Our 5 take-aways from the PRODURABLE trade fair

This year, LittleBig Connection took part in the 16th PRODURABLE trade fair, which was held on September 12 and 13 in Paris. This event is Europe’s biggest gathering on the sustainable economy, and over two days attracted almost 12,000 visitors who were all confirmed or future agents for change! We had the pleasure of attending some fascinating meetings and learning more about the new solutions discussed during the event.

Here are our five take-aways from attending the PRODURABLE trade-fair.

#1 Practical implementation

Simply raising awareness of CSR as a flagship measure is a thing of the past: it is now time to prioritize its actual implementation. This is the reason why companies that are taking action are setting out a clear roadmap with deadlines and measurable objectives. Raising awareness is just one step in this new context.

#2 A new place for Sustainable Development

Following a period spent structuring our CSR departments, we have now entered a phase that involves transforming our business roles. Sustainable development must incorporate all areas of the company, rather than remaining confined to one separate hub. This is precisely the point emphasized by the trade fair’s opening plenary session: “The shift taking place in our society will be a cultural shift if it is going to happen at all! ”: It affects all levels.

#3 Reinventing our business roles

With Sustainable Development now being seen as a greater priority, companies wishing to embark on a sustainable transition need to develop the dual skills of business-related and sustainable development expertise among their employees. We are facing a period involving major (re)training efforts in our attempts to move towards this dual expertise.

#4 New skills and expertise

Despite the tools and technological solutions that are available for accelerating sustainable transformation, there remains a shortage of sustainable skills or of experts with dual business-related/sustainability skills. When embarking on a sustainable transition, there is a need therefore to ensure that the necessary expertise is in place or can be acquired whether this is internal or external. And this is very apt, as numerous solutions are being developed, such as our Connect for Good offer.

#5 Co-construction skills

Let’s stay on the subject of expertise as we discuss co-construction skills, which are becoming increasingly important. Working with a non-governmental organization, social enterprise or accessible company will become increasingly common for companies that are committed to a sustainable transition. This collaboration between two different entities and spheres now represents a field of expertise in its own right. Once again, the deployment of training courses to spread this new expertise represents a solution aimed at overcoming this problem.

These five points are urgent issues that a lot of companies need to address if they are going to achieve their sustainable development targets. This is the reason why we created Connect for Good, the world’s largest community of experts on sustainable transformation. We have already supported more than thirty transformation projects to date for around twenty customers. Be part of the movement!