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Innov_ex

Innov_ex 2010 report.

Wednesday 28th April 2010 the 8th Innovation for Extremes Conference at Lancaster University Management School.

Organisers: Mike Parsons and Mary Rose, IEED, Lancaster University Management School
http://www.innovation-for-extremes.net/

Theme: Innovation,and the outdoors: sustainable products, processes and activities

Sponsored by the Outdoor Industries Association

 

Innov_ex 2010 built on knowledge developed in the 2008 and 2009 conferences, to open up debate around the sustainability debate within the outdoor industries.

Discussions focused on
• the meaning and measurement of sustainability
• on environmental innovation
• on the practical steps that could be taken by the outdoor industries collectively
• how to handle the challenges of getting started with sustainability.
• Learning about best practice

Delegates learned from Phil Reeves (Econolyst) and Mike Berners- Lee that varying approaches to carbon footprinting are suitable for differing products, sectors and company size - much depends on the materials and processes used and the type of supply chain.

This makes it especially challenging for individual companies. Mark Held of the European Outdoor Group's Sustainability Working Group, supported by Cortney McDermott of TNF/VCF and Killian Hochrein of W.L.Gore made a very strong case for cross industry collaboration as the only way forward for outdoor industries.

The environmental and ecological agenda does offer opportunities for innovation as Jackie Seddon, Lancaster Environment Centre showed in an example of bio-degradable cellulose washing sponges.

A principle feature of the afternoon was an interactive workshop led by Ben Kellard,Principal Sustainability Advisor from Forum for the Future. It was an active participatory workshop, a new initiative for Innov_ex designed to help companies focus on priorities, overcome blockages and identify possible pathways.

Live web-streaming was available throughout the day and video conferences broadens the reach of Innov_ex and brings international engagement without massively increasing the conference's carbon foot-print. This year we were joined by speakers from Japan and Germany.

Seiichiro Yonekura, Eugene Choi and Hiroshi Shimizu from Hitosubashi University in Tokyo discussed fast fashion in a the joint venture between Toray and Uniqlo.

Jeff Crook of Mountain Equipment Co-operative joined us via video conference with an update, building on David Labistour's 2008 presentation. He showed how their environmental or sustainability policy being built into corporate strategy, instead of being tagged onto existing strategy.

A major highlight of Innov_ex is the annual Innovation Design Prize this year won by Veronica Legg a student at Manchester Metropolitan University.

Mike Parsons and Mary Rose May 2010
 

Innov_ex 2009 report.

The OIA, headline sponsors, see Innov_ex as being about the future health of the UK outdoor trade, a health that can be achieved by better understanding of the balance between commercial and environmental choices and by the development of the next generation of innovators.

Innov_ex 2009 fulfilled both those aims. The agenda, with its focus on transparency, carbon foot-printing and sustainable business models highlighted the importance of making informed choices across the whole supply chain. The student prize associates the OIA with the development of the next generation of innovators, while an exciting session on rapid manufacturing showed how combinations of technology are reducing the cost and increasing the potential of customisation. 

Innov-ex 2010 is about Sustainability: Products, Processes and Activities. Not be missed, read more about the event here.

Learn more about Innovex at www.innovation-for-extremes.org