Els Du Bois’ Post

7 Breakthroughs in Biodesign At the Futurium Museum in Berlin, we uncovered groundbreaking ways that German innovators are rethinking materials for a sustainable future. We’ve divided these innovations into 7 fascinating categories — each one showcasing unexpected uses of everyday resources. Curious to learn more? Our Tocco Innovation Digest dives into: 🍃 Gift from Nature: Natural Fibers (nevi GmbH) 🍄 Bio-organisms like Algae and Fungi (NeptuTherm - NeptuGmbH, mujō, nat-2™) 🌱 Food By-products Transformed (Verena Brom) 🧫 Bacteria-powered Bio-fabrication (ScobyTec) 🏺 Earth Elements: Modern Revival of Clay (Mapu Speakers) 🌬️ CO₂ as Craft Material ( Covestro, Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology IPK) ♻️ Recycled Textiles as Wonders (Urban Fibers, Lobke Beckfeld) Ready to discover the future of materials? Download the report for a full look into these 7 transformative trends here: https://lnkd.in/g43YGhEH

Winner of the Young Ideas award: visiBIT 🍄 visiBIT emerged during a run around the lakes in Copenhagen in 2023. Biotechnologist and founder Line Kloster Pedersen was inspired by how fungi create natural pathways in the soil. Her thought was simple: Could asphalt grow from nature? Today, she and her team have developed mycelium – a fungus-based binder that can replace bitumen, the fossil-based substance that makes asphalt so harmful to the environment 🍂 With visiBIT, we can cut up to 83% of CO2 emissions from asphalt production and reduce energy use by as much as 90%. The technology integrates seamlessly into existing asphalt plants, eliminating the need for new machinery and making the transition to sustainability much easier. The Jury says 🗣️ “visiBIT reduces harmful emissions and promotes sustainable production methods through the innovative use of mycelium, transforming the asphalt industry while addressing environmental concerns. It has reimagined road construction inspired by nature and the inherent beauty of the regenerative processes that nature relies on. The company also demonstrates originality in its approach to a global challenge. It acts as a catalyst for change, inspiring new ways to integrate natural materials and develop energy-efficient circular productions. Last but certainly not least, visiBIT transitioned from an idea to a startup that is setting entirely new standards for sustainable global road construction.” Congratulations with the award, Visibuilt! ✨ The Danish Design Award is a collaboration between DDC – Danish Design Center and Design denmark. Creative Denmark is branding partner 2024.   #danishdesignaward #danishdesignaward24

Would you like to discover the role of material passports in ensuring circularity in the built environment? As well as the need for certifications to ensure the authenticity of the data collected? Join me on Thursday to listen to the next Modulyss talk and learn about innovative solutions to eliminate the concept of waste. #CircularBuiltEnvironment #C2CCertified

The latest trends and innovations in green building? Discover them during our next modulyss Talk with Lucie Ladigue from the Cradle to Cradle Product Innovation Institute. When? June 6th at 1 PM (CEST) Don't miss it! Register here: https://lnkd.in/es-QFJs8 #modulysstalks #greenbuildingpractices #greendesign #designinspo #circulareconomy #circularity #innovation #trending

𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀: 𝗔 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗼𝘁𝘆𝗽𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗶𝗼𝗯𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 What happens when you discover a way to create high-quality insulation materials through the fermentation of plant-based residues? Typically, you’d aim to commercialize your innovation. However, the road to market your innovation can be challenging, even for award-winning solutions. That’s why this project focuses on collective innovation: a model where all stakeholders collaborate from the start to develop and implement sustainable solutions. In partnership with CLICKNL, Avans research centres CARADT, Centre of Expertise Brede Welvaart en Nieuw Ondernemerschap | BWNO, and MNEXT set up a long-term, structural research collaboration, together with our partners in the field: SPARK Campus Den Bosch, ELECTRON | breda, Biobased Creations (Company New Heroes), Dutch Design Foundation and Haus der Materialisierung Berlin.   Through 𝘐𝘯𝘤𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵 𝘗𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘈𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘺𝘴𝘪𝘴 workshops, we apply an amended 𝘒𝘦𝘺 𝘌𝘯𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘔𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘥𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺, structured around four key pillars of collective innovation: 1. What innovation is being pursued? 2. Which community or relationships support it? 3. How are decisions made within the innovation process? 4. Who funds the innovation, and how are returns shared? These workshops have already provided valuable insights, with participants finding them both meaningful and practical. The project is halfway through, and our early findings highlight the creative sector’s pivotal role in advancing biobased, circular, and sustainable economies. Our goal is to refine this prototype into a practical toolkit for collective innovation that accelerates the biobased transition. 🔗 Learn more about our progress here: https://lnkd.in/evTts8vU We are proud to be part of the long-term, structural collaboration with our colleagues at Centre of Expertise Brede Welvaart en Nieuw Ondernemerschap | BWNO and Centre of Expertise MNEXT (a collaboration that was initiated in 2021 by professors Sebastian Olma, Kaj Morel and Douwe-Frits Broens), working together within Avans University of Applied Sciences to realize this ambitious project. The list of those who were directly or indirectly involved in making this important work possible is long and we would express our gratitude to all of you! Wouter Meys (CARADT) Ralph Simons (CoE MNext) Myron Koster (CoE MNext) Frank Huijben (CoE MNext) Meralda Slager (CoE Perspectief in Gezondheid) Arna Arnautovic (CoE BWNO) Nienke Fabries (CoE Veiligheid en Veerkracht) Linda van Loon (Future Proof Education) Marjan Hammersma (CvB) Jan Bogerd (CvB) Ronald Philipsen (ACI) Douwe-Frits Broens Cassandra Vugts Lisette Spee Diana Van Bokhoven Dries Van Wagenberg Emile Quanjel

🌟 Spotlight on Innovation: Meet Malin Lundstedt! 🌟 At LocalLife, we’re thrilled to highlight the work of one of our talented master’s students, Malin Lundstedt, who is studying Media Technology at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Malin has been working on an exciting project addressing a common frustration: the limited space for effective recycling in homes. Many of us struggle with managing recycling in compact kitchen areas. To address this challenge, Malin used a Design Thinking process to develop a prototype for a digital service aimed at assisting residents in Norra Djurgårdsstaden with their recycling organization. 👥 User Feedback: Malin conducted user tests, which received positive responses overall. Users particularly appreciated how the service could streamline their planning process, although some were reluctant to alter their existing setups - highlighting the challenge of inertia, which is an area that needs further exploration. 📚 Key Learnings: One of the standout moments for her was conducting and leading a MoSCoW prioritization, which she found to be a fulfilling aspect of her journey! Want to learn more about this project? Please reach out to Malin Lundstedt or contact LocalLife to find out more. 🌍 #DesignThinking #Sustainability #Recycling

Thrilled to share that I’ve earned a certificate in Biomimicry for Sustainability from gapHQ. ✨🌿 Here are some key takeaways: 🔹Nature-Inspired Innovation: Learning how natural processes and designs can be mimicked to solve human challenges sustainably. 🔹Efficiency and Resilience: Understanding the principles behind nature’s efficiency and resilience, and how to apply them in various fields. 🔹Sustainable Design Principles: Exploring how biomimicry can lead to sustainable design in architecture, engineering, and product development. 🔹Systems Thinking: Gaining insights into the interconnectedness of ecosystems and how this perspective can inform holistic and sustainable solutions. Excited to apply these insights to create a more sustainable and harmonious future! 🌍✨ #Biomimicry #Sustainability #Innovation #Learning #gaphq

DigiSus aims to foster collaboration around the twin transitions of digitalization and sustainability, providing seed funding for promising interdisciplinary partnerships. One of the funded projects thus far is about reducing the environmental impact of digitalization by developing sustainable smart garments. 💡👕👖👚🌲 👉 Read the blog post by Tiina Vuohijoki on how the Augmentative Technology Research group led by Johanna Virkki at Tampere University brought together researchers to a collective and interdisciplinary ideation workshop, and what made the workshop a success: https://lnkd.in/dE-8f_3R

"The best way to predict the future is to create it." Let’s create a sustainable future together in 2025! Team EinTrust #HappyNewYear2025 #Sustainability #Innovation #EinTrust

♻ How to decrease textile waste and increase the re-use of textiles? What kinds of new or improved business models and services could benefit your company to meet these targets? Welcome to the workshop “Baltic2Hand Idea card review”. In this workshop, you will hear about the results of the ideation workshops which were organized in April and May 2024. Over 40 companies in textile business gathered to ideate sustainable solutions for textile business. In our idea card review workshop 5.6. you will hear the very best ideas and you get to decide which ideas might suit your company. ⏲ Time: 5.6.2024 at 9.30-12.00 EET 👉 Place: online (ZOOM) Even better, we will help you bring your idea alive: you can start prototyping and testing the idea in our workshops in autumn. The workshop is free of charge, and it is organized in English. Sign up by 2.6: https://lnkd.in/dxRkYgad Laurea University of Applied Sciences Turku University of Applied Sciences Latvijas Tirdzniecības un rūpniecības kamera Tallinna Loomeinkubaator / Tallinn Creative Incubator Sustainability InnoCenter #Baltic2Hand #TextileReuse #CircularEconomy Baltic2Hand is funded by an Interreg Central Baltic Programme 2021-2027 project that is co-funded by the European Union.