Sprints for sustainability, a better future is everybody’s business

Funding, cash flow, productivity, processes, motivation, staff turnover, and changing technology: these are the headaches businesses are facing every day. Then, there are the REALLY BIG problems: climate change, overconsumption, poverty, and social injustice. We’ve reached the point where we can no longer just sit and talk about sustainability; we need to act if we want to see a better tomorrow. And as Designers, we believe that we have a responsibility to help enable and scale sustainable solutions.

Our commitment to make Design Sprints accessible for sustainability

We are innovation experts based in Lausanne, Switzerland, specializing in the facilitation of workshops for solving strategic issues. Our aim is to work on projects that have the greatest positive impact on the world. Do work at a startup, an NGO, a movement, or a corporation, and have a challenge directly linked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals? Then, we cover up to 20% of YOUR Design Sprint.

 Let's talk about your project

We finally understand and accept that each one of us needs to ensure that the way we live today does not compromise the quality of life tomorrow.

For decades, we’ve been talking about Circular Economy or sustainable ways of living and working. However, it took Covid-19 to show us how vulnerable we really are; hundreds or even thousands of businesses closed permanently within just a couple of months. Disasters and crises come and go. We might not be able to foresee everything, but we can be ready to respond!

The UN developed a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. The UN Global Sustainable Development Goals cannot be achieved without businesses. But we won’t be able to achieve it by doing business as usual. We need to scale sustainable solutions around the world and fast.

‟

Countries will be better placed to recover from the human and economic devastation caused by COVID-19 by accelerating efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals

United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs

Adapt, Pivot, or Reinvent with Design Sprint

It is through collective intelligence that we succeed in solving the most complex problems. Today, it has become crucial for decision-makers to make informed decisions and define a vision supported by their teams. But it is not enough to lock oneself in a conference room for hours to find viable solutions. Very often, these unstructured discussions go around in circles. Successful problem-solving requires a clearly structured process and an experienced, neutral facilitator.

Our method: the Design Sprint. It was invented to solve important problems quickly or to test promising ideas while limiting the risk. This 5-day process aligns multidisciplinary teams and allows us to test risky concepts without investing too many resources.

The more Design Sprints we’ve run on sustainability challenges, the more we realized that this methodology has a huge potential for exploring the unknown and challenging business models behind each concept and solution.

If we want to move fast towards sustainability then we need to tackle the right problems, select impactful ideas, and develop paths towards feasible solutions that users, beneficiaries, or customers really want and need. The Design Sprint is a powerful support for decision-making and a great accelerator for advancing such strategic projects.