to new perspectives on the use of sustainable products. For more information the conference report is available online.

Background

The CSCP jointly organised and implemented this two-day conference with

• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GTZ),
• Effizienz-Agentur NRW (EFA),
• Wuppertal Institute for Climate, Environment and Energy and
• Ecosign school for sustainable design

The conference was hosted and supported by the Ministry of the Environment and Conservation, Agriculture and Consumer Protection of the State North-Rhine Westphalia.