Thematic Winter Event 2010
Location: Artesis Hogeschool Antwerpen, Ambtmanstraat 1, 2000 Antwerpen
Date: 9th of December 2010, 18u
Participation fee: 40 euros for non-members
Free for PDMA Belgium members
registration closed
Sustainability as a driver for innovation
Sustainability is nowadays a key issue in Product Innovation but can it provide real opportunities for your company? Can you create added value based on sustainability?
The two keynote speakers for this first PDMA thematic network event, Bertrand Verhaeghe, Sales and Marketing director at Desso and Robin Parduyns, Business Unit Manager Bio-energy at Waterleau Group, are pioneers in the field of sustainability. They will share their experience in implementing eco strategies into their product innovation strategy.
Based on their testimonials we hope to gain insights in the most important hurdles and pitfalls in introducing sustainable innovation.
They will illustrate the role of empowerment and involvement from a managerial point of view and give answers to the role of new product development (or service development) in the change process to sustainability.
Their presentations will inspire us to share experiences during a workshop session with colleagues from various backgrounds.
Programme
18.00 hours: Introduction by Dirk de Jongh, chairman PDMA Belgium
18.10 hours: 'The case of Desso' , by Bertrand Verhaeghe, sales and marketing director, Desso
18.40 hours: ‘Case studies of Integrated Bio-energy projects providing sustainable solutions for urban waste water, organic waste & manure’ by Robin Parduyns, Business Unit Manager Bio-Energy, Waterleau Group.
19.10 hours: Workshop session on sustainability as a driver for innovation.
19.40 hours: Closing session with discussion
20.00 hours: Informal network moment with reception
Desso
Today, DESSO can look back on almost 80 years of proven performance, having built a reputation as a leading manufacturer of high quality carpet tiles and broadloom. DESSO has four factories and two major distribution centres in Europe, as well as specialist customer service centres throughout Europe, in America, Asia, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Australasia. DESSO products are specifically designed for both commercial and domestic applications. Its commercial product offering can be found in offices, banks, retail units, public buildings, schools, universities and care centres.
DESSO Consumer Carpets is represented by three strong brands: Parade, Bonaparte and DESSO. All with a rich history in manufacturing high-end consumer carpets where products are available through specialist retail traders, plus selected carpet stores and home furnishing shops..
DESSO’s creative carpet design and service oriented approach means that it has become a market leader in developing solutions for the Hospitality, Marine and Aviation (HMA) markets.
DESSO Sports Systems leads the market in the provision of artificial turf for sports fields and reinforced natural grass systems that provide the perfect surface at every level of sport.
DESSO’s innovation strategy is concentrated in 3 key areas: Creativity, Functionality and Cradle to Cradle®.
In signing a partnership agreement with the Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency (EPEA), Desso has become the first carpet manufacturer in EMEA to adopt the Cradle to Cradle® design. It marks DESSO’s radical decision to move beyond ‘mere’ sustainability in producing its carpets and artificial grass
Products are:
• biologically degradable or
• re-usable as raw materials for new products (= up-cycling)
Desso's Ambition: 100% Cradle to Cradle® closed circle by 2020
The urgent need to safeguard the fragile health of our planet is now widely recognized, and sustainability is a term increasingly applied to practices and processes emerging from our new, environmentally aware society. Many companies now promote the benefits of reducing energy and water consumption, carbon footprint, and waste.
DESSO as well, has been working on the Eco effectiveness and Eco efficiency. Our current energy efficiency index is 73%. Today, waste recycling from our factories exceeds 90%, and all packaging is 100% recyclable.
http://www.desso.com
Waterleau
Waterleau, Our dream is to protect the Blue Planet.
Waterleau is specialized in development of proprietary and advanced environmental technologies for Water, Air, Waste treatment and Renewable Energy through continuous efforts in R&D.
In compliance with legal, environmental, economic and social requirements Waterleau designs, builds and operates these technologies through the optimal use of resources.
Waterleau works for the benefit of all the stakeholders: sustainable business encompasses people, planet and profit.