Fabian Pattberg

Tag Archives - sustainability innovation

Innovative Sustainability promotion – Earth Day on Farmville

April 21, 201011:42 am

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If you are on Facebook and you like games then you might have come across the application game called Farmville. Millions and millions of people play Farmville every day and there seems to be no end to the popularity of this game.  (This is the Wikipedia link if you would like to know more about Farmville)

farmville Innovative Sustainability promotion Earth Day on FarmvilleNow Farmville also has a promotion of Earth Day integrated into the game itself. The promotion is working in the way that players can buy certain items for their farm (this is the purpose of the game, to design, individualize, grow and maintain your farm!). These items are only available for a particular time period therefore making them unique and are all related to Earth Day in one way or another.
Items you can buy for example include an “Earth monument” or a “Earth Day” flag amongst other things which you can show of on your frm. And this is what players of Farmville are after: Collecting unique items that help them to individualize their farm and design it the way they want it.

My opinion:
I believe that this is a great new and innovative example of how to promote Sustainability topics involving a very different stakeholder group. We need to have more ways like to this to raise awareness and reach the right target audience in order to promote Sustainability across the globe. Imagine the future scenario where the some of the main advocates for a more sustainable world will also show their influence through spreading the word via online games, online events, etc.

Obviously this will never replace the why we currently raise awareness about Sustainability issues now but this step by Zynga (the company running Farmville) is really encouraging to see in my opinion and will hopefully be just the start of the new ways to engage stakeholders and advocates online!

What do you think about this promotion of Earth Day within an online game? Am I just so geeky to like this way of raising Sustainability awareness online? icon smile Innovative Sustainability promotion Earth Day on Farmville

Think outside the box: The question of Sustainability and CSR Innovation

March 10, 20104:23 pm

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A lot of my posts on my blog are based on questions that I am being asked or ask myself on certain Sustainability / CSR topics. So did this question today. The question came up in an conversation I had last week with a colleague. Here it is:

What about innovation in the Sustainability / CSR field? Is this field any different when it comes to innovation then, say the technology sector? And what is the role of innovation in this field?

thinkingbox Think outside the box: The question of Sustainability and CSR InnovationI think this is/are a valid question/s to ask in the wake of the problems Apple for example is having when you think about their reluctance to start with Sustainability reporting.
Are they just ignorant or even arrogant to not consider it. And just because they are so innovative in the technology area is this enough to not be innovate in the Sustainability / CSR area as well?

This is how I see the role of innovation in the Sustainability / CSR field:

  • Innovation is one key factor for the success of Sustainability / CSR at an organization
  • Without innovative ways of thinking and engaging, progress in the discussion and best practice would be very slow or even not existing.
  • If we stop to innovate we will loose all that we have and worked for to bring Sustainability / CSR to where it is currently in the eye of stakeholders and organizations.

But it is not only about the point of view we have but also about how to use this innovation in the corporate context to advance Sustainability / CSR. Here are some interesting corporate examples of innovation in the Sustainability / CSR field that in my opinion show how innovation can lead to a more profitable business and increased stakeholder recognition:

  • Intel – For their great blogging platform, blogs on a wide variety of topics and social media engagement
  • Seventh Generation (US consumer brand) – For their thought leadership and willingness to engage in order to advance responsible business practice and change our ways which products we use
  • Novo Nordisk (Danish pharmaceutical company) – For their vigorous and detailed Sustainability know-how, the focus on proving the business case as well as integrated reporting contributions.
  • Centrica (UK utility company) – For their innovative stakeholder engagement and openness to learn from their stakeholders

But now it is over to you. Do you know more examples of great innovation in the Sustainability / CSR field? And how do you see the role of innovation in the field?

Picture Credit: debaird™