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Beyond Zero: RICAIP Tackles Sustainability in Industry
June 3 | 09:00 – 12:00 UTC+1
Screening of the Beyond Zero documentary and a panel discussion with representatives from local sustainable businesses, as mentioned above.
At RICAIP, innovation isn’t just about robotics and AI – it’s about shaping a responsible future. On June 3rd, our RICAIP Testbed Brno team at CEITEC BUT is hosting a seminar – “Beyond Zero: Carbon Neutrality and Sustainability” – on a topic that reaches far beyond the technological aspect, which is our usual prime.
Get inspired for your journey to sustainability, discuss carbon neutrality and practical solutions with representatives of companies that have been working on sustainability for several years, and last but not least, make new contacts. We will focus on practical and specific solutions, ways of communicating within your company and your community, and open up space for debate.
The program includes a screening of Beyond Zero, a powerful documentary about Interface, a U.S. carpet company that transformed its operations to become carbon neutral. Their story highlights the power of shared goals, team spirit, and visionary leadership. With the example of Interface as well as Czech sustainable businesses, we will see that even seemingly impossible changes are achievable with the right mindset and commitment.
Program:
- 8:30 Welcome
- 9:00 Opening remarks
- 9:15 Screening of Beyond Zero
- 10:35 Discussion with guests
- 11:30 Informal networking
- 12:00 Closing remarks
Film Beyond Zero
USA, 2020, 82 min
Director: Nathan Havey, Screenplay: Nathan Havey
The documentary film Beyond Zero tells the story of the American company Interface (a carpet manufacturer) and its CEO Ray Anderson. Its journey to carbon neutrality took almost 30 years before the first carbon-neutral carpet was launched on the market. Sustainability requires strong leadership, vision, and employee involvement at all levels, which is also what the film Beyond Zero is about. Due to the transition to sustainability, the company created the Eco Dream Team, a team of experts with various specializations. Together with the company’s employees, they were able to develop innovations such as 100% recycled nylon yarn, which is now used by brands such as Nike, Levi’s, and Stella McCartney. By reducing the amount of yarn used, the company was also able to save enough energy each year to power 100 households for one year. Innovation has often been inspired by nature, such as the structure of bird feathers. Since 1996, when it set itself the goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2020, the company has reduced its carbon footprint by 96%, waste production by 91% and water consumption by 88%. Interface’s current mission is to exceed its carbon neutrality goal and become carbon positive. We invite you to a themed breakfast. Start your day a little differently. Be inspired on your journey to sustainability, discuss carbon neutrality and practical solutions with representatives of companies that have been committed to sustainability for several years, and last but not least, make new contacts. We will focus on practical and specific solutions, ways of communicating within your company and your community, and open up space for debate.
Discussion on sustainability and carbon neutrality:
Moderator: Tomáš Svoboda, Co-founder & CEO, Sustainova
Libor Musil, Founder, LIKO-S holding, a.s.
LIKO-S is a family-owned manufacturing and construction company based in Slavkov u Brna, a leading supplier of living walls and green buildings. Its major projects include the LIKO-Vo building and the green façade of the Aupark shopping center. Unlike other hall buildings, where hot air is heated to temperatures of up to 80 °C, green buildings can reduce heat radiation and cool their surroundings by up to 10 °C. At the same time, the greenery insulates the building, reducing energy consumption in the winter months.
“Conventional halls, which are clad with standard materials, generate enormous amounts of heat and act as radiators. What’s more, construction in the Czech Republic degrades 10 hectares of land every day, which ceases to retain water. Green buildings are able to eliminate these phenomena. In addition to their obvious aesthetic benefits and thermal insulation properties, green areas on buildings also function as root wastewater treatment plants,” points out L. Musil.
Radmila Svobodová, Production Director, Sonnentor s.r.o.
Sonnentor specializes in the production and sale of herbs, teas, and spices from organic farming. Thanks to its wide range of innovative products, Sonnentor has gained international recognition and its products are exported to more than 50 countries. The company emphasizes ecological initiatives, such as innovative eco-friendly packaging without the use of plastics and carbon-neutral operations.
“Today, we face a challenge that transcends individual companies and industries. We need innovations that not only solve problems but also help repair the damage we as humanity have caused. Nature shows us the way. It operates in a perfect cycle without waste, uses energy with maximum efficiency, and constantly regenerates itself. True innovation must be more than just progress—it must be the answer to the question of how to create a sustainable world.” R. Svobodová
Miroslav Londýn, Startup consultant specializing in sustainability and the circular economy, studied molecular biology and genetics, JIC
JIC is an innovation agency founded in 2003 by the city of Brno together with the South Moravian Region and Brno universities. For more than 20 years, it has been creating globally successful companies and actively caring for the innovation ecosystem. It has supported 1,300 companies, including Kiwi.com, Y Soft, Flowmon, and Nenovision.
“The issue is really very complex. Some people think that the solution is to maximize automation, digitization, and efficiency. Others are convinced that we need to take the path of degrowth. Some feel that the most important thing is to focus on ourselves and our experiences—and to limit our consumerist lifestyle. And some see the only possible way forward in innovation and technologies that will help us disconnect from mining and the like. And everything may be right.” M. London