developing impact
The Geneva impACTs pilot project
How we create impact
The most pressing needs of our society are in the focus when our experts brainstorm about sustainable concepts. Our focus groups develop actionable concepts which are eventually presented to an independent jury to select the best concept and team to put it into practice. That way we make sure that impact is achieved.
You will be able to follow the current process of our first Geneva impACTs process here and find updates on where we stand.
After our first design thinking workshop in January 2021, several focus groups have been built to work on actionable concepts. First drafts were sent by end March 2021. Our jury awarded the winner in May 2021.
Our Focus Groups
Transparency for package recycling
To increase transparency and tracking for ingredients and materials of products and packaging, but also to facilitate their decomposition and recycling, this project proposes to build a global database and system similar to the safety data sheets (SDS).
A SAAS (software as a service) and API licenses to manage and research on materials, products, and recycling instructions could be a lucrative business. #built2recycle
Local Economy & Bio Farming
Better prices for local producers and higher product quality require a sustainable framework. Therefore, this project suggests to develop of a new platform that promotes a farm-2-fork trading approach.
A BuyBioSuisse App could connect local communities to their local producers. The goal is to directly connect all players while reducing intermediaries and promoting fairer commercial relationships.
Didn't receive enough votes: Fair Climate Trade
Climate trade is confronted with a range of issues.
From double accounting to creating negative incentives, the resulting impact is often negative.
Many climate projects aim to source their income from certificates they generate, but they suffer from the current reputation of certificate trading being used as a disproportional excuse for emissions elsewhere.
The aim is to develop a fair trade standard certification that sustainable projects should use if they seek to gain income from climate action and trade.
The project will provide the means to track, trace, validate and verify fair climate trade.
Tokenisation of Ocean Assets
Nature can help combat climate change. Some natural processes are removing CO2 from the atmosphere and animals like blue whales can help reduce emissions. If a whale is not killed to trade its meat and if its population is allowed to grow, the whole ecosystem benefits: Plankton will be able grow (fertilized by the whales’ excrement) and absorb CO2.
So do blue whales – the largest animals ever known to have lived on earth – who stock CO2 in their body and burry it at the bottom of the sea when they die naturally. Making the economic value of protecting these mammals visible, could lead to their protection. Carbon emission certificate trading (e.g., using the European trading system ETS) could be used to finance measures to protect blue whales.
The Geneva impacts Process
Design Thinking Workshops are a place for ideation. They are held once every quarter (on average) and usually last around 4 hours.
At these workshops, Focus Groups are formed to subsequently elaborate upon actionable concepts. As a Focus Group member, you will co-develop concepts on potential impact projects. Depending on the project, you will participate in several online Focus Group sessions. These concepts will be submitted to our Jury (Jury 1 – Selection of Project).
Members of Jury 1 will review all proposals and vote on the most viable concept (duration: 2-4 hours with up-front coordination in our forum).
Following this, a Pitch Contest for start-ups will be launched.
Expert members of Jury 2 will examine all start-up proposals and prepare a written opinion (1-2 hours sessions per proposal). In election sessions Jury 2 will discuss and determine the best team based on the pitches and the experts’ opinion (2-3 hours).
We’ll organize an evening event to promote the winner (best start-up chosen by Jury 2).