Innovating in search of sustainability: citizens, companies and entrepreneurs.

INNOVATING IN SEARCH OF SUSTAINABILITY: CITIZENS, COMPANIES AND ENTREPRENEURS
1
This project has received funding from the European
Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research,
technological development and demonstration under
grant agreement no
613194.
INNOVATING IN SEARCH
OF SUSTAINABILITY:
CITIZENS, COMPANIES
AND ENTREPRENEURS
AUTHORS
SÒNIA RUIZ
DANIEL ARENAS
JENNIFER GOODMAN
SOLANGE HAI
Barcelona, December 2016

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CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 05
FINAL REMARKS 51
CASES 15
UNILEVER 16
VERITAS 20
VÉLIB’ JCDECAUX 24
KARD ARCHITECTS 29
SOCIAL CAR 34
SOM ENERGIA 39
FOOD ASSEMBLY (La Ruche qui dit Oui!) 43
NOEM 47
PART 1
PART 2
PART 3

3
We would like to thank the following people for their
contribution and time in the preparation of the cases
and this publication.
FROM THE EU INNOVATE PROJECT TEAM:
Frank Belz, TUM (Technical University of Munich).
Julia Binder, TUM (Technical University of Munich).
Minna Halme, Aalto University.
Angelina Korsunova, Aalto University.
Henrike Purtik, TUM (Technical University of Munich).
Louise Armstrong, Forum for the Future.
James Goodman, Forum for the Future.
Laia Lagunas, ESADE Business School.
Laura Reinón, ESADE Business School.
INTERVIEWS FOR THE CASES:
Unilever: Ana Palencia , Miguel Martí, Marina Jarque.
Veritas: Silvio Elías, Eva Villamayor, Aida Reina, Marc Puig,
Juanjo Jiménez.
Vélib´: Laurent Galais, Vincent Guibert, Albert Asséraf,
Eric Callé, Anthonin Darbon, Julien Schweickardt.
Kard Architects: Alexandros Kouloukouris, Christos
Kouloukouris, A. Petras. P. Kanellis, A. Barbas.
Social Car: Mar Alarcón, Francesc Queralt.
Som Energia: Gijsbert Huijink, Nuri Palmada,
Marc Roselló, Dolors Clavell.
Food Assembly (La Ruche qui dit Oui!): Marc-David
Choukroun, Guilhem Cheron, Marc Roulin, Justine Cattacin.
Noem: Rosa Vilasarau.
COLLABORATORS:
Pablo Sánchez and Petra Frent for their support in the data
collection and case reporting of Social Car, Noem and Vélib´.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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INTRODUCTION
Sustainability has in recent years become a mainstream concept. Since the introduction of
the ‘triple bottom line’ principle in the late 1990s by John Elkington,1
more companies are
integrating social and environmental issues into their business models and core strategies.
New entrepreneurship ventures, created with an explicit social and environmental mission,
are also becoming more widespread. At the same time, we are witnessing an increasing
role of citizens as end users, consumers, entrepreneurs or activists, in co-creating
sustainability innovations. Either as participants in companies’ open innovation processes,
initiating and implementing their own business ideas, or forming cooperatives with like-
minded individuals, the fact is that citizen-led innovation towards sustainability is gradually
becoming an emerging reality in Europe.
This publication aims at showcasing some of the most interesting cases in three European
countries (Spain, France and Greece) of sustainability innovation and entrepreneurship
engaging citizens in four key industry domains (food, living, mobility and energy). The
cases were analysed at ESADE Business School, as part of a broader study: the three-
year European Commission-funded project ‘EU-InnovatE. Sustainable Lifestyles 2.0: End
User Integration, Innovation and Entrepreneurship’, a groundbreaking project aimed at
accelerating the shift towards more sustainable lifestyles and a green economy in Europe.
The sustainable innovations presented here represent different management structures and
sizes: multinationals, small and medium-sized companies, startups and cooperatives.
Their sustainability innovations range from new product development (e.g. sustainable
modular houses or zero-waste food products) to hybrid distribution chains (e.g. to foster
social inclusion and fight youth unemployment), public–private partnerships in sustainable
municipal transportation, community-based innovation models, and citizen cooperatives
for alternative energy production and distribution.
In the eight cases presented, we focus on the characteristics of the main sustainability
innovation described, the internal process followed by the company or the founders of the
venture, the role of the main stakeholders involved, the main drivers and enablers that
made the innovation possible, as well as the impact they are achieving and the challenges
and opportunities they are facing. The cases also offer some key lessons to raise awareness
and provide ideas amongst companies, entrepreneurs or citizens willing to find new approaches
to sustainable innovation models and contribute to more sustainable lifestyles.
This is an emerging research field. There are very few studies to date that attempt to assess
how users and citizens are part of companies’ sustainable innovation strategies or form
their own new sustainable innovation ventures. Thus, conceptual frameworks for citizen-
driven innovation are insufficient so far. We offer here some preliminary findings as first
steps in a long and exciting journey.
For that reason, and in the spirit of co-learning and co-creation, we invite readers
(companies, entrepreneurs, consumers, researchers, students, academia, policy makers)
to be part of the debate and to continue exploring the drivers of citizen involvement in
innovation for sustainability in Europe and elsewhere.
1. Elkington, J. (1997). Cannibals with forks. The triple bottom line of 21st century. Oxford: Capstone.
The Triple Bottom Line (TBL), a concept developed by John Elkington, describes the three main characteristics
that organisations and companies should adopt in order to develop a more sustainable business: social (People)
impact, environmental (Planet) impact and financial (Profit) performance. Financial performance is typically
measured through indicators such as revenue, margins, and employment. Environmental performance is
largely based on resource efficiency, waste management, renewable energy, emissions, recycling and land
use. Social performance includes issues such as community relations, employee relations, fair trade, ethics,
access to health care and education and governance.
FOREWORD

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2. Nidumolu, R., Prahalad, C. K., & Rangaswami, M. R. (2009). Why sustainability is now the key driver of innovation. Harvard
Business Review, 87 (9); 57-643.
3. Cañigueral, A. (2015). The citizen producer at the epicenter of the P2P revolution. Open Thoughts Blog. UOC (Open
University of Catalonia)
In the context of an increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA)
world, sustainable innovation seems to be an imperative for business survival. The
notion that no business can succeed in a failed society, or in a world where natural
resources are exhausted, is increasingly shaping the sustainability and business
agendas. Disassociating growth from environmental footprint, while at the same
time increasing positive social impact, is key to guaranteeing that present and future
societies and ecosystems thrive.
In 2030, the planet will be short of the resources required to power an economy that will
have two billion more consumers. Poverty, food insecurity, climate change, biodiversity
loss, water scarcity and environmental degradation are some of the significant global
challenges facing the world today. A multiplicity of stakeholders is advocating for more
inclusive and sustainable economic growth. Global commitments to tackle climate
change and limit global warming below 2o
C (COP 21 and recent COP 22) and the adoption
of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the United Nations and the rise of a
more conscious consumer are clear signs that a new context is emerging. Companies,
citizens and entrepreneurs are increasingly questioning their roles in this transition
towards more sustainable lifestyles and a greener economy.
In their search for a value proposition aligned with social and environmental
sustainability, companies have gone through several stages2
: from a more conservative
legal compliance stance, to redesigning operations to foster more sustainable value
chains, to offering more sustainable products and services as well as creating business
models that will enable those offerings. A collaborative and multi-stakeholder approach,
where each of the partners leverages its expertise and its access to networks, has been
traditionally perceived as a major driver in this process.
However, the role of citizens in actively shaping this process seems to be less understood.
In fact, the opportunities and challenges associated with encouraging citizens to take
part in the sustainability innovation process as a key dimension throughout the value
chain have not been properly addressed so far.
A sustainable future depends largely on citizens, users and consumers not only making
sustainable choices, but also actively engaging with established business, brands
and governments (sometimes taking a stand, others voicing concerns, and in others
also participating in elaborating alternatives). The rise of the collaborative economy,
where ‘people are empowered to get directly what they need from each other’,3
means
that traditional businesses are being disrupted by the collaboration of their former
‘customers’ and that ‘business as usual’ is no longer the only option.
The EU-InnovatE project (Sustainable Lifestyles 2.0: End User Integration, Innovation
and Entrepreneurship) aimed at filling this research gap. The key goals of the project
have been to:
▪ Investigate the creative, innovative and entrepreneurial roles of individuals—
as citizens, consumers, end users or entrepreneurs—in developing sustainable
products, services and systems
▪ Analyse the citizens’ potential contribution to sustainability-driven innovation
processes, both within and outside corporate value chains;
▪ Determine which policy mechanisms and corporate approaches can best enable the
creation of new enterprises that create jobs and enhance competitiveness in Europe.
SUSTAINABILITY INNOVATION AND THE ROLE
OF THE CITIZEN, USER AND CONSUMER: EU-INNOVATE
01

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Harnessing the expertise of 14 leading academic, think tank and network partners 4
(ESADE
Business School being one of them), EU-InnovatE has focused on four different geographical
areas (Northern, Central, Eastern and Southern Europe) and four key domains: food,
living, mobility, energy. These domains are considered to be responsible for the highest
environmental impacts related to final consumption, and for shaping sustainable lifestyles
in Europe.
The project has addressed several areas: from understanding what a sustainable society
is, to exploring pathways to future scenarios for a greener Europe; from gathering and
analysing pioneering practices in corporate sustainability innovation involving citizen
participation, to identifying cutting-edge sustainability ventures all over Europe.
In Figure 1 the five main areas of the project are depicted.
Figure 1 | EU InnovatE, five pillars of research and action
UNDERSTAND
consumers’ values
and behaviour
in Europe
INVESTIGATE
new business
models
ANALYSE
short- and
long- teerm obstacles
and opportunities
ASSESS
the political dimension
of the evolution in sustain-
able lifestyles in Europe
MEASURE
prospects
End User Integration,
Innovation and Entrepreneurship
FIVE AREAS OF INQUIRY AND ACTION FOR SUSTAINABLE
LIFESTYLES AND GREEN ECONOMY IN EUROPE:
“Towards more sustainable lifestyles and
greener economy in Europe”
4. Project coordination by Technische Universität München, Germany; Management and dissemination support offered
by ABIS. Partners: Aalto University, Aarhus Universitet, Akademia Leona Kozminskiego, Copenhagen Business School,
Cranfield University, Forum for the Future, Katholische Universität Eichstätt- Ingolstadt, Politecnico di Milano, Technische
Universiteit Eindhoven, ESADE Business School, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, and Universiteit van Amsterdam.
1
2
3
4
5

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In total, the EU-InnovatE research team gathered an inventory of more than 300
sustainability innovation and sustainable entrepreneurship initiatives in four key
domains (food, living, mobility, energy) and four geographical areas (Northern,
Southern, Central and Eastern Europe). From the initial inventory, 38 in-depth case
reports from 12 countries were elaborated. In this publication, we analyse the 8 cases
researched by ESADE Business School in the South of Europe.
The research was based on a qualitative method using primary and secondary data.
Each case relies on three to seven extensive semi-structured interviews as primary
data; interviewees included company representatives, end users, and at least one other
stakeholder involved in the innovation process for each case. In addition, corporate
annual and sustainability reports, websites, and documentation were examined, as
secondary data. The data collection period went from January 2014 to April 2015, while
case writing, workshops and questionnaires took place until summer 2016. The final
case reports ranged from 30 to 50 pages. The cases here presented are a summary of
the longer versions, including key points and lessons learned.
The overall framework that emerges from the analysis of the project cases has three
main components: first, the new role of citizens in driving sustainability innovation
and entrepreneurship; second, the role of companies and entrepreneurs as agents of
change; and third, the role of policy in shaping more sustainable lifestyles and favoring
sustainability innovation and entrepreneurship.
3.1 THE NEW ROLE OF THE CITIZEN
In the case of sustainable innovation, the citizen-user-consumer plays different roles. This new
‘citizumer’ or ‘prosumer’ is not a passive recipient of goods and services, but also an active
player in open innovation processes, a potential sustainable entrepreneur, unleashing new
opportunities and envisaging new business solutions to environmental or social problems, or
a member of a community that fosters change or creates alternative models of production and
consumption (as shown in Figure 2).
EU-INNOVATE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY02 ASSUMPTIONS
AND FRAMEWORK
03
INDIVIDUAL USERS
PASSIVE USERS (CO-) PRODUCING USERS
COMMUNITY
INNOVATION
DEMOCRATISATION
OF INNOVATION
COLLABORATIVE
CONSUMPTION
‘CLASSIC’
CONSUMERISM
COLLECTIVE USERS
Figure 2 |
The role of the citizen-consumer.
The arrow shows the direction
of travel for innovators in possible
future scenarios.
Source: Forum for the Future.

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The involvement of the citizen —whether as part of the open sustainability innovation
process of the firm, or as an entrepreneur or member of a broader community or
cooperative creating new sustainable business models— has become decisive in
achieving innovative products and services.
While the social and environmental value added by the sustainable innovation outcome
can be observable in both cases (company-driven and entrepreneur-driven innovation),
there are clear differences as well. Entrepreneurial sustainable innovation projects
have their origin in citizens’ own interests, inner drive, and idealistic passion to change
the world. By contrast, sustainable innovation facilitated by companies, even if it
engages citizens, operates within a market-driven framework guided by the interests
of the company.5
Perhaps for this reason, company-driven sustainable innovation might
tend to be more incremental in its approach, while entrepreneurs often look for more
systemic change and offer more breakthrough sustainable innovations.
THE ROLE OF COMPANIES AND ENTREPRENEURS AS
3.2 AGENTS FOR SUSTAINABLE AND DISRUPTIVE CHANGE
Can traditional companies be considered sustainability change agents? Are their
sustainable innovations really disruptive? It seems that eco-entrepreneurs are ahead
in the sustainability innovation journey and their approach is more breakthrough in the
way they manage their ventures as well as in the social, economic and environmental
impacts of the goods and services they provide. The most common approach in large
companies might be to protect their core business, while at the same time experimenting
on the side with sustainable innovations that could eventually shift their business model.
However, while entrepreneurs face numerous challenges in sustaining their growth
and scaling up, the companies’ potential for impact is greater and they have a unique
market position to influence changes in societal norms, policies, values, expectations
and behaviors as well as the resources to do so. Thus, the role of companies in shaping
‘societal norms and behaviors throughout the social innovation process’6
should not
be underestimated. Yet, the entrepreneurs, through their networks and community
engagement, often challenge more fundamental societal norms and consumer
attitudes. While companies have the power to scale up, smaller players may be more
easily able to disrupt traditional markets and business models.
Ultimately, whether it comes from companies or from entrepreneurs, the societal
embedding of sustainable products and services requires a combination of the following
factors: systems change thinking, transparent co-creation with different actors and
stakeholders, the understanding of innovation as a network for learning, and the use of
‘different types of practices to influence societal norms and expectations as well as user
habits and routines’. 7
5. As identified by Nielsen, K. R., Reisch, L., & Thogersen, J. (2014). User, innovation and policy makers in sustainable
innovation. Copenhagen Business School and Aarhus University. EU-InnovatE report
6. Purtik, H., & Arenas, D. Embedding Social Innovation: Shaping Societal Norms and Behaviors throughout the Innovation
Process (working paper)
7. Purtik, H., & Arenas, D. Embedding Social Innovation: Shaping Societal Norms and Behaviors throughout the Innovation
Process (working paper)

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3.3 THE ROLE OF POLICY IN CREATING
MORE SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLES
Business and entrepreneurs do not operate in a vacuum. One of the key objectives of
the EU-InnovatE Project has been to assess how policies can help create conditions to
foster sustainable innovation; specifically, ‘How to develop better policies to encourage
governments, businesses and individuals to take action and to work together to develop
sustainable innovations in order to support sustainable living’. 8
Following the discussions of the Sustainability Innovation Exchange hosted by Cranfield
University and Globescan in May 2016, four areas were identified in which policy change could
enable more sustainability innovation products and processes: 9
a. Education: a shift in educational systems to enable sustainability innovation and
entrepreneurship through more learner-centered programmes, critical analysis and
systemsthinkingapproaches.Otherideassuggestedaretoincludesustainabilityinnovation
in higher education and to offer grants to support the development of sustainability
curricula and teaching resources.
b. Networks: government policy should encourage and establish mechanisms for the
creation and maintenance of sustainability learning networks where multiple stakeholders
collaborate. The creation of formal networks and incubators for entrepreneurs are some
of the policy recommendations suggested.
c. Funding: facilitate access to finance and better tax and investment incentives to run,
escalate and grow business ventures, companies and SMEs with a positive social and
environmental impact.
d. Impact: different impact measurement and a new definition of ‘value’ appear as two
important factors to consolidate sustainability innovation. Some ideas on this would be
the mandatory inclusion of non-financial metrics in corporate reporting to showcase the
environmental and social value of an innovation.
8. Highlights from the Sustainability Innovation Exchange, Cranfield University and GlobeScan, May 2016.
9. Extracted from ‘Highlights from the Sustainability Innovation Exchange’, Cranfield University and GlobeScan, May 2016.

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04
4.1 COMPANY- DRIVEN INNOVATION
Regarding company-driven innovation processes in which citizens-users-consumers
have participated, our analysis has identified some key enablers, tools, and outcomes,
which we summarize below.
a. Company Internal Enablers
LEADERSHIP AND TOP MANAGEMENT BUY-IN
A key organizational enabler is leadership and top management buy-in. A clear
intrapreneurial organizational culture also proved to be decisive, not only in the
decision to include citizens-users-consumers in the innovation process, but also
in allowing experimentation in the adoption of new projects. Top management
support, visionary leadership, a strong organizational culture of trial and error,
internal collaboration and strong entrepreneurial attitudes were identified as key
facilitators of sustainable innovations in companies.
b. Company External Enablers
ROLE OF STAKEHOLDERS AND COLLABORATION
The active participation of both primary stakeholders (e.g. suppliers and
business partners) and secondary stakeholders (e.g. public authorities, civil
society organisations, universities and foundations) was key in all the cases
analysed, although it seems that secondary stakeholders play a bigger and more
important role than in other types of innovation. In the case of some civil society
organizations we observe a much more co-creative and collaborative role, moving
away from their traditional roles of advocacy and confrontation.
These different types of stakeholders play a variety of different roles throughout
the process: as facilitators of citizen engagement, acting as stimulators, initiators,
brokers, concept refiners, legitimators, educators, context enablers and impact
extenders.10
This also shows that citizens can play a role in these processes, not just
as consumers of companies’ goods or services but also as members of institutions
where they serve as professionals, as affiliates of civil organizations, as students,
and in other capacities.
Innovation for sustainability is highly collaborative in nature. While companies find
it challenging to deal with multiple stakeholders, they also recognize that these
stakeholders are very important in the sustainable innovation process, as they
contribute knowledge, resources and capabilities, and thus can become sources
of competitive advantage. Either working with specialized foundations (Unilever,
Veritas) or municipalities (Vélib’) as well as small primary stakeholder groups (Kard
Architects), the stakeholder management effort to integrate stakeholder insights
into the sustainable innovation process has not only provided extra information
to be used in the project, but often has changed the nature of the project itself (a
sustainable school building, a new zero-waste product line and a hybrid, inclusive
distribution chain).
Companies involved in these co-creation processes are also developing new
organizational capabilities, since proper integration of insights requires a set of
competences specifically for selecting and evaluating stakeholders and establishing
proper dialogue with them, as well as aligning and empowering internal actors for
external collaboration.11
INITIAL FINDINGS
10. Goodman, J., Korsunova, A., & Halme, M., (2017) Our Collaborative Future: Activities and Roles of Stakeholders in Sustainability-
Oriented Innovation. Business Strategy and the Environment. Wiley online DOI: 10.1002/bse.1941.
11. As identified in Zimmerling, E., Purtik, H. & Welpe, I. User involvement in Business model innovation. Findings from two case
studies in the context of electric mobility. Working paper.

12
c. Tools
INTEGRATION OF CITIZEN INSIGHTS
The companies analysed have used a variety of methodologies and tools to involve
citizens-users-consumers and other stakeholders in their co-creation processes.
Many of these methods come with a twist of lifestyles 2.0 (e.g. conducting focus
group discussions in an online environment). Such modernizations introduce
interesting improvements to the traditional methods. First, they decrease the costs
of participation for end users (e.g. travel and participation time) and make it possible
to include population segments from different geographical locations. Second, the
online environment balances out personality factors in discussion dynamics.
For instance, after posing the question online, all participants have an equal amount
of time to type their responses simultaneously. They are able to express their own
opinions more freely because they do not see the responses of the others right away.
This helps to avoid the dominance effect of the most outspoken participants, and allows
people with different personalities to have their opinions expressed and recorded. 12
The main citizen-user-consumer integration methodologies used are summarized
in Figure 3, separated into the different stages of the innovation process. As seen
in the figure, most of the methods are used at the ideation and, specially, product
development stage.
d. Outcomes
HIGHER MARKET ACCEPTANCE
Amongst the benefits of citizen-user-consumer involvement in sustainable innovation
processes is that the final outcome is more tailored to consumer needs and, hence,
its rate of success and market acceptance when launched is likely to be higher.
Citizen-user-consumer involvement also allows business model experimentation and
the development and refinement of different components of the resulting outcomes.
Last, this way of integrating insights allows a specific business unit or department to
experiment with a more advanced stage of innovation, while the rest of the organization
continues with the usual business. This pilot approach to sustainability is very flexible
and enables experimentation and eventually can yield quick wins that the entire
organization can then incorporate more systemically.
12. EU-InnovatE WP3 Report by Korsunova, A., & Halme, M. (2015).
Figure 3 | Distribution of citizen integration
methods across innovation stages
in company driven processes.
Adapted from report by Korsunova, A.,
& Halme, M.
IDEATION
online idea contest;
home visits and
observation; survey
of expectatuibs;
personal interviews;
weak signals;
feedback in
stories; lead user
workshops
COMMERCIALIZATION
prototype testing;
focus groups;
consumer
communication
in stores; online
ideation
for potential service
use; end user
committee
POST-LAUNCH
cooperation with
bloggers; engaging
mobile applications;
workshops/
seminars; collecting
feedback
PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT
(online) focus
group discussions;
surveys; prototype
testing; co-creation
workshops;
discussions
“echoroom”
personal interviews;
mock-up testing;
consumer diaries;
home visits; long-
term product testing

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4.2 SUSTAINABLE ENTREPRENEURSHIP INNOVATION
As mentioned previously, sustainability innovation processes led by citizen-entrepreneurs
present some differences from innovation led by an established firm. Here we summarize
some of the key aspects and common characteristics our study has come across.
a. Sustainability entrepreneurship development pattern
THE SUSTAINABLE ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROCESS (SEP)13
From the analysis of the cases a pattern for sustainability entrepreneurship appears,
which echoes the model developed by Frank-Martin Belz and Julia Binder. This model
includes six distinct phases that are common in all cases studied (see Figure 4):
▪ To begin with, the future sustainable entrepreneurs face a social or ecological challenge
in their private or professional life, which makes them react and put all their energy,
passion and skills into solving it.
▪ Second, they re-frame their challenge as an entrepreneurial opportunity.
▪ As an intermediate step, the entrepreneur seeks the alignment of his-her idea or
venture with social or ecological goals (“double bottom line solution”) and the key
values and needs of the specific customer groups is addressing.
▪ It is important to note that the triple bottom line of social, environmental, and economic
goals is integrated in a sequential manner and not simultaneously.
▪ The last two stages are funding/forming a sustainable enterprise and creating/entering
a sustainable market.
It is also worth noting that funding of these sustainable enterprises pursuing the triple
bottom line depends on on a variety of potential sources for seed capital, including
family, friends, bank loans, crowdfunding and public funding. Another characteristic
of sustainable enterprises is that they either create new sustainable niches or enter
established sustainable niches and segments in the higher end of the market.
13. Belz, F. M., & Binder, J. K. (2015). Sustainable entrepreneurship:
A convergent process model. Business Strategy and the Environment. doi: 10.1002/bse.1887.

14
In the following pages we present the eight cases of companies selected by ESADE
Business School for the EU-InnovatE project. They can be classified as established
companies which engage with citizens-user-consumers in sustainability innovation
processes and new sustainable entrepreneurial ideas developed by citizens-users
concerned by sustainability. They can also be classified according to the four industries
which were the focus of EU-InnovatE, as having the highest impact on the promotion of
sustainable lifestyles: food, living, mobility and energy.
FOOD: Unilever, Veritas, Food Assembly
LIVING: Kard Architects, Noem
MOBILITY: Social Car, Vélib’
ENERGY: Som Energia
DEVELOPING
TRIPLE
BOTTOM LINE
SOLUTION
FUNDING AND
FORMING OF A
SUSTAINABLE
ENTERPRISE
CREATING A
SUSTAINABLE
MARKET
RECOGNIZING
ECOLOGICAL
PROBLEMS
RECOGNIZING
ECOLOGICAL
OPPORTUNITY
DEVELOPING
DOUBLE BOTTOM
LINE SOLUTION
RECOGNIZING
SOCIAL
PROBLEMS
RECOGNIZING
SOCIAL
OPPORTUNITY
DEVELOPING
DOUBLE BOTTOM
LINE SOLUTION
Figure 4 | Sustainable Entrepreneurship Process Model.
Source: Belz, F. M., & Binder, J. (2015). Sustainable entrepreneurship:
A convergent process model. Business Strategy and the Environment.

PART 2
CASES
UNILEVER
VERITAS
VÉLIB’ JCDECAUX
KARD ARCHITECTS
SOCIAL CAR
SOM ENERGIA
FOOD ASSEMBLY
(La Ruche qui dit Oui!)
NOEM

16
UNILEVER
MICRO-ENTREPRENEURSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
FOR YOUNG UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE
IN SOUTHERN EUROPE
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Unileverisoneoftheworld’sleadingfast-moving
consumer goods companies with products sold
in over 190 countries and a turnover of €53.3
billion in 2015. According to company data,
more than two billion people daily use Unilever
products. Unilever has more than 400 brands,
14 of which generate sales in excess of 1 billion
a year. Unilever España S.A. operates as a
subsidiary of Unilever NV.It was founded in 1948
and is currently based in the Barcelona suburb
of Viladecans. In 2015 it had a total turnover of
€604 million and employed over 450 people.

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01 | WHAT IS THE SUSTAINABLE
INNOVATION ABOUT?
“Soy Frigo” is an inclusive business proposal which Unilever
España developed to fight youth unemployment in Spain (more
than 50% in 2015); it was created with the ambition of being
rolled out into other Southern European countries, where
percentages of unemployed youth are equally high (around 50%
in Greece; 26% in Portugal). The project involves the creation of
a new retail business model: young entrepreneurs are trained
to manage their own mobile vending ice cream business,
recovering the original spirit of ice cream consumption and
delivery, using low-carbon-emission vehicles. The idea was to
become a ‘bottom of the pyramid’ business model initiative for
developed countries.
The programme is addressed to young unemployed people
with high risk of social exclusion as well as graduate
students that are searching for employment and their first
job experience. The aim of the project is not only to provide a
temporaryjob,butalsotooffermentoring,trainingandsupport
to acquire the necessary skills in micro-entrepreneurship,
food handling management, marketing and finance to be able
to run their own small business in the future. The participants
are involved in the design, planning and the strategy of their
small enterprise and provide continuous feedback to Unilever
for the improvement of the operation.
02 | WHERE DID THE IDEA COME FROM?
The idea of implementing micro-entrepreneurship mobile
vending schemes followed the model applied by Unilever in
some developing countries, mainly in Asia. Adaptation of this
model to the European context entailed a first-hand knowledge
of the most successful initiatives, especially those in India
and Thailand. Encouraged by Unilever CEO Paul Polman, top
management members and the directors of the Ice Cream and
Beverages Business Unit started discussing how to make the
initiative a reality. Several meetings with users of the model
and with mobile vending experts took place to gather necessary
information and assess the main characteristics of the model.
For decisions on the vehicle mix, defining locations and routes,
as well as the profile, training and coaching of entrepreneurs,
the Unilever Singapore team organised a co-creation workshop
in March 2014, with the mobile vending business responsible
person and sellers from India, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico,
Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand, so that Spanish project
leaders could get the maximum information possible.
03 | WHO WAS INVOLVED?
The project development could not have been possible without
wider stakeholder involvement. The collaboration with public
and local authorities (municipalities, local governments
and the Spanish Ministry of Employment) as well as the
involvement of other partners (Foundation Manpower, for the
training scheme) and NGOs such as Èxit Foundation (for the
selection of the programme beneficiaries) has been crucial to
the project viability and success. Rapid scalability and impact of
the project have made the project attractive to these different
stakeholders.
The pool of potential participants is provided by Èxit
Foundation, an NGO that works on the employment of
young people at risk of social exclusion, while recruitment
and training is coordinated by Unilever and the Manpower
Foundation. In its second edition, in 2016, the company has
alsocreatedawebsitewherepotentialcandidatescanregister
and apply directly. Once the participants are selected, they
receive training modules on finance, marketing supply
food management and social media. After this short but
intense training period, the selected sellers are provided
with a vehicle (bicycle, caravan, adapted isocars Piaggio
or small pushcarts) and a selected distribution area for
their business distribution (usually touristic locations with
good concentrations of people enjoying leisure time, such
as beaches, concerts, festivals). Up-front clearance of all
necessary municipality licenses and permits is a pre-condition
to start the program. The sellers make a minimum initial
investment for buying the ice cream products, and the benefits
they obtain are according to their turnover performance. The
Unilever ice cream division supervises the project and is in
contact with all participants on a frequent basis.

18
04 | WHAT IS THE ENVIRONMENTAL
IMPACT OF THIS INNOVATION?
The project has a more distinct social impact rather than
an environmental one. However, regarding the mobile
vending aspect, this approach promotes the use of low-
carbon and energy-efficient vehicles, with a special
focus on use of bicycles whenever possible, especially at
events, leisure parks and camping sites, where mobility
is more limited and the concentration of people is higher.
While the environmental aspect of the distribution model
needs to be further assessed, so far it appears that this
new approach (smaller amounts, more frequent trips, by
low-carbon-impact vehicles) is more environmentally
friendly than the traditional model of supplying bigger
quantities to larger retailers using delivery trucks.
Using a regional warehouse per geographical area
also means there are less CO2
emissions per delivery.
05 | WHAT IS THE SOCIAL IMPACT
OF THIS INNOVATION?
The socially inclusive and entrepreneurship dimensions
of the value proposition are key to understanding its
impact: selecting, training, coaching and creating jobs for
young unemployed people to increase their employability is
the most important aspect of the project.
The pilot programme, ‘Frigo y tú’, was initially launched
in the summer of 2014 in Spain and Portugal, being
successfully implemented in more than 213 locations,
deploying a total of 190 low-carbon vehicles into the market
and providing an opportunity to 410 people in Spain and
Portugal to get their first seasonal job and acquire the
necessary knowledge and skills to eventually develop their
own business.
In 2015, the project was officially launched and renamed
‘Soy Frigo’ (“I am Wallis” in the rest of Europe), and in 2016,
the number of participants was already 450 young people,
while more than 25,000 had showed interested in joining
the programme. The project is now developed in Portugal,
Greece, Italy, Hungary, the UK and Poland.
In2014‘Frigoytú’wasselectedasoneofthemostsustainable
innovative projects at Unilever amongst a total of 1,200
around the world. It won the Global Internal Heroes’ award,
which is granted to the best socially and environmentally
intra-entrepreneurship propositions developed at different
Unilever offices.
06 | IS THIS INNOVATION
ECONOMICALLY SUSTAINABLE?
The project achieved its breakeven point in the first year.
Total sales revenue was estimated at around 150,000 for
2014 (a year that was negatively impacted by bad weather in
summer and lower ice cream consumption). The turnover
forecast for 2016 is to reach 800,000 and to employ 450
young people.
The sellers initially make a small investment to create
commitment to their business; this covers some of the
initial costs of the vehicle they will be operating as well as
their initial product stock. As the company treats the project
as an innovative new channel of distribution, ROI are not
as demanding as for other projects. The main objective for
the first year was to roll out an effective pilot programme
to validate the business model, while in the second and
third iterations (summer 2015 and 2016) the goal was to
establish the programme and make this distribution
option a profitable one for the company as well as for
the entrepreneurs. In order to motivate their sales, three
prizes are awarded at the end of the programme to the best
selling units as well as the more innovative approaches to
increasing sales revenue.

07 | WHAT LESSONS CAN BE LEARNED FROM THE SOY FRIGO SUSTAINABILITY INNOVATION?
SPURRING INTRAPRENEURSHIP
Spurring intrapreneurship and sustainable innovation
initiatives within Unilever: some of the main outcomes
of the innovation have been to create a climate where
intrapreneurship is valued and encouraged, as well as
greater commitment and employee engagement.
ENGAGEMENT
The project enhanced the relevance of community
engagement and multistakeholder programmes
which are gradually becoming more transformational
at the societal level, moving away from a traditional
CSR approach.
PARTNERSHIPS
The success of the project relies on successfully
building alliances and creating strong relations with
public and private partners with a shared common
goal: reducing youth unemployment. Partnerships
also assist in enhancing credibility of the project and
the business model.
YOUTH INTEGRATION
Youth integration in societies where youth
unemployment has reached alarming rates (55% in
Spain) and there is a high risk of social exclusion,
attempts by companies to fight this problem are
welcome. Youth integration can be accomplished
throughout the value chain as suppliers, sellers or
micro-entrepreneurs.
MICRO-ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Coaching and training allow for the possibility of
enhancing entrepreneurship initiatives, potentially
increasing employability opportunities of
the beneficiaries of this programme.
USE OF LOW-CARBON VEHICLES
Distribution through low-carbon-emission vehicles
(bicycles, pushcarts) is more environmentally
efficient than traditional high-volume transportation
(mainly done through trucks).

20
CUINA VERITAS
SLASHING FOOD WASTE TO ZERO:
IMPLEMENTING CIRCULAR ECONOMY
PRINCIPLES TO CREATE A NEW PRODUCT LINE
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Eco Veritas is the largest retail company for organic and ecologically
certified food products in Spain, with a network of more than 40
supermarkets and an on-line shop. Eco Veritas employs 200 people and
had a turnover of €45 million in 2015.
The company was created in 2003 by four families with a strong tradition
in the Spanish food distribution and retail sector. Aware of the world
trends in organic food consumption, the founders were convinced that
sustainability was also possible in the Spanish food and nutrition market.
Eco Veritas takes a vertical integration approach. They are actively involved
in sourcing, distributing and selling organic food products. The expansion
strategy of the company is ambitious with two to three new supermarkets
opening per year. Shops are supported by the company headquarters,
located in Barcelona, as well as a central logistics and distribution center,
a baking facility where traditional types of fresh bread are produced daily
and, most recently, a food processing kitchen (Cuina Veritas).

21
INNOVATION ABOUT?
The Cuina Veritas (Veritas Kitchen) project developed by Eco
Veritas supermarkets aims at reducing food waste along
the value chain by creating a new range of ecological and
organic products. These products are made with fresh,
top-quality fruit and vegetables that consumers reject due
to their imperfect appearance and which would otherwise
have gone to waste.
The project has two sustainability dimensions. First, an
ecological aspect aims to drastically reduce the level of food
wasteatthecompany.Second,thereisasocialaspectthrough
the inclusion of mentally or physically disabled people in the
handling and manufacturing of the products. The project
development (from ideation to market launch) lasted four
years and the first range of products was introduced to the
market at the end of 2013, with strong consumer approval.
The sustainable innovation mix that Eco Veritas offers
combines many aspects of sustainability: ecological
value and the concept of zero waste, social integration,
a sustainable education platform promoting food waste
reduction, and a rediscovery of traditional recipes.
At present, the product range includes a wide variety of
broths and soups, tomato and vegetable sauces, fruit jams,
and ham and vegetable pizzas.
The idea to develop Cuina Veritas originated from the top
management team’s concern about food waste along the
value chain, which is considered to be a major economic,
ethical and environmental challenge by both the employees
of the company and many of its consumers. Since 2009
the company had been receiving frequent questions from
customers about the level of waste generated by the stores
and complaints addressed to the management about why an
ecological and sustainable firm was throwing food away.
Thecompanyresearchedseveralwaysofreducingfoodwaste.These
included carefully planning production with farmers in the supply
chain and working in collaboration with charities, companies and
food banks to find a way to make use of food products with a short
shelf life. However, there was increasing concern about the level of
waste generated by the products rejected by consumers because
of their imperfect appearance despite being in perfect condition.
Edible fruit and vegetables not meeting consumer expectations for
size and appearance, or dairy products which were nearly out of date
or had some visual flaw in external packaging, were not chosen by
customers and were eventually thrown away.
Around the same time, the CEO met the director of Fundació
Alícia (Alicia Foundation), a centre devoted to technological
innovation in cuisine, improving eating habits, healthy nutrition
and rediscovering traditional food heritage. They started a
dialogue about how to develop a new sustainable product
which would also help Eco Veritas to achieve zero organic
waste. A final factor in the development of Cuina Veritas was
the impact of the economic crisis in Spain, which added a new
social dimension to the supermarket food waste challenge.
Throwing away food when most people were struggling with the
consequences of high unemployment and increasing poverty
seemed less acceptable than ever from an ethical standpoint.
In 2010, a small team was formed including the CEO,
the Marketing and Communications Director and the
Purchasing Manager in order to work on solutions and
further develop the preliminary ideas.
Eco Veritas has been open, from its very beginnings, to
stakeholder insights, such as those coming from consumers
or producers. In this sense, Cuina Veritas has been the
outcome of integrating concerns from users and reaching
out to other stakeholders. While the idea originated from top
management, its development has also included third parties
such as the Alicia Foundation and Grupo SIFU.
CONSUMER ENGAGEMENT
Eco Veritas actively engages with its consumers through
several communication tools and platforms. These
include monthly newsletters and point-of-sale satisfaction
questionnaires, social media (mainly Facebook, Twitter
and You Tube) as well as customer email and consumer
workshops. Eco Veritas customers tend to be very pro-
active in providing feedback to the company, so that a lot
of information is gathered about the preferences, opinions
and ideas of the clients regarding the product line offered.
Consumer feedback and insights are processed weekly
by the Marketing and Communications director who, in
turn, informs the Purchasing director about underlying
trends and unsatisfied demands, which could lead to new
products being added to the portfolio.

22
This frequent communication with customers was
very important for getting ideas about how food waste
could be proactively prevented. It also was key in the
commercialization phase, when the product was first
placed on the supermarket shelves and initial consumer
feedback was gathered for improving it and even adding
new proposals to the line.
OTHER STAKEHOLDERS
Alicia Foundation is a research centre dedicated to
technological innovation in cooking, promoting organic
food and traditional culinary heritage to enhance healthy
eating habits. Alicia Foundation offered its knowledge and
expertise as well as offering access to market intelligence
and a team of project devoted experts.
Eco Veritas and the Alicia Foundation worked together
in analysing different organic fruit, vegetables and dairy
products offered by the main food retail chains, both
traditional and specializing in organic food. The conclusions
drawn from the market research analysis were useful in
defining which recipes could be tested and developed, and
which product range would be more competitive.
Grupo SIFU: The final product manufacturing and
processing of Cuina Veritas products was done by mentally
or physically disabled people through collaboration with a
special centre, Grupo SIFU. With 17 years of experience,
Grupo SIFU recruited and trained the people involved in
these stages of production.
The most important environmental impact of this innovation
is the reduction of food waste (mainly vegetables and fruits,
but also ham and chicken). Many of the materials that would
otherwise have gone to waste are now reincorporated into
the value chain. The company is adopting a zero waste
philosophy and already drastically reducing the level of
food waste going to landfill.
The project is improving waste management across the
value chain. From where the product is sourced to the
final consumer, there is a clear strategy of reducing food
waste: products are not rejected at the production site
(especially in farms), and all company departments (from
transportation to warehouse, distribution and sales) are
aware of the process. The company is moving towards a
closed-loop approach.
OF THIS INNOVATION?
From a social perspective, the project has had two main
impacts: first, products are manufactured by physically or
mentally disabled employees, who often face challenges
in being integrated into the workforce; and second, it
promotes a new way of consuming and rediscovering
traditional home food management expertise. The value
held by older generations of creating nutritious food out
of leftover ingredients and never throwing away any food is
rekindled and contributes to rediscovering traditional food.
Finally, another innovative characteristic of the project
is that it acts as a communication and educational
tool for sustainability among consumers by increasing
awareness and offering an ecological alternative. Since
supermarkets play an important role in shaping consumer
behavior, innovations like Cuina Veritas challenge current
unsustainable consumer ‘throw-away’ lifestyles which
place little value on food and encourage us to buy more
from our overstocked supermarkets.
The economic viability of the project was not considered a
major priority for the company. The final products are being
sold at a competitive price. However, the production process
adds some costs, which were not originally foreseen. After
the second year on the market, the company executives
expect the Cuina Veritas product line will break even.

07 | WHAT LESSONS CAN BE LEARNED FROM ECO VERITAS’ SUSTAINABILITY INNOVATION?
IMPORTANCE OF CUSTOMER PERCEPTIONS
Customer concerns about food waste in Veritas supermarkets
and the responsiveness of the company were at the origin
of the project creation. Customer reaction to company
proactiveness has also been very positive and has enhanced
brand loyalty and corporate reputation.
NEED TO MANAGE RELATIONS
WITH DIFFERENT STAKEHOLDERS
Both consumer needs and external stakeholder demands
needed to be leveraged during the product development
process. This presented challenges and created concerns
about the feasibility of the project. How to balance the needs of
all actors involved, particularly when the project management
team is relatively small and also in charge of normal business
operations, will need to be addressed in the next phases of the
project. However, the importance of co-creating sustainable
innovations is now part of the corporate philosophy.
ALSO FOR SMEs
Cuina Veritas is an excellent example of how small to
medium-sized companies can act as drivers of innovation
for sustainability.
LEADERSHIP FROM THE TOP
A strong and inspiring leadership, clear vision and goals,
a committed and engaged managerial team, and a focus
on integrating sustainability in business development
strategies are some of the key characteristics Eco Veritas has
demonstrated to be important in innovating for sustainability.

24
VÉLIB’/ JCDECAUX
BIKE-SHARING AND SUSTAINABLE
LIFESTYLES IN THE CITY OF PARIS
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Vélib’ is a public-private project between the Mairie de Paris
(Paris City Hall) and JCDecaux.
Founded in 1964, JCDecaux is the world’s second-largest outdoor
communications company. Headquartered in Paris, France, the company
has installed approximately 1.1 million advertising panels in over 75
countries and generated revenue in excess of €3.2 billion in 2015.
One of JCDecaux’s three key business units is the installation
and maintenance of street furniture (e.g. bus shelters, kiosks and
automated public toilets) which contain advertising panels. The income
from advertising funds JCDecaux´s bicycle-sharing programmes.
After success in various towns and cities, and particularly the large-scale
project in Paris, JCDecaux now provides this system all over the world,
recording a total of 350 million rentals from systems registered in 69 cities.

25
INNOVATION ABOUT?
Vélib’ (Vélos en libre-service à Paris) is one of the largest
cycle-share systems in the world. Based in the city of Paris,
it has more than 20,000 bikes available covering the whole
city, day and night, throughout the year. The project was
initially developed by the company JCDecaux in 1999, and
aimed at providing a zero-carbon cycle-share system for
the city. This was part of the ‘espaces civilizés’ initiative of
Paris Mayor Bernard Delanoë, aimed at greening the city,
reducing pollution and making Paris more accessible for
pedestrians and cyclists. The initiative aimed to almost
halve the use of private vehicles in the city centre by 2020.
Today, Vélib’ is the largest bicycle-sharing programme
in Europe with 1800 stations, an average of 108,090 daily
users, and the highest market penetration (1 bicycle for
every 97 residents). It has more than 280,000 subscribers
and is considered to be the cycle-share system which has
inspired the worldwide trend in providing self-serve bicycles
and more sustainable mobility in large cities. It has received
widespread acclaim and was awarded the Ingenuity Award
in 2012 by the Financial Times and Citi for JCDecaux´s
pioneering spirit, as well as the Responsible Tourism award.
While bicycle sharing systems are now well known around
the world, Vélib’ presents some unique characteristics that
have positioned the initiative as truly innovative. One was
the development of technology, a breakthrough at the time,
which totally ‘dematerialized’ the access to bikes, making
the system completely self-service. The concept involves the
positioning of self-service bike stations throughout the city,
which can be accessed by would-be cyclists for short trips.
By using a contactless card, cyclists can unlock an individual
bicycle and use it to make a trip within the city. The bikes are
then returned to another station at the destination.
Vélib’s patented technology, which enables credit cards to
be used directly at the cycle terminals, has meant that it is
easily accessible both for local residents and for tourists.
Another unique characteristic is the active involvement of
the bicycle users. Through several channels the citizens
have provided continuous feedback and ideas which have
been the source of innovations. From conception to the
present day, citizens have been involved in Vélib’ in a variety
of different ways, including a customer relations call centre,
a blog, surveys, focus groups and most notably through a
User Committee, which meets several times each year and
provides insights and feedback on how to improve the system
to the City of Paris and JCDecaux.
Last, an active stakeholder engagement approach with
third parties has fuelled the creation of a sharing mentality
and sense of community in the city of Paris, as well as
encouraging users to switch to other sustainable products
and services in other areas of their day-to-day lives, further
enhancing sustainable lifestyles amongst its citizens.
The idea came from the founder of the company, Jean-
Claude Decaux, who originally launched the cycle-share
concept in Vienna in 2003, followed by other smaller projects
in the Spanish cities of Córdoba and Gijón. After introducing
the system in France (with 2,000 bikes in Lyon), the city of
Paris decided that the bike-sharing scheme could also be
workable in the capital, as part of a broader plan conceived
to promote cycling and reduce the use of private cars to
decrease the carbon footprint of the city.
Vélib’ was launched in 2007 with 10,648 bicycles at 250
stations. In less than six months, this number was doubled.
In 2014, a new service catered to the needs of children aged
two to eight was introduced, in what is considered the first
kids’ bike sharing scheme in the world, aimed at instilling
the idea of cycling in the younger generations.

26
One of the most distinctive features of the Vélib’ project in
relation to other bicycle-sharing schemes is how citizens
and users of the service can interact with the company to
provide their feedback and ideas about a more sustainable
and effective product and service.
Citizens’ opinions and feedback have come to play a role in
the way the company improves Vélib’ functionalities, thanks
primarily to the establishment of a user committee, a blog,
focus groups and surveys, as well as a more traditional
customer relations call centre. Ideas generated through
these interfaces are then passed up to JCDecaux by a director
of customer relations and several decision committees. The
ability to pilot ideas and prototypes with end users at the
early stages of the service was noted as particularly valuable.
At the request of the Mairie de Paris, a User Committee was
established in 2010 in order to obtain recommendations from
the Vélib’ community. The committee is composed of around
12 volunteers who serve for two years. Successful applications
were chosen as a representative selection of users from
different backgrounds and areas of Paris. TheUserCommittee
meets three to four times a year with representatives from
JCDecaux and Mairie de Paris to discuss challenges, potential
solutions and trials of new ideas.
New ideas were also gathered through surveys and focus
groups: JCDecaux’s research department has experts
in both qualitative and quantitative research and often
deploys surveys to get feedback from users about Vélib’. In
contrast to the usual low response rates to questionnaires in
general, bike sharing prompts a large response, attracting
participation rates of up to 30%. Also, in order to obtain
citizen feedback on some more specific issues, focus groups
were organised. Groups discussed their visions for the future
and how they see the self-service bikes of tomorrow in order
to generate ideas about possible innovations.
ENGAGEMENT OF OTHER STAKEHOLDERS
Collaboration has been central to the Vélib’ project.
Particularly useful for JCDecaux, traditionally a business to
business company, have been those partnerships which have
supported an interface between Vélib’ and its customers.
Working with third parties has created and facilitated a much
wider movement and a cultural change around mobility in
Paris leading to more sustainable lifestyles.
▪ Mairie de Paris: For JCDecaux, Vélib’ represented the
opportunity to secure the outdoor advertising contract
with the City of Paris, and was therefore fundamental
to JCDecaux’s core business. JCDecaux bore the cost of
setting up and managing Vélib’ and in return it benefits
from advertising income throughout the capital. The role
of the Mairie de Paris is to manage the blog and the User
Committee. More broadly, the transport and infrastructure
policies of the Mairie de Paris have been essential for the
development of Vélib’. Policy changes such as extending
and improving cycle lanes to substantially reduce and, at
some point in the future, eliminate the use of private cars
in large parts of Paris—hence to ‘green’ the city—have
created an environment in which Vélib’ can thrive.
▪ CitéGreen: The collaboration between CitéGreen and
JCDecaux provides advantages for all parties involved. As
a French startup communications company with the aim
of promoting ‘green’ behaviour, CitéGreen accelerated
the use of Vélib’ and extended its impact into other areas of
sustainable lifestyles. CitéGreen developed a programme
that enabled the tracking of subscribers’ movements, who
were then rewarded for their ‘green behaviour’ through
an incentive system. This system enabled the exchange of
points for green products and services and other rewards.
CitéGreen also organised several competitive challenges
annually to promote Vélib’ usage.
▪ Cycling associations: Vélorution is a movement that aims
to reclaim the streets for cyclists and pedestrians. By
working in collaboration with Vélib’ in debating issues
such as cyclist safety, legal issues and cycling lanes, this
cycling association played an important role in helping to
‘bring people into the streets’.
▪ Other associations: A number of informal associations
have grown up around Vélib’ such as ‘Velibataire’, a French
dating site for bike fans. The creation and growth of both
formal and informal associations and organisations has
had the effect of creating a broader sustainability lifestyle
culture, which benefitted Vélib.

27
TheenvironmentalimpactofVélib’isbroad.Tobegin,itledtothe
conversion of over 6,000 parking spaces in the streets of Paris
into Vélib´ stations. This fact contributed to the overarching
objective of reducing the use of cars in Paris and promoting
cycling and pedestrian areas. Alongside the conversion of
parking spaces into Vélib’ stations, there was also a substantial
extension of cycle lane networks throughout the city.
Another area of Vélib’s environmental impact which is
noteworthy is in the sourcing, maintenance and disposal of the
bikes themselves. 90% of the material used in the bikes can be
recycled. Even tires and inner tubes are being re-used by four
partners of JCDecaux to make leather-type goods and jewelry.
Another environmental consideration is the use of rainwater
and eco-friendly anti-graffiti product to clean the bikes. Last,
Vélib’ has set up a network of 20 natural gas-powered vehicles
to enable the maintenance and redistribution of the bikes.
There is also a river barge that moves bicycles to different
destinations and maintenance workers use bicycles powered
with additional electric motors to travel around the city.
The use of bikes in Paris has doubled in the past ten years.
Previously, between 2001 and 2006 alone, the share of trips
made in the city by bicycle increased 48%. It is estimated
that 20% of users have made a trip thanks to Vélib’ that
they would not otherwise have made. Citizens of Paris
have become more environmentally aware in their daily
transportation thanks to Vélib’.
OF THIS INNOVATION?
Several specific social measures have been taken to make
the service more accessible and affordable to young people
and the unemployed. Vélib’ has also spurred sustainable
lifestyles in Paris by creating a sharing mentality and sense of
community in the city. The fact that there are incentive systems
and partnerships with third parties (such as CitéGreen) has
broadened and extended the concept of sustainable lifestyles
beyond the use of the bike-sharing system, especially in
sustainable living (organic food and access to other sustainable
products) and energy saving.
More than 40,000 users of Vélib’ participate in those schemes,
which has spillover effects on other sustainable projects in
the same city, creating a movement that connects food, waste,
transportation and energy.
JCDecaux’s joint venture SOMUPI covers all the costs for
setting up and operating Vélib’ while the company benefits
from the infrastructure and advertising rights. The large
advertising potential of Paris means that the revenues
generated finance the bicycles. Most of the profits are derived
from billboard advertising, while there is a subscription and
fee scheme for the users of the service covering operating
costs. Users can choose between an annual subscription and
shorter-term options.

07 | WHAT LESSONS CAN BE LEARNED FROM THE VÉLIB’ SUSTAINABILITY INNOVATION?
ROLE OF CITIZENS
Citizens have played an important role in Vélib’s
development and success, from their initial
involvement in designing bikes and materials related
to communications, tariffs, and apps on how to
encourage the use of the bikes more generally. They
have played a key role in the innovation process and
have provided valuable insights for the company.
CHANGE IN COMPANY CULTURE
JCDecaux was essentially a B2B-oriented group, and
involvement in a large-scale project such as Vélib’ has
changed the way the company interacts with customers.
This enabled JCDecaux to learn and develop transversal
collaboration among the group’s R&D, production,
marketing and technology departments.
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION AND POLITICAL SUPPORT
The Mairie of Paris was essential in the success of the
initiative, through its vision for a greener city and passing
regulations to facilitate cycling lanes. It also made it
clear that it wanted citizens to be involved in Vélib’ and
this partnership was key to the broader inclusion of end
users in the innovation process. JCDecaux itself learned
that this involvement would be essential.
A COMPANY MORE OPEN TO INNOVATION
A lasting legacy of the project is that the approach
the company has now towards innovation is more
open. A cross-functional innovation team unites
the four key management areas every month,
something that did not previously exist.

29
KARD ARCHITECTS
FOSTERING SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLES THROUGH
THE CO-CREATION OF AN ECO-DESIGNED SCHOOL
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Kard Architects is a small family-owned firm created in 2003 from the
merger of two main architectural ventures in Thessaloniki, Greece:
Kouloukouris & Associates and Sempsis & Raidis Architects. Both
companies have more than 35 years of architectural and planning
experience in almost all sectors of private and public development,
with a strong focus on sustainable construction projects.
Kard Architects has been involved in several sustainable architectural
design projects in Greece and Serbia, and was awarded a prize by the
OECD programme of Green Growth and Eco Innovation for the best
initiatives in Greece in 2010.
Kard Architects has a core team of 15 people and works in partnership
with several architects and construction companies on a project
basis. During the period 2012-2015 they worked on projects with a
total value of €5 million.

30
INNOVATION ABOUT?
Kard Architects accepted the challenge of developing a new
school construction project focused on both environmental
and social sustainability, posed by the American Farm School
(AFS) of Thessaloniki, Greece. The AFS is an independent,
nonprofit educational institution devoted to sustainable
education, farming and agricultural business practices that
are economically viable, ecologically sound and socially
responsible. AFS management had witnessed that due to
the harsh economic crisis in Greece, people were shifting
towards more sustainable and conscious consumption
behaviors and attitudes.
AFS decided to respond to this emerging trend by offering a
different education concept: an experiential and sustainable
primary school where the children would be learning
in a building meeting the latest eco-design criteria and
surrounded by nature. Kard Architects was the company
selected to undertake the project due to their expertise and
commitment to sustainable architecture.
The goal of the assignment was to create a breakthrough and
innovative school-building concept, focusing on sustainability
both from a construction perspective, and from an educational
and experiential perspective, creating the necessary conditions
so that sustainability education could be a reality for students,
parents and teachers alike.
From a purely environmental perspective, the project aimed
at meeting the latest bioclimatic requirements. This objective
ultimately influenced how the building would be modified,
constructed and used (e.g. the layout and the maximization
of natural light), as well as the kind of construction materials
and technologies selected and deployed. The final goal was
threefold: 1) to reach optimal levels of energy efficiency and
integrate renewable energies, 2) to make it functional for the
children, and 3) to enhance the experiential and sustainable
attributes of education methodology.
In order to achieve that goal, the building’s layout was
designed so that all the necessary facilities could be housed
(classrooms, laboratories, offices, assembly halls, infirmary,
reception, administrative spaces etc.), and the building’s shell
was reinforced with energy-saving eco-friendly materials and
systems (gas network, solar collectors, photovoltaic systems,
heat and moist insulation, non-toxic paints and plasters).
Furthermore, the landscaping of the surrounding area was
planned to provide enough open space for the children to play,
practice sports, and feel close to nature.
The idea of creating a new school was originally conceived by
the AFS School management, with the aim of expanding its
offer of a sustainable, full educational cycle: from pre-school
to graduate education.
Previous to that decision, AFS conducted preliminary market
research at leading sustainable schools in the US and Europe to
gatherideasonhowthisconceptcouldbeimplementedinGreece.
To complement that information, AFS also used ‘mystery shopping’
techniques in questionnaires at fairs and educational exhibitions
they were attending. In this way, the management team was able
to gather insights from potential interested parents and check
the acceptance of their idea. Once this was clear, the project was
assigned to Kard Architects.

31
Given the special characteristics of the school, a very
participatory and open process was in place from the very
beginning. Input and ideas were carefully gathered from several
stakeholders and users, including the school administration,
teachers and parents. This approach came quite naturally
to the company, since Kard Architects has been traditionally
committed to stakeholder involvement in every stage of the
design and construction process for their projects.
Theprocessdynamicsallowedinteractionandopenconsultation
of the company with school administration, parents and
teachers to generate and evaluate a continuous flow of ideas.
A ‘Parents Committee’ was created to promote participation
and brainstorming of ideas to improve their own children’s
environment and education. As a result of this process, many
new features were included in the layout and distribution of
the school. These included interior design features like special
furniture allowing different class settings, an experiential garden
and new external areas. The ongoing nature of the collaboration
has led to the creation of new side projects with a strong
sustainable and experiential component, such as an olive oil
production centre and an alternative energy park where students
can experiment, play and learn.
In sum, the relations created among all the participants in the
process and all the insights given at several stages of the school
construction offered new value to the innovation. The final
‘product’—the school building—was therefore the outcome of
a true co-creation process.
The construction of the AFS Primary School contributes to
environmental sustainability through its distinctive bioclimatic
features. The goal was to reduce the existing energy
consumption by 70%, while creating special characteristics
to allow the interactivity of scholars and teachers in enhancing
sustainable lifestyles.
More specifically, the key features were:
▪ Bioclimatic architecture principles (south-facing facades
and high insulation) and innovative solar systems, which
were aimed at reducing energy demand for heating,
cooling and hot water.
▪ New heating system: Installation of natural gas heating
boilers, thermal zone control, cooling with energy efficient
heat pump and mechanical ventilation with heat recovery.
▪ Classrooms with natural ventilation and natural light,
double-glazed windows, improved indoor air quality (low
CO2
level in classrooms), increased thermal comfort, as
well as the use of fans to avoid air conditioning in summer.
▪ Bioclimatic interventions such as frames, joinery
replacement and thermal insulation of building shell,
including the installation of insulated window frames and
low-e glass. Those interventions were aimed at aesthetically
upgrading the buildings to improve structural malfunctions.
▪ Use of glass shelters to protect children from bad weather
and rain, and at the same time, creating proper shade
when the sunlight is too strong and not needed (hence
avoiding excessive cooling costs in summer).
▪ The use of ecological materials in construction: bricks
and paints free from toxic substances. All building and
construction materials were renewable and locally sourced
from areas as close to the school site as possible, to keep
the carbon footprint low.
▪ Tank for collecting rainwater, which recycles the water
used for watering plants in the school gardens using an
automatic electricity control system.
▪ Thematic gardens and vegetable garden were designed
to provide children with direct access to nature and allow
them to benefit from experiential learning by growing their
own vegetables and taking care of traditional botanic and
aromatic Greek plants.
▪ Creation of renewable prototypes in small scale, such as
photovoltaic systems and a wind generator, to demonstrate
eco-friendly practices to the students and promote
experiential learning.

32
05 | WHAT IS THE SOCIAL IMPACT OF
THIS INNOVATION?
Besides the environmental aspect of the innovation, the AFS
school building operates as a ‘training tool’ for the promotion
of strategies of natural resource management, recycling and
social values.
Ononehand,thebuildingitselfhasencouragedthedevelopment
of a sense of collective responsibility for sustainable behavior
and environmental management. Some of the skills taught
at the school are the use of energy, recycling, sustainable
transportation, and growing organic food. These skills have
been adopted by the children and, by extension, have shifted
their families’ social behavior.
The school has integrated sustainability into every aspect
of school life, namely the administration, the learning
process, the management of buildings, the transportation to
and from school, and the school’s relationship with the local
community by sourcing all the food and vegetables, either
from the school garden or ecological farms nearby. The active
involvement of students and staff in reflecting and acting on
sustainability themes creates a sense of responsibility which
in turn is transferred to the interactions between the school
and the wider community. In this sense, the parents have
mentioned how the impact of the new education and the school
building features was having a clear impact on the way the
whole family perceived and experienced sustainability. The
children’s education influences family habits and becomes
part of a learning process in which several issues are (re)
considered: mobility behavior, water and energy management
at home, recycling, shopping habits (favoring organic food and
sustainable clothing) and even how they are spending leisure
time (in direct contact with nature).
The economic viability of the project is ensured by two main
factors. First, the value proposition of the school is highly
attractive for sustainability-conscious parents and its
acceptance amongst more conventional families is also
growing. As a result, applications to the school are increasing
every year and the business model of the school is very sound.
Expansion into new buildings is currently being considered.
Thesecondfactorisrelatedtothebetterresourcemanagement
of the school, which yields obvious economic benefits. The
building has a high energy efficiency performance (an estimated
saving of 50%). Better energy efficiency and improved water
management techniques have had an important effect in
lowering operating costs and strengthening the business case
for expanding the construction of new sustainable schools.

07 | WHAT LESSONS CAN BE LEARNED FROM KARD ARCHITECTS´ SUSTAINABILITY INNOVATION?
HIGHLY COMPLEX CONTEXT
The industry for sustainable construction and housing is
only emerging in Greece and the sector prospects are
bleakduetoreducedinvestmentandtheharsheconomic
crisis in the country. However, the AFS Primary School
construction is considered a benchmark in the country
for its relevance in the sustainability education context
and the way it has been designed and constructed
(materials and process).
IMPACT ON THE COMPANY
The sustainable impacts arising from the project
assisted the company’s commitment to sustainable
architecture. The project reinforced the view the
company had regarding sustainable buildings
and architecture as catalysts for creating a more
sustainable society.
SPILLOVER EFFECTS
While the initial objective of the project was to reduce
the environmental footprint of the school, the fact is
that, through the active role of students and teachers,
the ecological footprint of the families has been reduced
as well. At the same time, in an era of financial crisis,
reducing the ecological footprint has resulted in reduced
spending for running the school building.
CRISIS AS A CATALYST FOR SUSTAINABLE INNOVATION
Last, but not least, it could be said that financial and
economic crisis sometimes is not an impediment, but
instead can act as a catalyst for sustainable innovation
and a new approach to doing business with a longer
term perspective and increased social impact.
BECOMING AN EXAMPLE
The project has influenced the school building and
educational system in Greece. The fact that the
AFS Primary School is considered a benchmark
in the country, inspiring new schools to adopt
this approach and hence opening new horizons,
opportunities and expectations for sustainable and
experiential education in the country.

34
SOCIALCAR
PEER-TO-PEER CAR RENTAL SERVICES IN SPAIN
ABOUT THE COMPANY
SocialCar is Spain’s first web-based peer-
to-peer car-sharing platform, offering rental
services directly from car owners. Created in
Barcelona in 2010 by the entrepreneur Mar
Alarcón, it focuses on including social and
environmental aspects in its business model,
management and impact.
Today, SocialCar has a growing community of
100,000 users and is present in more than 600
cities all over Spain.

35
INNOVATION ABOUT?
SocialCar is a car rental platform creating a community
of drivers and owners sharing the use of a car. Through a
peer-to-peer system, SocialCar has developed a social-
collaborative model: users can rent a car at affordable prices,
while automobile owners gain an additional source of income
from their underutilized asset through the direct rental.
The peer-to-peer rent-a-car works in quite a similar way to
other rental companies. For users, the first step is registering
on the platform, providing basic information such as the
driving license and payment method. When a user wants
to rent a vehicle, he or she looks for a car on the platform.
The main search criterion is usually the user’s location to
facilitate vehicle pick-up. The platform allows users to make
as many pre-booking requests as wanted to secure the car
rental process. When the car owner approves the pre-booking
request, SocialCar charges the user the rental amount and
sends the owner the contact details to facilitate the delivery. At
the end of the rental period, the car is returned to the owner,
and both look over the car to check that everything is in similar
condition. If there are no incidents, the rental agreement ends.
After the service is provided, the owner and user are able to
evaluate and rate the rental experience in order to offer other
platform users information for future rentals.
SocialCar charges a 20% service fee of the total amount of
the rental to the car’s owner. The remaining amount goes to
the owner’s account in the form of monthly installment. The
sharing, as a concept, is environmentally friendly since it
optimizes vehicle use by allowing people use a car without
owning one, hence reducing the impact associated with
manufacturing new cars.
In January 2010, after having successfully launched several
other entrepreneurial ventures, Mar Alarcón decided to create
a car-sharing company in Barcelona. With a strong law and
business management background, Alarcón first learned about
social entrepreneurship in Bangladesh during her internship at
Grameen Bank with the Nobel Peace Prize winner Professor
MuhammadYunus.Hermotivationinsettingupnewbusinesses
was inspired by this experience and her sustainability beliefs.
SocialCar got its name from the first company she and her
husband created: Social Energy (a renewable energy systems
integrator for roof mounted photovoltaic power plants in Spain,
France and Italy). She decided to maintain the first part of
the name—i.e. ‘social’—because she thought it defined the
company’s objective. To set up the venture, she put together
a small team of four people to define a business plan and
manage the operations.
The idea of creating SocialCar is also rooted in a strong
environmental vision. The initial idea was solar-powered
electric car rentals, but gradually the model shifted to make
it more viable for Spain where such vehicles were very scarce.
In April 2010, she decided to conduct a market study on car-
sharing initiatives and found Whipcar, an innovative peer-to-
peer rent-a-car company operating in the United Kingdom.
The peer-to-peer model was seen as sustainable and efficient,
providing a choice for giving people easier mobility, and it had
a social component because car owners could make money by
renting their own cars.
The next step was to develop an online platform to encourage
peer-to-peer bookings. The development of the technological
platform was outsourced because the team had no previous
experience on that front. Four months later, in July 2010,
the online platform was launched and the first cars were
available for rent.

36
During the following months, Mar Alarcón worked to attract
cars to the database for rental, initially from family and friends
who were easily convinced to offer their cars into the platform.
They soon realized that most customers left the platform
shortly after registering, mainly because of the small variety of
car models. The team quickly realized that searching for new
vehicles had to be their core activity, and thus made it a priority
for the rest of 2011. The biggest challenge was to design the
right processes and tools to ensure safety and warranties for
all users: car owners and car drivers.
Starting in January 2012, the company’s operations became
smoother. Having more vehicles available on the platform
led to an increase in the number of rentals. The economic
crisis in Spain at that moment also created an opportunity
for collaborative consumption and, in fact, there was an
increasing interest in collaborative and sharing economy
initiatives. Alarcón’s venture got a great deal of media
attention, which was an unexpected promotion as peer-to-
peer car sharing was an unknown service in Spain at the
time when SocialCar was launched.
According to Mar Alarcón, 30% of the Spanish population have
now heard about renting their cars to their peers. People who
have tried the service get excited and some even become
SocialCar brand ambassadors.
While the idea of having an electric car fleet was the original
idea, it was soon discarded when the founder realized there
were many under-used vehicles in the city. Introducing
collaborative economy principles in the car rental business
was considered a more efficient model. Renting as a concept is
considered environmentally friendly, since it is estimated that
every car affiliated with SocialCar substitutes for four cars.
Thus, SocialCar’s model of car-sharing can reduce the
number of cars in the city because not everyone has to buy a
car, but rather can use someone else’s car when needed. This
would lead to fewer cars being manufactured lowering the
environmental impacts associated with that. It is possible
that this could also contribute to reducing traffic congestion
and therefore reducing CO2
emissions, but the company has
not yet established key performance indicators to track and
monitor this impact.
OF THIS INNOVATION?
SocialCar provides a platform to allow peer-to-peer rental
services directly from vehicle owners. By providing this
opportunity to car owners, the company can make a
contribution to society. Roughly 11% of average household
expenses cover the cost of owning a car, while food is around
15%. In the economic crisis in Spain, people who have lost
their jobs have found it difficult to maintain car payments
and costs, so having the possibility of renting the car can
bring an additional source of income.
In addition, SocialCar provides a diverse range of cars on its
platform, including cars adapted for people with special needs.
Fundación ONCE, the largest Spanish institution dedicated to
aiding the disabled community, joined SocialCar’s initiative to
help car owners to recover the investment on adapting their
vehicles by finally having a marketplace for renting such cars.

37
SocialCar was initially self-funded. It received a grant from
the Ministry of Economy and also applied for national funds
for business innovation (Plan Avanza) in 2010. For the most
part, the financing has been equity. SocialCar expected
to reach its breakeven point in 2015. SocialEnergy, Mar
Alarcón’s first enterprise, has done well financially and has
been able to cross-subsidize SocialCar. The organic growth
of SocialCar and the income it has generated has allowed
the company to cover its own costs. More recently, the
company gathered a total of €800,000 in private financial
rounds of funding and it is targeting to raise another €2
million shortly for the future expansion of the business.
SocialCar’s prices are lower than those of traditional car
rental companies. At the same time, SocialCar offers a wide
variety in their car fleet—from more low-range cars costing
€15 per day to luxury cars, including Tesla electric cars
costing €400 euros per day—making an appealing offer to
different segments of the public. This competitive model
has allowed SocialCar to grow by 120% annually during the
past two years. In 2012, the turnover was almost €300,000,
increasing to €600,000 in 2013.
On average, a car owner can earn around €2.000 annually
by renting via SocialCar. Some car owners have their cars
almost always available on the platform and in those cases
their income is significantly higher. In this sense, SocialCar is
increasing customer satisfaction in two ways: by offering car
owners opportunities to earn extra income and by offering a
competitive price to car rental users. By creating a total of 16
new jobs for the venture, one can say that SocialCar also has
had a positive social impact on job creation.
SocialCar currently has 100,000 users, a very strong
community who, on average, rent vehicles for three days.
The company charges a 20% commission per transaction
and is planning to use the funds for marketing purposes, to
raise awareness and attract new customers.

07 | WHAT LESSONS CAN BE LEARNED FROM SOCIALCAR’S SUSTAINABILITY INNOVATION?
USE OF TECHNOLOGY
Technology allows the promotion of the concept of
sharing rather than owning, which is at the centre of
the collaborative economy philosophy. It also helps
the creation of a community of users around a more
sustainable and efficient use of resources.
ENTREPRENEUR VISION
The entrepreneur’s background and strong
motivation are key to understanding the success of
the company in the Spanish market. Mar Alarcón’s
sustainability values and previous entrepreneurial
experience shaped the creation of the company.
FLEXIBILITY
While SocialCar’s original goal was to create a rent-
a-car company with electric cars, the founder’s
managerial experience and awareness of the context
led to a change of direction. Alarcón soon realized the
model would require a large up-front investment and
thus reaching the break-even point would take longer.
GENERATIONAL CHANGE
For millennials, a car is mostly considered an expense
and a source of pollution. This new mindset is bringing
changes to the automotive industry, as it needs to find
the value proposition for this new generation. The car-
sharing model is becoming a much more attractive
value proposition for this generation, as well as for
people adopting more sustainable lifestyles.
CONTEXT OF ECONOMIC CRISIS
The success of the venture was possible due to the effects
of the crisis, which led to changing consumption habits.
People were looking for access to different services at a
fraction of their average market price; or, alternatively, to
gain an additional source of income.

39
SOM ENERGIA
A VISIONARY ENTREPRENEUR LEADING
A RENEWABLE ENERGY MOVEMENT
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Som Energia is a cooperative started by a group of
professors and students at the University of Girona who
were looking for a sustainable alternative to energy
consumption and wanted to challenge the current
energy industry paradigm in Spain. The nonprofit
cooperative is focused on marketing and producing
energy of renewable origin. Som Energia also sees itself
as a social and citizen movement working towards a
more sustainable future by making the energy market in
Spain more transparent and green.
Thecooperativeisgrowingrapidlyanditcurrentlyhas27,000
members and 25 full-time employees. Its headquarters are
based in Girona, 100km north of Barcelona. Som Energia
expected turnover in 2016 is € 23 million.

40
INNOVATION ABOUT?
Som Energia Cooperative produces and commercializes 100%
renewable energy with guaranteed-origin certificates. In the
future, it aims to meet all of its members’ electricity demands
with its own energy production. The cooperative started with
the vision of an entrepreneur, Gijsbert Huijink, and a group
of students and professors from the University of Girona who
had seen successful cases of citizen participation in renewable
energy models abroad and decided to implement them in Spain.
They started by buying locally produced green energy from the
grid; currently they also produce some of their own. They plan
to increase their energy projects with biogas, photovoltaic, wind
turbines and mini-hydroelectric initiatives to be able to meet all
of the members’ energy needs.
Som Energia has the ambition of being an alternative-energy,
citizen movement. Therefore, it not only provides a service,
but also actively seeks the engagement of members, who are
project investors, can participate in working commissions,
local groups and the cooperative assembly, allowing them to be
directly involved in the development of the cooperative and its
daily management.
The story of Som Energia is closely linked to the story of its
founder, Gijsbert Huijink, a Dutch entrepreneur who moved
to Girona with his wife in 2005. Although lacking any previous
experience with the energy sector, he had an enthusiastic
startup mentality and a drive for implementing new ideas and
solutions. The starting point of the venture was the difficulty
in accessing electricity in the rural area where he and his
wife were renovating their home. After receiving a quote of
€80,000 to be able to connect their home to the grid, Huijink
started looking for alternatives. He installed solar panels in
his home to produce his own energy and started researching
about energy and consumption cooperative models in the
Netherlands, Germany and the UK.
Around the same time in the same town, a groupofpeople who
called themselves ‘Territories with Energy’ were interested
in setting up renewable-energy projects. Nuri Palmada, a
co-founder of Som Energia, was a member of that group.
They had formed an association and had been researching
successful cases and best practices in renewable-energy
projects implemented in other countries at a local level.
As part of the research, they visited Wildpoldsried, a town
in Germany that produces 200% of its consumption from
renewable sources, thus feeding the grid with windmills,
biomass and biogas. They wanted to start a similar project
in their town when they met Huijink, who told them about
his idea of starting a cooperative. They decided to join forces
and began looking into how to get more people interested.
With the assistance of 20 research volunteers from the
University of Girona, where Huijink was teaching at the time,
they developed a business plan including a focus on citizen
participation in a renewable energy model, that not only sold
green energy but also produced its own.
The initial proposal included triple-bottom-line criteria:
a non-profit organization covering all its costs, an
employment-generating organization with decentralized
local groups, and a 100% renewable-energy producer and
service provider. In 2010, the cooperative was officially
founded and operations started right away as a website
and minimum office infrastructure were set up. Members
quickly started joining. Many members joined in response
to the lack of green energy options and the high bills of the
large energy companies, which had oligopoly power of the
market as the two largest companies accounted for 80% of
the Spanish energy market.
User participation and involvement is key in the success of
Som Energia. The cooperative is horizontally organised with
local autonomous groups in towns and cities who determine
the activities at a local level. Every member has a voice.
Local groups are constituted within the legal framework of
the cooperative and can decide their status and roles based
on their needs and abilities. The groups are volunteer-based
and have different focuses: spreading information and ideas,
developing technical ideas like implementing projects with
other organizations, and working directly with public entities.
Full autonomy and space is given to all members to contribute
according to their motivation and skills. This has created some
chaos, but also has been the seed of many innovations. Most
importantly, it has shaped a sense of community and belonging
in which all its members feel they are contributing to a more
sustainable future.
Additionally, the members are also investors in new projects
and activities. In just four years, around one thousand
members of the cooperative have invested over €3.5 million in
sustainable energy schemes, which include eight photovoltaic
projects, a 500-kilowatt biogas plant and an 80-kilowatt
biomass heater. A recent project crowdfunded by members
was the photovoltaic plant of Alcolea del Río, with 8,800 solar
panels with 300-kilowatt generation. A total of 2,200 members
invested €2 million less than two hours.

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