The topic of sustainability is not new to us thanks to our product portfolio. As a member of the UN Global Compact Network Germany e. V., we have committed ourselves to representing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations internally and tackling them in concrete terms. With the SDG Innovation Accelerator Programme, the network offers the opportunity to promote young talent from within the company and thus drive these goals forward - after all, it is the young generation that will shape our future. With Fabienne Messer, Friederike Juraschek, André Schell and Jana Lehnhäuser, we sent four of our colleagues into the race. They deliberately come from different areas that contribute to the SDGs - Human Resources, Finance, Development and Purchasing. They are united by their interest in and commitment to sustainability. The young specialists were accompanied by Thomas Sturm, who as Head of QESH (Quality, Health, Safety and Environmental Management) is also responsible for the topic of sustainability.
The first InnovationCamp started in Berlin in April
Friederike Juraschek and André Schell, two of the young Vecoplan specialists at the pitch event.
Three further events took place in the following months: in Frankfurt am Main, in Heidenheim an der Brenz and in Essen. There, our five Vecoplaners met the other participants, young talents from a total of 14 well-known companies from the financial sector, retail, telecommunications, automotive and mechanical engineering. In one-day workshops, we jointly gained valuable insights into sustainable business practices and at the same time strengthened interdisciplinary cooperation.
In the individual phases, we learnt about the core competencies of corporate sustainability and the SDGs. We were then able to identify and prioritise specific sustainability goals, generate new ideas and use tools to turn an idea into a project. In the final phase, our focus was on further developing project solutions through testing and validation, both within our organisation and in collaboration with external stakeholders - with the aim of further refining the solution. This process was based on design thinking - an agile method for finding innovative solutions to complex problems in a creative, dynamic and flexible way. To do this, we analysed relevant problem areas along our own value chain.
Between the InnovationCamps, we worked on further tasks on this topic in the online academy, either alone or in interdisciplinary groups. The mentors introduced us to the problem and taught us various methods. The SDG Innovation Accelerator concluded with a pitch on 13 September. All teams presented the solutions they had developed and successfully completed the programme.
It was very inspiring to see how the other participants had also generated very concrete and exciting projects from the general initial uncertainty. Some of these are already being trialled or implemented.
We presented a pragmatic approach directly from our product range. With our project, we determine the CO2 footprint of one of our main products: our VAZ 1700 L6 series shredder. Our machines are used by customers for a very long time. This means that we have a major long-term positive impact on the environment and on the SDGs if we manage to minimise our carbon footprint - in other words, reduce our electricity consumption, waste and use of materials.
We are currently in the process of determining even more precise emissions data for raw materials or purchased components. The next step will be to make some major adjustments to optimise the VAZ's carbon footprint. As a team, we are now very interested in making real changes within the company and continuing to work on the topic of sustainability. On the project side, it is important for us to motivate people at Vecoplan who want to work on sustainability issues. We now want to continue this innovative spirit, scrutinise issues, look for alternative solutions and improve them step by step.
They returned to Vecoplan with a lot of positive impressions and a wealth of new knowledge (left to right): André Schell, Fabienne Messer, Jana Lehnhäuser, Friederike Juraschek and Thomas Sturm.
We would recommend the international SDG Innovation Accelerator programme at any time. The diversity of the sectors and the dialogue with the other teams was very exciting. Our practical and effective project topic was rated very positively by the other participants. Our conclusion: The programme was professional, closely timed and tightly organised. The constant dialogue with the teams and the very honest feedback were a great help to us. And it was this colourful mix that gave us the opportunity to think outside the box and broaden our horizons.
We would like to thank the UN Global Compact Network Germany, especially our mentors Sophie Bense, Raphael Sauer, zero360 and Marina Schmitz.
Die 17. Sustainable Development Goals (SDG):
- no poverty
- no hunger
- health and well-being
- quality education
- gender equality
- clean water and sanitation facilities
- affordable and clean energy
- decent work and economic growth
- industry, innovation and infrastructure
- less inequality
- sustainable cities and communities
- sustainable consumption and production
- climate protection measures
- life under water
- life on land
- peace, justice and strong institutions
- partnerships to achieve the goals
