3.1 towards social equity and cohesion vezzoli 11-12 (27)

Carlo Vezzoli AH-DESIGN, EU PROJECTPolitecnico di Milano / INDACO dept. / DIS / School of Design / Italy

carlo vezzolipolitecnico di milano . INDACO dpt. . DIS . School of design . Italy

Learning Network on Sustainability

course System Design for Sustainabilitysubject 3. Design for social equity and cohesion

learning resource 3.1

Towards social equity and cohesion


CONTENTS . Sustainability: the socio-ethical dimension. Socio-ethical Sustainability: a concern for all economies. PSS: opportunities in emerging and low-income contexts. Distributed Economies: system innovation coupling socio-ethical with environmental sustainability. Transition path and socio-technical experiment for self-standing sustainable PSS diffusion


EQUITY PRINCIPLE [UN, Johannesburg, 2002] “every person, in a fair distribution of resources, has a right to the same environmental space, i.e. to the same availability of global natural resources”

(or better, to the same level of “satisfaction” that can be achieved from these resources in different ways)

SUSTAINABILITY: THE SOCIO-ETHICAL DIMENSION


ERADICATING POVERTYinternational commitments

1996: Rome, FAO summit: 185 countries agreed and committed to cut by half the number of undernourished people

2000: UN Millenium summit: signed by 191 member states the Millenium decleration:1. Eradicate poverty and by for 2015: . reduce by half, form 1990 to 2015, the percentage of persons living in extrerm poverty. grant a full and productive employment and a dignitous job for all, including women and yungseter. reduce by half, form 1990 to 2015, the percentage of undernourished persons…

THE SOCIO-ETHICAL DIMENSION: ACTIONS



2001: the world bank; UNFPA. 80% of world population uses 20% of consumed natural resources. 1,1 billion people live on less than 1 US dollar a day. 2,7 billion people (half the world) live on less than 2 US dollar a day. 1 billion children (1 in 2 children in the world) live in poverty. 11 million children die every year before fifth birthday. 18 million people a year (1/3 of deaths) are due to poverty. 400 million have no access to safe water. 800 million people are undernourished





10.2006: Rome, conference Food and Agriculture Organization (UN)

Jaques Diouf, general director FAO

“Instead of decreasing, the number of starving people is increasing by 4 millions per year” 1996, World: 800 millions undernourished

2006, World: 854 millions undernourished


11.2010: FAOTHE STATE OF THE FOOD INSECURITY IN THE WORLD




. [eradicating of poverty]

. promotion of principles and rules of democracy

. promotion of human rights and freedom

. achievement of peace and security

. access to information, training, employment

. respect for cultural diversity, regional identity

THE SOCIO-ETHICAL DIM.: (OTHER) ACTIONS


[EU, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY, 2006]

SOCIAL EQUITY AND COHESION: “promotion of a democratic, socially inclusive, cohesive, healthy, safe and just society with respect for fundamental rights and cultural diversity that creates equal opportunities and combats discrimination in all its forms”

THE SOCIO-ETHICAL DIMENSION


IT IS NOT JUST A MATTER FOR ENTERPRISES IN LOW-INCOME OR EMERGING ECONOMIES

. in a global market companies in industrialised contexts are interacting with stakeholders of their supply chain, being in low-income and emerging countries

. even industrialised contexts are facing poverty and problem with social cohesion

[SOCIAL EQUITY AND COHESION]

A CONCERN FOR ALL ECONOMIES


AN EMERGING MODEL AND ITS TOOLS

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR): a management model in which the company responsibility is extended to all the stakeholders, aiming to optimise the economic value together with social and environmental ones

. Social Accountability (SA8000)

. Sustainability Reporting Guidelines (GRI)


(PSS) SYSTEM INNOVATION: OPPORTUNITY EVEN FOR LOW-INCOME AND EMERGING CONTEXTS


… in terms of (social-ethical) sustainability a question has been (UNEP, 2000-2002):

IS A SYSTEM INNOVATION APPROACH APPLICABLE TO EMERGING/LOW-INCOME CONTEXTS TOO?

IF SO, COULD IT ALSO FACILITATE (TOGHETHER WITH ECO-EFFICENCY) SOCIO-ETHICAL ENHANCEMENT IN THESE CONTEXTS?

IF SO, WITH WHAT CHARACTERISTICS?


“a product-service system innovation (approach) may act as a business opportunity to facilitate the process of a social-economical development in an emerging and low-income context - by jumping over the stage characterised by individual consumption/ownership of mass produced goods - towards a “satisfaction-based” and “low resource-intensity” advanced service-economy.”

UNEP, 2002: SYSTEM INNOVATION AN OPPORTUNITY EVEN FOR EMERGING AND LOW-INCOME CONTEXTS

free pdf at: http://www.unep.fr/scp/publications/details.asp?id=WEB/0081/PA


SYSTEM INNOVATION IN EMERGING AND LOW-INCOME CONTEXTS: EXAMPLES coupling socioethical + environmental + economical sustainability


VIRTUAL STATION (OFFICES)

Fortaleza, Brasilsupply a full range of products, infrastructure (owned by virtual station) and services for a complete office. clients only pay for the periods of use; spaces are equipped with computers, printers, scanners, access to internet, TV, copiers etc; reception, personalised phone answer, answering and remittance of fax reception/transmiss.

it is environmentally sustainable because infrastructure/equipment are shared (less needed) and most efficient are used + it is socio-economically sustainable because of no need for initial investiment facilitate the set-up of small company.


SOLAR HOME KITSBrasil

TSSFA company offers to Brasilian rural people a solar home kits that include the hardware to generate solar energy, the installation service and products that use the electricity, e.g. lighting and electrical outlets. Customers sign a three-year service contract (all of the tangible inputs are owned by the provider).

it is environmentally sustainable because it uses the solar energy + it is socioethically sustainable because give to poor people access to useful services + it is economically sustainable because is a business for TSSFA company.


WHAY SYSTEM INN. ARE OPPORTUNITIES IN EMERGING AND LOW-INCOME CONTEXTS?

being more eco-efficient on a system level> is “cheaper” to implement and to have access to, can respond to unsatisfied demands more easily

focusing on a specific context of use > it leads to local rather than global stakeholder

(competent) involvement

being more labour/relation intensive> it leads to a rise in (local) employment and the diffusion

of skills


[assuming they PSS are applicable in all contexts]

WITH WHAT CHARACTERISTICS A SYSTEM INNOVATION APPROACH COULD FACILITATE -TOGHETHER WITH ECO-EFFICENCY - SOCIO-ETHICAL ENHANCEMENT IN EMERGING/LOW-INCOME CONTEXTS?


DISTRIBUTED ECONOMIES: “selective share of production distributed to regions where activities are organized in the form of small scale, flexible units that are synergistically connected with each other” [IIIEE, SWEEDEN, 2006]

SOLIDARITY COOPERATIVE NETWORKS: “networks in which units of production and consumption are articulated in nodes able to self-propagate and self-feed in a solidarity collaboration” [MANCE, BRASIL, 2003]

“STRONG” EMERGING HYPOTHESIS

WHICH ARE THE PROMISING INNOVATION MODELS?(socioethic + environmental + economic sustainability)


Local Energy Networkdistributed energy generation with proper management and technology for the use of small-scale power generation technologies located close to the load being served

EXAMPLE OF DISTRIBUTED ECONOMIES: DISTRIBUTED ENERGY GENERATION WITH RENEWABLE RESOURCES (SUN, WIND, …)


FOSSIL FUELS (OIL, COKE, …) + CENTRALISED

environmental un-sustainability: most of CO2

emissions > global warming + extraction pollution

socio-ethic un-sustainability: extraction, production,

distribution infrastructure, complex and CENTRALISED >

reduction of direct access potentiality to resources >

low power to individual over their own destiny >

widening of rich AND poor gap (inequality)


RENEWABLE RESOURCES (SUN, WIND, …) + DISTRIBUTED

environmental sustainability: non-exhaustable + greenhouse effect reduction + lower environmental cost for extraction, transformation, distribution

socio-ethic sustainability: “distributed energy generation”sun and hydrogen acquisition: local + with simple processes > micro-plants installable/manageable by small economic entity > user-producer > energetic micro network building > global network of micro network> access, self-sufficiency, power (and interdependency) to individuals and local communities > resources democratisation > inequality reduction


DISTRIBUTED ECONOMIES (not only sun/wind): POTENTIAL CONVERGENCES OF ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIO-ETHICAL SUSTAINABILITY

use primary local, conservative, regenerative

resources (i.e. locally sustainable)

+

introduce distributed networks for the

extraction/production/use of such resources


DISTRIBUTED ECONOMIES: CHARACTERISTICS

ENTERPRISES/INITIATIVES:

LOCALLY-BASED: start from sustainable local resources and needs, but could become open non-local or global systems

+NETWORK-STRUCTURED: gain critical mass and potential by their connections in network


WORKING HYPOTHESIS: DISTRIBUTED ECONOMIES A PROMISING PSS CHARACTERISTIC IN EMERGING AND LOW INCOME CONTEXTS (FOR ALL):

LeNS book: “PSS design for Sustainability”, Greenleaf, 2011 (to be published)]

“a system innovation (PSS approach) may act as a business opportunity to facilitate the process of a social equity and economic development (in an emerging context) - by jumping over the stage characterised by individual consumption/ownership of mass produced goods - towards a more advanced service-economy with a low resource-intensity being “satisfaction-based”,characterized by the development of local-based and network-structured enterprises and initiatives, for a sustainable re-globalisation process characterised by a democratisation of access to resources, goods and services”.

3.1 towards social equity and cohesion vezzoli 11-12 (27)

Business

school of design italy

formscarlo vezzoli ahdesign

milano indaco

world carlo vezzoli

course system design

eu projectpolitecnico

socioethical sustainability

eu project politecnico