INNOV8 4 EARTH – 4th edition
Pon Datalab organised the fourth INNOV8 4 EARTH edition on July 25th, highlighting technology’s potential for positive change. Anyone who’s interested in technology or sustainability is welcome, so we had a great mix of enthousiasts, data scientists, developers, designers, digital innovators and sustainability experts.
Continuing its format, INNOV8 4 EARTH embraced both returning participants and newcomers and we all started the day with a presentation by Liesbeth from the CSR Pon IT team. Returning participants continued working on the project from the previous editions, whilst the new participants joined the brainstorm. The latter group stepped into the role of dreamer (everything is possible), realist (how to make this possible) and critic (this is not possible because), coming up with many ideas to improve the energy system, mobility market or the lives of those who need it. The ideas that survived all three stages were pitched to the group, after which everyone picked their favorite idea to work on. The teams spent the rest of the day on creating their first prototype, dashboard, mock-up, website or program.
Liesbeth Dieleman, member of the CSR Pon IT team, informed us on all ways that Pon IT is taking steps towards a greener or more cyclical future. She talked about how to increase the sustainability of IT, via energy efficiency, asset utilization, circularity, improvements in the supply chain. All of this is in place to work towards a net zero operation. Next to that, Liesbeth showed figures with interesting facts to improve the footprint via the car park, waste handling, office heating and electricity, air travel, digital workspace and data centers. The CSR Pon IT goals can be seen in the image here.
The following cases successfully passed the brainstorm session and were worked on during the day:
Case 1: Repair Café
With the repair café, we want to 1) repair hardware, 2) improve everyone’s idea of sustainability, 3) reduce the ecological footprint by improving circularity, 4) bring people together and elevate the community feeling. This café could prevent people from throwing away things that could have easily been repaired or rebooted. First, the team will start with repairing your (personal) hardware. Get in touch with the Kalkhoff CSR team & join the first repair café.
Case 2: wepower the ‘buurt-batterij’
wepower, a project from previous INNOV8 editions, proposes a solution to the problem of net congestion in the energy market. wepower is a cutting-edge technology company focused on harnessing the power of smart charging batteries to optimize energy usage and generate revenue from fluctuating electricity prices. The innovative solution aims to leverage renewable energy sources and smart battery management to capitalize on negative net power prices and reduce costs during peak electricity rates. wepower’s unique selling points lie in its durable, cost-effective approach to sustainable energy solutions, positioning us as a leader in the evolving green energy market.
Case 3: JOYN ‘the movement’ platform
JOYN, another project from previous editions, is a knowledge sharing and CSR platform designed to stimulate Pon employees’ intrinsic motivation to participate in a wide range of initiatives. The goal is to create an interactive platform and community in which ideas can be absorbed and shared with other Pon employees. The platform includes amongst others a “Wall of Fame” with big contributors, a board to submit and upvote ideas, a recipe of the day, and a performance measure overview. Examples of activities could be waste removal, (programming) education for kids, initiatives to improve the offices or homes (LED-day, where you change all the bulbs).
Case 4: Pon Refurbished
This team worked on an idea that aims to encourage re-using technology and products. Current IT hardware & office supply solutions and policies are geared to the procurement of new IT products. However, this team would like to add the possibility to order refurbished, remanufactured and recycled IT hardware. By offering Pon employees a refurbished phone or laptop, the team is aimed at reducing the demand for new products and reducing carbon emissions in the entire supply chain.
Want to learn more about the cases, work on the projects in the mean time, or join the next INNOV8 4 EARTH in October or November 2023? Send me an e-mail on charlotte.koning@pon.com and I’ll be happy to arrange a get-together.
Kevin Haver
Lead Data Scientist
Ellen Mik
Senior Data Scientist
Yasmin Roshandel
PhD Candidate Operations Research & AI Specialist
Charlotte Koning
Community Lead