Six examples of open innovation with a sustainable attitude

More and more companies are collaborating with startups with a sustainable vocation:we have chosen six examples of open innovation with a positive impact.

You hear about everywhere open innovation but you still haven't understood what it is exactly?Simply put, it is a strategic approach adopted by companies to create greater value and be more competitive on the market, using ideas and technological solutions that come from outside.But how does this opening happen?Through collaborations with startups and universities, crowdsourcing, call for ideas, user innovation, hackathon, datathon, appathon or internal hubs, or actual acquisitions.It is therefore a virtuous contamination of ideas, solutions and resources capable of generating a positive impact for all interlocutors.Positive impact for all stakeholders, did we say?Therefore, necessarily also at the level environmental, social and economic?The challenge today is precisely this:marry the concept of technological and industrial progress, which for years has been one of the main causes of deterioration of natural resources, with that of sustainability.So we'll tell you about it six examples of open innovation in which large entrepreneurial realities have turned to innovative startups with a fresh, new and eco-oriented approach.

6 examples of open innovation

• Tim and Jojob
• Chiara Ferragni Collection and Gamindo
• Ferragamo and Orange Fiber
• Elisa and AWorld
• E.ON and BikeSquare
• Snam and Green Independence

Tim and Jojob

In the autumn of 2021 the communications giant Tim, through its open innovation program Tim Wcap, has started the Tim Challenge for circular economy. The initiative, in collaboration with the sustainable startup ecosystem LifeGate Way, was looking for innovative solutions to reduce waste, putting into practice the principles ofcircular economy.

The startup won first prize Jojob, which is part of the LifeGate Way roster.Since then, therefore, Tim has adopted the Jojob Real Time Carpooling app for its offices in Milan, Rome and Florence, with which employees view colleagues who have to travel the same route as them to go to work at compatible times, contact them via chat and book car rides.In this way they share the costs of refueling and possibly of the motorway toll booth or parking, calculated by an algorithm based on the Aci tables.And they reduce the number of cars on the road, with savings in terms of CO2 that are counted in real time.

Chiara Ferragni Collection and Gamindo

Chiara Ferragni Collection, the brand of the entrepreneur and influencer of the same name, has chosen the gaming formula to increase its visibility and collect leads.The undeniable flair for current trends has led Chiara Ferragni to invest in this rapidly expanding sector, a form of leisure that has now conquered around 3 billion people around the world.The project was developed by Gamindo, an award-winning startup from Treviso specialized in the development of video games for brands and companies for training and promotional purposes, part of the ecosystem of LifeGate Way.

Rescue Matilda It can be downloaded for free directly from the company website and overturns the stereotype of the princess passively waiting to be saved:the role of the hero here in fact belongs to an avatar of Chiara Ferragni, guided by the player in the quest to save the dog Matilda.Obviously, as in any self-respecting video game, there are enemies to face and levels to overcome.To motivate users, a public ranking with the best players of all time and of the week.But how does sustainability come into play (it should be said)?Companies that turn to Gamindo can convert the points accumulated by users into donations intended for organizations or initiatives charity.

Ferragamo and Orange Fiber

It is not a very recent collaboration, but it is nevertheless significant because it featured, in as yet unsuspecting times, a prestigious name from a sector with a high environmental impact such as fashion.It is in fact dated 2017 Ferragamo Orange Fiber Collection, capsule collection made with fabrics obtained from citrus fruits.

Orange Fibre is a Sicilian company that since 2014 has been producing patented fabrics obtained from pastazzo, a by-product of citrus squeezing that would otherwise have to be disposed of, with all the economic and environmental costs that this entails.From it it extracts cellulose which becomes a fiber with a wad-like appearance, then transformed into yarn and fabric.Through a traced and transparent supply chain, Orange Fiber transforms this waste into the perfect ingredient for luxury brands that care about protecting the environment.

It was precisely the collaboration with the Florentine maison Ferragamo to decree the international debut of Orange Fiber, allowing what was a small startup to become an innovative SME.A story of circular economy, innovation and sustainability, that of Orange Fiber, which led it to enter the ecosystem of LifeGate Way, who is also among its investors.

Elisa and AWorld

The singer Elisa last summer he launched the project Music for the planet, made by Music innovation hub and from the app AWorld in favor of Legambiente:a fundraising which contributes to achieving the objectives of the European project Life Earth, of which Legambiente is the Italian representative, and which involves the planting of 9 million trees in Italy and 500 million in Europe.But how do you encourage people to participate? AWorld, the app officially chosen by United Nations in support of the global campaign against climate change ActNow and also part of LifeGate Way, has created a special Music for the planet section where you can record your eco-friendly actions and make a donation for the planting of new trees.

Elisa, as testimonial and ambassador of the United Nations for the campaign on the Sustainable Development Goals, last May was the artistic director of Heroes festival 2022, a three-day show at the Verona Arena, the first stage of Music for the planet.The singer's green commitment then continued with the Back to the future live tour, during which the protocol for sustainable events developed by the Polytechnic of Milan and Music innovation hub.

E.on and Bikesquare

E.on, a company that supplies renewable energy, has acquired 30 percent of BikeSquare, which offers electric mobility services and sustainable tourism on two wheels.E.on, since it sold its conventional energy business in 2016, has focused entirely on clean technologies, distributed energy generation and the development of electric mobility solutions.BikeSquare is a former startup, now SME, founded in 2016 by three young entrepreneurs who share the goal of promoting the cycle tourism with electric bikes.At the moment the service is active in numerous areas of Italy and Europe.

The collaboration between the two companies is based on the app of the same name for mobile devices which allows rental and storage sharing of electric bikes and guides the user in exploring the area, thanks to maps and routes that combine nature, culture, local traditions and food and wine specialties.Bikesquare's business model involves a network of commercial partners, from bike rental companies to accommodation facilities, to create itineraries.A partnerships, this one, which fits into the successful trend of cycle tourism, a safe and sustainable activity, which at the same time allows you to practice a healthy but not extreme sport and to explore the area in an green, enjoying the colors and scents of nature.

Snam and Green Independence

THE'hydrogen today it is recognized as a keystone for the decarbonisation of various sectors, from industry to transport.This, however, as long as it is green, i.e. produced with renewable sources. Snam, a company that deals with the storage and transport of natural gas, started a collaboration with the Brindisi startup in 2020 Green Independence for a research project on a new technology that produces thegreen hydrogen directly from solar energy.This method is innovative because, in fact, it "skips" the electrolysis process which requires reaching very high temperatures and is therefore very complex and expensive.For this mission to democratize access to clean energy, Green Independence in 2021 won second place in the Clean tech section of theUnicredit Start Lab.

The project Super green H2, which in addition to Snam involved various other entities such as the Polytechnic of Turin, was born within the innovation circuit Open Italy of the Elis Consortium.Super Green H2 is based on Nal (new artificial leaf) technology, an autonomous device developed by Green Independence that efficiently stores solar energy in order to transform wastewater and CO2 into a renewable resource.