SPIN-IN for Sustainability is a design sprint specifically created for companies of the lifestyle & design sector focusing on challenges revolving around the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.
About SPIN-IN for Sustainability
Stakeholders of the lifestyle and design industry, just like many others, are struggling to adopt and implement innovative, sustainable practices and often require the expertise and guidance or simply just need a small push to start their sustainability journey or continue their already existing sustainability plan.
Lifestyle & Design Cluster in collaboration with four knowledge institutions, Aarhus University, Design School Kolding, Royal Danish Academy, and the University of Southern Denmark developed the SPIN-IN for Sustainability concept. It caters to the members of the lifestyle and design industry, who are willing to embark on a sustainability journey, with a focused challenge as a starting point, or want to further develop their sustainability agenda, with a dedicated challenge as their next step.
In the SPIN-IN for Sustainability, companies bring a well-formulated sustainability challenge and welcome a dedicated, interdisciplinary team of international students and graduates, that become part of their organisation for a fixed period to help solve the challenge and provide the company with recommendations for the future.
The challenges have a grounding in the UN Sustainable Development Goals and run either for 4 days (short sprint, in person) or 4 weeks (long sprint, online).
The project has been running since 2019, having completed two successful years of sprints with 10+ Danish companies and 50+ Danish and international students, primarily focusing on sustainability and currently exploring digital challenges in parallel.
SPIN-IN for Sustainability 2020
SPIN-IN for Sustainability – Gabriella’s Story (Danish)
SPIN-IN for Sustainability – Team Woden
Main contact
Marianne Ping Huang, Associate Professor & Project Coordinator, Aarhus University
- Mail: mph@cc.au.dk
- Phone: 51371208
Other contacts
Kata Börönte, Project Coordinator & Research Assistant, Aarhus University
- Mail: borontekata@cc.au.dk
- Phone: 50158028
Lone F. Toftild, Manager IER Development, University of Southern Denmark
- Mail: lft@sdu.dk
- Phone: 6011392
Helene Jensen, Designer, Design School Kolding and Royal Danish Academy
- Mail: hj@sen-sen.dk
- Phone: 26713393
Course of four days (23. – 26. August 2021)
- EverRest, Aarhus (Category: IoT, QR code, product lifecycle, traceability, storytelling)
- Pilgrim, Skanderborg (Category: Accessories, packaging, storytelling)
- Chopar, Ikast (Category: Fashion, sustainability strategy, supply chain management, circularity)
Course of four weeks (15. September – 13. October 2021)
- Son of a Tailor, Copenhagen/online (Category: Fashion, IoT, traceability, inventory management)
- Skagerak Denmark, Aalborg/online (Category: Furniture, Packaging)
- Ziito, Fredericia/online (Category: Furniture, material analysis, upcycling, recycling)
- Horn Bordplader, Aulum/online (Category: Furniture, community building, storytelling, upcycling, recycling, materials)
- FLID Tools, Beder/online (Category: Tools, community building, storytelling, branding)
- Four Design, Odense/online (Category: Furniture, materials)
- Mos Mosh, Kolding/online (Category: Fashion, denim production, water footprint)
How to get involved?
Are you a student with a passion for sustainability and up for a great challenge?
- Read our SPIN-IN for Sustainability Guide to learn more about the project
- Explore previous cases
- Explore the available challenges in 2021
- Reach out to us if you have any questions or need more guidance
- To apply, send your CV and contact information + a short note explaining your motivation + three challenges you would be interested in solving to Marianne Ping Huang (mph@cc.au.dk) by 9 August 2021. The seats are distributed on a ‘first-come, first-served basis.
Are you a company with a passion for sustainability and a challenge to be solved?
- Read our SPIN-IN for Sustainability Guide to learn more about the project
- Explore previous cases
- Check out our Challenge Template if you are intrigued
- Reach out to us if you have any questions or need more guidance
Good to know
Companies are responsible for covering the students’ travel fees, meals and accommodations if needed. Please visit the guide for more details.
If you are eligible for ‘dagpenge’: In our experience, job centres generally look favourably on SPIN-IN for Sustainability. Please contact both your ‘A-kasse’ and your advisor at the job centre to get the final approval of your participation.
SPIN-IN for Sustainability has been conceptualised, developed and tested in collaboration with Aarhus University, Design School Kolding, Royal Danish Academy, and the University of Southern Denmark.
Cases
Read about Coster Copenhagen (Danish)
Read about Horn Bordplader (Danish)
Read about Wehlers (Danish)
Videos
SPIN-IN for Sustainability 2020
SPIN-IN for Sustainability – Gabriella’s Story (Danish)
SPIN-IN for Sustainability – Team Woden
