1st Luxembourg Impact Days Reward 8 Sustainable Consumption Projects

The first edition of the Luxembourg Impact Days took place at Cercle Cité in Luxembourg-Ville on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 July 2023.

This event aimed to promote a more sustainable way of consuming and was co-organised by the Ministry of Labour, Employment and the Social and Solidarity Economy, the Ministry of the Economy and the Ministry of Consumer Protection. The event took place in the presence of the Luxembourg Minister of Consumer Protection, Paulette Lenert, Luxembourg’s Minister of the Economy, Franz Fayot and the Luxembourg Minister of the Social and Solidarity Economy, Georges Engel.

The first day aimed at bringing together the actors of a more sustainable economy, in particular companies with societal impact, and the second day targeted the general public. The winners of two calls for projects on the theme of “Social Innovation” and the “Sharing Economy” were announced during the first day. Eight projects were rewarded for their social innovation or their contribution to the sharing economy.

The event officially started on Friday with speeches by ministers Lenert, Fayot and Engel. Minister Engel gave a brief overview of the social and solidarity economy sector in Luxembourg, while Minister Fayot shared his vision for the future of the Luxembourg economy, given the growing importance of the circular economy and the sharing economy. Minister Lenert, for her part, detailed the theme of sustainable and responsible consumption.

Among fourteen projects submitted with the aim of supporting and financing social innovation, five projects were selected and received an award from Minister Engel.

During the ceremony, the minister congratulated the winners and highlighted the importance of the social and solidarity economy in order to create a society based on values such as solidarity. The Ministry of Labour, Employment and the Social and Solidarity Economy reported it aims to continuously encourage the creation of companies with societal impact. Minister Engel also took the opportunity to officially kick off a communication campaign on social networks, scheduled for a period of three months, inviting people to participate in Impact Challenges, while a series of six impact stories will also be broadcast via social networks.

According to the ministries, the selected projects distinguished themselves through their innovative nature and the emphasis on the fight against poverty, advocating for education for a more sustainable way of life:

• Sospeso aims to allow customers to use their loyalty points saved with the Cocottes restaurant chain to finance, in whole or in part, a menu for a disadvantaged person;
• Impact No code studio, imagined by the societal impact company WIDE And Co SIS, aims to support primarily women to retrain in IT, especially those who do not have the necessary resources to be able to embark on an entrepreneurial adventure at impact, to help them develop digital products. The company also intends to support already established companies in their digitalisation efforts;
• The On.perfekt SIS project proposes the establishment of a new distribution channel of non-sellable fruits and vegetables in the form of boxes to disadvantaged people, thus fighting food waste. The project also aims to encourage companies and their employees to actively participate in harvesting fruit and vegetables through the implementation of new team-building activities;
• SoftCommute: proposed by Survcoin SIS, the project involves the launch of a mobile application aiming to encourage people to use soft mobility alternatives (public transport, cycling, walking, etc.) by rewarding them in the form of a crypto-currency ("softcoins") and using the principles of gamification;
• A fifth Microtarians SIS project offered the launch of an educational cannery using innovative preservation and fermentation methods taking the form of a Kirchberg-based workshop. In addition to reducing food waste, the workshop would serve to strengthen social cohesion and educate local residents on a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle through the organisation of seminars and other activities.

The Ministry of the Economy had launched a second call for projects to promote spaces for sharing products, equipment and equipment services, with the aim of reducing the waste of resources. Three projects were selected among the five submitted. Minister Fayot congratulated the winners and presented them with a certificate.

The award winners were:

• POST Luxembourg with its “sharing kiosk” which aims to create a concept allowing, among other things, the use of two “Pack-Up” stations to rent equipment in the fields of DIY, cleaning and household appliances;
• General Technic Building Solutions Sàrl with its "good tools for all" project allowing the provision of a fleet of electric portable and wired machines in the field of construction and DIY. These devices can be rented by individuals while the project managers would maintain the machines to guarantee maximum safety;
• Microtarians SARL-S-SIS with its “shared kitchen” project, offering the rental of kitchen equipment to residents, working people and asylum seekers housed in structures near the Stuff Grünewald district.

Following this official ceremony, a Local Entrepreneur Forum was held, organised with the non-profit organisation Co-creators, which highlighted five promoters of local projects having a positive impact on society. The hundred participants pledged their support in a varied way to the projects that convinced them: aquaponics, peri-urban refuges, inclusive digitalisation, social beauty salon and collaborative space for artists, among others. For Minister Fayot "entrepreneurs have a key role to play in the transition and the forum makes it possible to support them and even to encourage vocations.”