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18th European Trend Day

Simplify. Reduce. Degrow. – From Industrial Overkill to Frugal Innovation. 9 March 2022

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Simplify. Reduce. Degrow.
From Industrial Overkill to Frugal Innovation


One more feature. Yet another gadget. More is more – that’s the industrial logic of excess. The result? More complexity and more resource demand. And more of a burden on the environment.

But there are alternatives. Frugal Innovation means creating things by applying surprising ideas to scarce resources. Poorer countries adopted this approach faster, insufficiency begets ingenuity. But in the face of global warming and precarious supply chains, such frugal innovations will become more important in industrialised countries, too.

Frugality meets a new mindset. Anxious people are demanding reliability and sustainability. Their interest in degrowth, the circular economy, considerate consumption, minimalism, lo-tech, no-code and FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) is proof of a change in values. But consumers don't want "less", they want "better". A desire for system innovation, rather than product innovation evolves.

At the GDI’s 18th European Trend Day, thought leaders and entrepreneurs will discuss issues such as:

  • how frugal innovation works;
  • how companies can achieve frugal business models;
  • how frugal innovation can be combined with simplicity and beauty.

 Hashtag: #trendday2022

Speakers


Jason Hickel

United Kingdom

Economic anthropologist, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and author. Hickel’s research focuses on global inequality, political economy, post-development, and ecological economics, which are also the subjects of his most recent book "Less is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World".

Navi Radjou

USA/France/India

Author (i.a."Frugal Innovation: How To Do Better With Less" and "Jugaad Innovation"). As an expert on innovation and leadership, Radjou advises leaders worldwide. He was Vice President at Forrester Research and was awarded the Thinkers50 Innovation Award in 2021.


Stefan Sagmeister

USA/Austria

Co-owner of design agency Sagmeister & Walsh. The Austrian graphic designer and typographer lives and works in New York. Sagmeister has created CD cover designs for Lou Reed, the Rolling Stones or David Byrne, among others. He has been nominated for the Grammy six times and won it twice. In 2018, he designed the Austrian contribution to the Biennale Architettura in Venice and opened an exhibition on beauty at the Vienna Museum of Applied Arts.Website


Franziska Barmettler

Switzerland

Leiterin Nachhaltigkeit bei Ikea Schweiz. Franziska Barmettler sitzt seit 2019 für die Grünliberale Partei im Zürcher Kantonsrat und gründete 2008 den Wirtschaftsverband swisscleantech mit, der sich dafür einsetzt, die Schweiz bis 2050 CO2-neutral zu machen. Die ehemalige Leistungssportlerin ist zudem Vorstandsmitglied der Schweizer Bewegung «Operation Libero».


Florian Wagner

Germany

Autor («Rente mit 40: Finanzielle Freiheit und Glück durch Frugalismus») und Anhänger der FIRE-Bewegung (Financial Independence, Retire Early). Wagner studierte Wirtschaftsingenieurwesen und arbeitete danach als Projektleiter in der Automobilindustrie. In seinem Blog «Geldschnurrbart» beschreibt er seinen Weg zur finanziellen Unabhängigkeit.


Lieke van Kerkhoven

Netherlands

Mitbegründerin, FLOOW2, einem Marktplatz für Unternehmen und Organisationen zur gemeinsamen Nutzung von Geräten, Dienstleistungen, Einrichtungen, Wissen und Fähigkeiten. Van sieht unsere Top-Down-Gesellschaft immer mehr zu einer zu einer Bottom-Based-Gesellschaft, in der Zusammenarbeit, Verbindung, persönliche Verantwortung und Vertrauen Schlüsselfaktoren seien.


Leidy Klotz

USA

Associate Professor an der University of Virginia und Autor des Buches «Subtract: The Untapped Science of Less». Klotz erforscht, wie wir die Dinge in das verwandeln, was wir uns von ihnen wünschen. Seine Forschungsarbeiten in der Designwissenschaft sind in der «Nature» sowie «Science» erschienen, und er wurde in «The Washington Post» veröffentlicht.


Cassandra Delage

France

Gründerin und CEO, Plast'if. Das Unternehmen erstellt für Firmen Pläne, um Kunststoffe zu reduzieren und durch plastikfreie Alternativen zu ersetzen. Zudem bietet Plast'if Unternehmen die «Zero.W-Maschine» als Werkzeug zur Abfallbekämpfung an. Kunststoffabfälle werden darin recycelt und neue Produkte direkt aus diesen Abfällen in 3D gedruckt.


Paul Benoît

France

Präsident und Mitgründer des Tech-Start-ups Qarnot. Qarnot beheizt mit der Abwärme von Servern Gebäude. Ende 2020 hat Qarnot in Frankreich 300 Sozialwohnungen, aber auch Schulen und Büros mit kostenloser Wärme und W-LAN versorgt.


Pleun van Dijk

Netherlands

Designer and curator of the Future Materials Bank. The Future Materials Bank is an archive of materials that support and promote the transition towards more sustainable art and design practices. By collecting information and samples from makers around the world, the archive aims to produce and democratize knowledge about these future-proof materials.


Lukas Neumann

Switzerland

CEO Region Afrika bei der REHAU Group. Neumann promovierte zum Thema Frugal Innovation an den Universitäten St. Gallen und Cambridge. Als einer der Gründer des «Frugal Innovation Network» hat er bereits dutzenden Firmen in diesem Bereich erfolgreich beraten und Praxiserfahrungen in Schwellen- und Entwicklungsländern, aber auch im westlichen Kontext gesammelt.


Achim Hensen

Germany

Gründer, Purpose Stiftung und Purpose Ventures. Hensen arbeitete für die Managementberatung und Trend- und Gesellschaftsforschung Nextpractice in Deutschland, China, Singapur und den USA. Die Purpose Stiftung setzt sich für die Unternehmensform des Verantwortungseigentums ein: eine Eigentumsform, bei der Unternehmen langfristig selbstbestimmt und sinnorientiert wirtschaften.


Lukas Jezler

Switzerland

CEO of the GDI Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute for consumption, economic and social studies, Rüschlikon/Zurich.


Moderator


Julian Thorner

Switzerland

Moderator. Until 2015 Thorner hosted his daily news show "Noiz" on the youth channel Joiz. From 2016 until 2022, Thorner could be listened to on Radio SRF 3 in his own show "De Samstig – mitem Julian Thorner".


Programme

08.30
Welcome coffee

09.00
Lukas Jezler, CEO, Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute
Introduction

09.15
Jason Hickel, economic anthropologist, Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts and author of "Less Is More"
Degrowth: Challenging A Fundamental Paradigm
How a planned reduction of energy and resources could bring the economy back into balance with the living world

Leidy Klotz, Associate Professor, University of Virginia and author of "Subtract"
Why Less Is More: The Cognitive Science
Our minds tend to add before taking away. By diagnosing this neglect of subtraction, we can treat it

Navi Radjou, expert on innovation and leadership, author of "Frugal Innovation"
Frugal Innovation: A New Mindset and a Path to Regenerative Business
Climate, tight budgets, tech and Gen-Z customers: Post COVID-19, the business world will radically change. In this context, how can companies get high-quality products to market faster, better, cheaper?

10.45
Coffee break / networking

11.15
Frugal Innovation in Practice

Cassandra Delage, founder and CEO, Plast'if
Case 1: A second life for plastic waste

Lieke van Kerkhoven, co-founder, FLOOW22
Case 2: A sharing marketplace for businesses

Paul Benoît, President and co-founder, Qarnot
Case 3: How to value server heat

Panel discussion on frugal innovation in practices
with Cassandra Delage, Lieke van Kerkhoven and Paul Benoît

Lukas Neumann, Frugal Innovation Network, University of St. Gallen
Frugal Products: A Practical Guide
How companies can open up new markets and attract new customers with innovative solutions

12.30
Networking lunch

14.00
Franziska Barmettler, Head of Sustainability, Ikea Switzerland
More With Less: When Reduction Becomes Scalable
How frugal innovation can foster sustainability along the entire value chain in a global industrial company

Pleun van Dijk, designer and curator, Future Materials Bank
Mycelium, Seaweed, Bacteria: The Raw Materials of the Future
How a collection of alternative natural materials can drive sustainability

Achim Hensen, co-founder, Purpose Foundation and Purpose Ventures
Rethinking Ownership: From Profit to Meaning
Companies as a positive force in society. What responsible ownership means, and how it enables the development of business potential and an orientation towards meaning

15.30
Coffee break / networking

16.00
Florian Wagner, author and proponent of the FIRE movement
Financial Freedom At 40: Frugalism for a More Satisfying Life
Those who keep track of their expenses, use money for sustainable enjoyment of life and invest cleverly can live more freely financially

Stefan Sagmeister, co-owner, Sagmeister & Walshh
The Art Of Beauty: Why Nice Things Make Better People
Beauty is no mere surface strategy. How good architecture and design help us feel and behave differently

17.00
Networking apéro

Information

Date

9 March 2022

Language

German/English (simultaneous translation)

Changes to the programme

The programme is subject to change. If an event does not take place, fees will be refunded. Further claims are ruled out.

Cancellation

If you are unable to attend, please let us have your cancellation in writing. The fee will be reimbursed on cancellation thirty or more days before the event. After this term and until five full working days prior to the event we will charge 75% of the fee. In the event of later cancellations we will charge the full participation fee. Substitute participants welcome.

Hotel reservation

To benefit from special rates, please use the following email adresses and refer to the following code: ETD2022

Hotel Sedartis, Thalwil: info@sedartis.ch

Hotel Belvoir, Rüschlikon: info@hotel-belvoir.ch

Hotel Alex Lake Zürich, Thalwil: reservations@alexlakezurich.com

Transport

From Zurich airport

You can reach the GDI and partner hotels by taxi in around 45 minutes. The cost is approximately CHF 100, depending on traffic. Alternatively, the train is a fast and easy way of reaching Zurich and Thalwil train station.

From Thalwil train station

There will be a free shuttle bus service between the GDI and the Hotel Sedartis Thalwil / Thalwil train station. The bus will be waiting on the side of the station facing the lake. Our staff will welcome you on the spot.

Bahnhof Thalwil – GDI: 8.00 – 8.45, every 15 minutes

GDI – Bahnhof Thalwil: 17.15 – 19.00, every 15 minutes

Hotel Belvoir is within walking distance of the GDI.

Luggage

You are welcome to leave your luggage in the GDI cloakroom.

Parking

​ ​ The car park is a five minute walk from the GDI and located on Zürcherstrasse 4, 8803 Rüschlikon. You will receive a ticket from the GDI to exit the car park free of charge.


General Terms and Conditions Events and Studies EN (PDF)


Venue

GDI Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute

Langhaldenstrasse 21

8803 Rüschlikon

SCHWEIZ

Anreise

Fees

Full price: CHF 1200

20 % early bird discount until 31 January 2022: CHF 960

Price for startups: CHF 500 (Request for voucher code: etd(at)gdi.ch)

The conference fee includes all food and beverages. Participants registering less than two weeks before the event can pay by credit card only.


Media partners

Brand Eins Logo

List of Participants

List of Participants (password required)

Documentation

Interviews

Interview with Leidy Klotz
Interview with Navi Radjou


Interview with Hickel

Pictures

all pictures

Networking
GDI
Conference morning
Conference afternoon
Networking Apéro

Videos and presentations of the speakers (password required)

About

The European Trend Day is a gathering on digitisation and society. With a different theme each year, the event discusses technological innovations and their impact on the economy and society. Speakers explore new possibilities of the still unthinkable and unimaginable. Participants are decision-makers from marketing, retail, consulting as well as entrepreneurs, academia and journalists from quality media.


300
Participants
90 %
Executives
10
Speakers

Past conferences

Advisory Board

Peter Wippermann

Founder of Trendbüro, Hamburg. Peter Wippermann was a Professor of Communication Design at Folkwang University of the Arts, Essen, he is a specialist in trend-based brand management, and the author of numerous publications.


Norbert Bolz

Professor of Media Studies at the Technical University of Berlin, zeitgeistphilosopher and trend analyst. Bolz is an important thinker on cultural development and author of numerous publications on media, marketing and communication.


Karin Frick

Karin Frick ist Leiterin Research und Mitglied der Geschäftsleitung. Die Ökonomin analysiert Trends und Gegentrends in Wirtschaft, Gesellschaft und Konsum und referiert zu diesen Themen regelmässig auf Tagungen und Kongressen.

Dominique von Matt

Founder and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the communications agency Jung von Matt/Limmat. Von Matt is Honorary Professor of Business Administration at the University of St. Gallen.

David Bosshart

Dr. David Bosshart was CEO of the GDI Gottlieb Duttweiler Institute for consumption, economic and social studies from 1999 to 2020. Since 2020 he has been President of the G. and A. Duttweiler Foundation.