Round Table: Circular Economy for Builders, TUs, GUs
Zoom, September 1, 2020
How can builders, general contractors and technical contractors get started with the Circular Economy? What should be considered in tenders? What best practices are there? And where are we today and where do we want to be in the future? In three short presentations, Enrico Marchesi (NEST), Marloes Fischer (Madaster) and Olivier de Perrot (SALZA) presented current opportunities and developments on the topic. Afterwards, about 20 participants discussed opportunities and challenges as well as necessary ecosystems. It was unanimously decided that a follow-up round would be held to discuss individual points in greater depth.
Workshop: Exploring Circular Economy Business Models
Rotkreuz, August 13, 2020
Economic service provision in the secondary sector is characterized by a linear - often only limitedly sustainable - value creation model. Circular Economy can benefit people, the environment and the economy at the same time. In a half-day workshop, the Sustainable Business Lab therefore invited us to learn about the different facets of Circular Economy and explore possible business models. Together, we looked at core processes, remanufacturing approaches, product-service systems and other value creation opportunities. The discussions were intense and differentiated. Many thanks to Swiss Triple Impact and milani design & consulting for collaborative workshop design!
Lab Session: Materiality & Narratives
Zoom, April 29, 2020
With regard to Building Excellence, SDGs No. 9 (Industry, Innovation & Infrastructure), No. 11 (Sustainable Cities & Communities), No. 12 (Responsible Consumption & Production) and No. 13 (Climate Action) have proven to be particularly relevant. They form a good common denominator and offer Open Innovation potential. In a two-hour webinar, Lab participants discussed how products, services and business models can contribute to achieving the SDGs. Materiality was at the forefront. So-called "low-hanging fruit" could be identified through an impact-effort trade-off. Complementary narratives for internal stakeholder buy-in were discussed. The webinar was developed in collaboration with Swiss Triple Impact, the national program of B Lab Switzerland.
Sustainable Business Lab: Kick-Off
Rotkreuz, March 12, 2020
Transforming our world - Under this title, the UN General Assembly adopted the global 2030 Agenda with 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in September 2015. These include goals such as sustainable consumption and production patterns, sustainable management of natural resources and measures to combat climate change. Just in time for the new year, the European Commission also presented the Green Deal. The plan includes both market-enhancing initiatives and regulations for a circular economy. The consequence? Business practices must be fundamentally changed and business models rethought. Together, representatives from business and academia laid the groundwork for corresponding innovations at the Lab Kick-Off on March 12, 2020. The kick-off was organized in collaboration with Swiss Triple Impact, the national program of B Lab Switzerland.
Open House: Circular Economy in the Construction Industry.
Rotkreuz, January 23, 2020
As part of the popular Open House series, Marloes Fischer, Founder/CEO of the Circular Hub and President of Madaster Switzerland, presented the latest approaches to Circular Economy. The key message: circularity does not equal recycling! It is about preserving the value of products as the sum of the components for as long as possible before the individual parts are sent for recycling. As a use case in Circular Economy, Marloes introduced us to the Madaster material passport, which turns "waste" into valuable resources. Representatives from Zug Estates, V-ZUG, Roche, Drees & Sommer and other companies discussed possible projects to promote sustainable business.
Swissbau: Every Building is a Material Depot.
Basel, January 15, 2020
Swissbau Focus, the relevant meeting place for decision-makers and experts from business and politics, was devoted this year to topics including climate change, resource scarcity, migration and immigration in urban agglomerations. The Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects (SIA) and the Swiss Association of Consulting Engineering Companies (usic) invited to the panel "New working models, new fields of activity". Brigitta Schock from buildingSMART pleaded for a responsible use of (building) raw materials. "Every building is a material depot", she said - exactly in the sense of the Sustainable Business Lab!
BE!conference: Cradle to Cradle.
Rotkreuz, October 2, 2019
At the BE!conference 2019, 120+ invited guests from the construction, building and IT sectors devoted an afternoon to the topic of "Ecosystems". Jürgen M. Volm from Drees & Sommer gave exciting insights into the Cradle to Cradle concept. In times of limited resources, it is becoming a question of existence for companies to design their own products in such a way that they also function in a circular economic system. The instruments used in this context include the pre-screening of existing products, the professional certification of C2C products and the establishment of circular process chains. What is needed is a change in perspective and a teaming up to shape the change together.
