Towards Sustainable
Product Design 8
8th International Conference
27-28 October 2003
Nordic Sea Hotel
Stockholm, Sweden

 
Background
The Centre for Sustainable Design (www.cfsd.org.uk) is based at the Surrey Institute of Art & Design, University College. Established in 1995, it has become a leading European training and research centre focused on eco-design management and sustainable solutions development. A key feature of the Centre's activities has been the Towards Sustainable Product Design series of international conferences that have been organised in the UK, Belgium, Germany and Netherlands. From 2001, conferences have focused on specific themes: services and management. The focus for 2003 will be Sustainable Innovation and event will be organised in Sweden.

Sustainable Innovation 03 will be a high profile conference that responds to the recommendation by the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) at Johannesburg (www.johnnesburgsummit.org) to "encourage and promote the development of a 10 year framework of programmes in support of regional and national initiatives to accelerate the shift towards sustainable consumption and production to promote social and economic development within the carrying capacity of ecosystems by addressing and, where appropriate, delinking economic growth and environmental degradation through improving efficiency and sustainability in the use of resources and production processes, and reducing resource degradation, pollution and waste". Sustainable Innovation 03 is a specific input into the development of "awareness-raising programmes on the importance of sustainable production and consumption patterns".

"The need to change unsustainable production and consumption would promote innovation, new business opportunities and job creation....the international community must focus efforts and resources on a number of key areas and set clear targets. Scientists, businesses, trade unions and consumers must be mobilised in a strategy for a decisive change to use new technologies and learn new behaviour".

Goran Persson, Prime Minister of Sweden, World Leaders Statement, WSSD, September 4th 2002

"For us, innovation is the the best way to make a contribution to changing consumer habits - not by persuading the customer to consume less but to consume differently"

Belmiro de Azevedo, CEO, Sonae, Portugal in 'Walking the Talk' (http://www.greenleaf-publishing.com)

Why Innovation?

To move towards more sustainable demand and supply-side patterns will require the creation, development, purchase and use of more sustainable products, services and product-service-systems (PSS). This will involve changes to buyer behaviour at all levels (consumer, business and government). To achieve this will mean new thinking, (re)thinking and higher levels of creativity amongst all stakeholders.

Concept
Sustainable Innovation 03 will explore the concept of sustainable innovation from a product, service and PSS viewpoint by providing a platform for discussion over best practice and new ideas. The event will analyse the problems, barriers and obstacles to sustainable innovation associated with existing social, legislative, economic and management systems and will highlight new business, organisational and product development models and opportunities. A unique feature will be The Living Laboratory that will showcase new product, service and concepts and thinking. Sustainable Innovation 03 will essentially be about new perspectives, thinking differently and will be a learning experience.

The event will combine a focus on the content and process of sustainable innovation at incremental, (re)design, functional and systems levels. Sustainable Innovation 03 will include invited and refereed papers on the development of sustainable products, services and PSS from designers, inventors, academics and managers. A core element of the event will be a number of interactive creative processes on day 1 and 2 designed to enable delegates to think, (re)think and create sustainable solutions. Delegates will come from large companies, entrepreneurs and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as creative industries, venture capital, academia, government and NGOs. The learning objectives of the event will be to raise awareness and understanding of the opportunities for and barriers to sustainable innovation by providing best practice and new ideas from both developed and developing countries. The conference is supported by an leading-edge international Advisory Board.

Conference topics
Sustainable Innovation 03 welcomes cases studies, conceptual and research-based papers covering sustainable innovation (products, services and PSS) in relation to five themes:
* Changing framework conditions and the policy agenda
* Innovation in technology, design and development practices
* Triggers and barriers to innovation
* International supply and value networks
* Innovation in management and business models
Go to Abstracts

Contributer Guidelines
Contributor Guidelines downloadable word doc
Contributor Guidelines - Paper example downloadable word doc

Unique Features

Creative Spaces

The Centre for Sustainable Design are working with five highly creative individuals to add a unique 'out of the box' element to the conference. Creative Spaces will provide delegates with new perspectives and experiences, whilst providing a platform to generate high quality, innovative ideas.

(nobleandsilver) - Comedians and Video Producers - UK
* Will launch two short videos to highlight key sustainability challenges with a range of examples of
'sustainable solutions'
* Will showcase their award-winning and highly entertaining mult-media experience

Niels Peter Flint - Concept Designer - Denmark
* Will direct two unique 'experiences' designed to enable delegate's to think differently about sustainability
* Processes used act as catalysts to stimulate new thinking and viewpoints

David Walker & Rob Holdway - Directors - Giraffe Innovation, UK
* Will direct five workshops aimed at creating innovative sustainable products and services concepts
* The workshops will focus on five areas and will be led by experienced industry practioners
- home
- food
- mobility
- information and communications technologies
- clothing
* Central to the session will be the use of Giraffe's unique Eco-Cubes process
* Awards will be given to winning ideas

Living Laboratory
Sustainable Innovation 03 welcomes blue-sky, thought-provoking, radical concepts and ideas with an emphasis on new business models rather than solutions focused on 'business as usual'.
* Products
* Services
* Product-service-systems (PSS)
Please submit your product, service or PSS concept on the form below

Venue
Sustainable Innovation 03 will be held at the Nordic Sea Hotel (http://www.nordichotels.se). Nordic Sea Hotel is designed using a maritime theme with seas, coasts and shipyards creating inspiration for the interiors. The hotel is 2 minutes from the Airport Express terminal in central Stockholm and includes the unique 'Ice-Bar'.

Contact details:
North Sea Hotel
Nordic Hotels
Vasaplan
Box 884
SE-101 37 Stockholm
Sweden
Phone: +46-8-50 56 30 00
Fax: +46-8-50 56 30 60
e-mail: info@nordichotels.se

Map of location:
http://www.nordichotels.se/doc.open.asp?DocID=99&StructID=10

Fees

Registration
Downloadable Registration form (word doc)

Cancellation policy
If you find yourself unable to attend after booking your place, you may nominate a substitute up to five working days before the event by informing us in writing. Cancellation may be made up to 21 working days prior to the event. There will be an administration fee for such cancellation of £25.00 (plus VAT). Cancellations made after this time, up to 10 working days prior to the event, are eligible for a return of 50% of the fees paid but will receive a copy of conference proceedings. No refunds for cancellation are available after this point.

Important note
We cannot guarantee the appearance of any particular speakers. Confirmations have been received from all speakers and companies listed but if speakers are unable to appear due to ill-health, commercial necessity or force majeure, The Surrey Institute of Art & Design, University College will not be liable for refund of all or any part of delegate fees. Equally, if we are forced to cancel this event for any reason we cannot be held responsible for any travel costs or arrangements made by delegates.

Contact
For more information on Sustainable Innovation 03 please contact:
Russ White
Conference Administrator
The Centre for Sustainable Design
The Surrey Institute of Art & Design, University College
Tel: + 44 (0) 1252 892772
Fax: + 44 (0) 1252 892747
Email: mcharter@surrart.ac.uk
Website: www.cfsd.org.uk/

TSPD8 is organised by:

Supported by:

[Back to Top]

[TSPD8 Introduction] [TSPD8 Programme] [Advisory Board]

[CfSD Events] [CfSD Home]

Last updated: 10th February 2003