Company founders, leaders and executives in Denmark, are you looking for knowledge, tools and best practices to make your business more sustainable?

The Index Project is hosting a day, with a fusion of exciting partners, to join academics, practitioners and investors from all over the world. Together, we’ll explore the complex and provocative intersection between business and sustainable development. 

Through keynotes, masterclasses and workshops, we’ll dive into one of today’s most pressing business questions:

How can businesses onboard sustainable development?

Date: September 6th, 8:30 - 15:00

Cost: Free

SIGN UP CLOSED

BLOX, Bryghuspladsen 8, 1473 KBH K - entry via main entrance, level -2.

Full Program Information

8:30 - Arrival and coffee

9:00 - Welcome by CEO of The Index Project Liza Chong, and CEO of the Danish Industry Foundation Thomas Hofman-Bang 

9:20-11:30 Tracks (Guests are required to register for one track to attend during the morning.)


1 - Design like you give a damn -- while keeping your job! 

As a designer or engineer, driving sustainable change within traditional companies often clashes with old-fashioned mentalities. Engineer Lars Haukohl and Sustainability Philosopher Asbjørn Riis-Søndergaard from IDA Design & Innovation will facilitate a workshop to explore how we push the sustainable agenda without losing our jobs. To nuance the discussion and wrap-up the workshop, Lars and Ida will invite Esben Lanthén, Co-founder and Managing Partner at Nordic Sustainability and Conny Wagner, Technical Director at Lendager, to give a talk on the moral responsibilities we have when designing and how we can influence decision-makers.


2 - Challenging the SDGs: A perspective from social entrepreneurs 

The SDGs are a tangible framework and unifying agenda at the intersection between business and sustainability. But, evidence shows that implementing the SDGs into business is far from smooth. In fact, new research shows a strong resistance among social entrepreneurs where the SDGs are seen as, among other things, top-down directives from a system that has failed to deliver. With no ambition of fuzzy data-overload, professor WSR Steffen Korsgaard from University of Southern Denmark, Associate Professor from Aarhus University Franziska Günzel-Jensen, and Post.doc from OVGU Nicole Siebold, invite you to explore the sources of resistance and blindspots within the SDG framework through an interactive masterclass.

3 - Tangible sustainability in the everyday life of businesses

It's becoming essential for any company to structure their sustainable efforts, differentiate themselves from competitors and take action. Design experts from creative agency Trouble thrive when helping businesses transform culture and behaviour, from every day operations through to strategic leadership. Partner and Creative Director Jakob Kahlen and Designer Martin Hansen invite you to their pop-up lab to get your hands dirty and explore new ways of making sustainability more tangible within businesses.

4 - An inspirational insight: creating sustainable growth with design thinking 

Expanding on the capabilities of design, Danish Design Center will host four award-winning case studies that showcase best practice in creating sustainable growth using design thinking. 

• billionBricks (Singapore) -  Founder Prasoon Kumar shares how they use design to innovate shelter and infrastructure for the homeless; 
• The Care Lab (Spain) - Founders Lekshmy Parameswaran and Laszlo Herzceg explain the journey of a redesigned healthcare service for Singaporian disabled; 
• Emento (Denmark) - Creative Director and Co-founder Mikkel Bech presents an improved and personalised communication form between patients and hospitals; 
• VELUX (Denmark) - Director of Sustainability & Architecture Lone Feifer shares why VELUX is a world-renowned Danish design icon and so much more than a window.

5 - How to enter new international markets through collaborative innovation

The UN's CTCN and UNDPs SDG Accelerator for SMEs run a vast range of projects across developing countries to help solve issues related to the SDGs. Based on their experience, they’ve discovered huge potential for businesses, across industries, to enter new international markets through collaboration. Drawing on the UN’s SDG Accelerator principles, this track will provide hands-on experience on preparing and entering projects with the aim of making collaborative innovation, locally and globally.

6 - Internationalisation, growth and sustainability in creative industries 

Creative talent from Denmark is in huge demand all around the world. For local creative companies, this presents a great opportunity to export their products and services. But, where to start? How to grow? And, how to solidify your position abroad? Join Nordic LA, for inspiration, know-how and networking on international expansion. You’ll hear from successful Danish and international entrepreneurs, covering the topics of internationalisation, finance, growth and sustainability. You’ll also have an opportunity to share your story and have your say in shaping the support around creative companies in the future.

• Moderator: Christiane Vejlø - CEO of Elektronista Media, digital trend analyst and strategy advisor and radio host at Radio24syv
• Speaker: Henrik Taudorf Lorensen - Founder and CEO of TAKT furniture - high-quality sustainable furniture design, and former director of B&O Play.
  
  

7 - Fine-tuning your pitch with investors

Attracting investors to your business begins with a solid pitch. An obvious start but, nevertheless, still a challenge for many. The Index Project invites entrepreneurs for an exclusive opportunity to practice your pitch in a private session with selected impact investors. You’ll have the opportunity to meet inspiring industry leaders and international experts, such as Silja Nyboe Andersen, Navid Samandari, Adam Milgrom and Erik Snyder who will give you one-on-one feedback and general advice. As they say, practice makes perfect. There are only 10 spots available so make sure to sign up fast!

11:45 - Keynote: Helping mothers and babies survive - Lærdal Global Health, Index Award 2013 Winner, by Design Manager Cansu Akarsu

12:05 - Keynote: Unfolding the story of Plastix, Index Award 2019 Finalist, by Founder and CEO Hans Axel Christensen

12:30 - Lunch

13:35 - Finding like-minded financial backers who share your mission

How do you unlock capital to support sustainable and successful enterprises addressing the SDGs? A panel discussion hosted by The Index Project and moderated by Adam Milgrom, Investment Partner of the Design to Improve Life Fund. The panelists are:

• Silja Nyboe Andersen - Impact investor
• Thea Messel - Founder of Unconventional Ventures
• Keenan Wyrobek - Founder and Head of Product & Engineering at Zipline

14:20 - Keynote: Investing in solutions to reverse global warming 

An ambitious journey in moving private capital to fight the climate crisis by CEO of Drawdown Fund, Erik Snyder. Founded in 2018 by Paul Hawken and Erik Snyder, The Drawdown Fund’s aim is to scale existing market-based solutions to reverse global warming. Paul and Erik were compelled to build the Drawdown Fund by their shared vision of a better world for our children and their belief in humanity’s ability to solve our greatest challenges.

15:00 - Closing remarks

Partners: IDA Design & Innovation, SDU, CTCN, DDC, Trouble, Nordic LA Creative Industries, Industriens Fond, DAC and BLOX.

For more information, please contact Charlotte Høeg Andersen at cha@theindexproject.org