1000+ SOLUTIONS TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT IN A COST-EFFECTIVE WAY

The Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce invited the Solar Impulse Foundation, created by the "scientist" Bertrand Piccard as he defines himself, to present its "1000+ solutions to protect the environment in a profitable way".

On 28 April, the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce and the Solar Impulse Foundation organized a conference entitled "1000+ solutions to protect the environment in a profitable way". His Royal Highness the Grand Duke, the ministers Claude Turmes and Franz Fayot, and some 250 guests from the worlds of politics and business were present to listen to Bertrand Piccard. The famous Swiss adventurer and pioneer wants to reconcile economy and ecology, thanks to the "eco-realistic" way of thinking he promotes.

Beyond 1000 Solutions from Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce on Vimeo.

The world today is facing many economic, environmental and social challenges. The urgency to act on the effects of climate change has never been stronger and the European Union has set ambitious targets in this area, by 2030.

After a pandemic that has had numerous impacts at the global level, the current geopolitical situation further accentuates the need to rethink supply networks and production methods in a context of substantially rising raw material and energy prices. This context can be seen as an opportunity to accelerate the rapprochement between economy and ecology in order to reach the carbon neutrality objectives necessary to curb global warming.  

The program gave the floor to speakers from several sectors and backgrounds able to raise awareness among the leaders of Luxembourg companies of all sizes, concerned by the challenges and opportunities related to the energy and environmental transition.

In his introductory remarks, the Director General of the Chamber of Commerce, Carlo Thelen, expressed his confidence in the success of this transition: "In order to reconcile economic performance and ecology, we must continue to innovate and advance technologically and accelerate the use of feasible and cost-effective solutions. This will be the only way to protect the environment while remaining competitive. He announced the creation of the House of Sustainability, a reference platform for efficient and cost-effective solutions that will bring together existing initiatives in this field and facilitate the implementation of new actions. This platform will constitute a new and holistic governance in the field of Sustainability, encompassing all interested actors of the ecosystem, including the INDR, in order to raise awareness, support and accompany companies.

Bertrand Piccard, an expert and specialist in the field of innovation, is convinced that "engaging in clean technologies and efficient solutions is logical before being ecological".

This "know-it-all" became famous by flying around the world for the first time in an airplane called Solar Impulse, which runs solely on solar energy.  With his Foundation of the same name, his objective is to convince decision-makers that solutions exist to accelerate the ecological transition.

For his part, Enrico Benetto, researcher and head of the Environmental Sustainability and Circularity Evaluation Unit at the Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), spoke about the collaboration initiated with the Solar Impulse Foundation in 2017. To date, this partnership has enabled the evaluation by LIST experts of more than 120 solutions from around the world.

Following these flagship interventions, 17 innovative Luxembourgish solutions were presented, addressing 4 key themes of sustainable development: 

• Decarbonation; 
• Energy management ;
• Renewable energies;
• Waste management;

A round table discussion with Bertrand Piccard and Ministers Turmes and Fayot highlighted the challenges and perspectives, particularly political, to accelerate the ecological transition in Luxembourg.

In view of the innovations presented earlier, Minister Claude Turmes welcomed: "In order to advance the energy transition, we need the openness and innovative spirit of actors like Bertrand Piccard, who is at the origin of the Solar Impulse Foundation. The solutions presented today are a fine example of how it is possible to combine the acceleration of sustainable development with competitiveness.

For his part, Franz Fayot declared: "The successive crises we are experiencing are of course a source of concern, but they also generate hope. With the war in Ukraine, the challenges of safeguarding the environment have become very real for everyone. The ecological and digital transitions of our economy have become more crucial than ever. The solutions labeled by the Solar Impulse Foundation represent an important source of inspiration that demonstrates that the path of smart growth that I support is possible. I am convinced that the transition to a sustainable economy and society is essential, because ecology and economy go hand in hand. The Ministry of the Economy supports companies in their efforts in this direction, in particular through the implementation of specific aid schemes to accelerate the energy transition.

Bertrand Piccard concludes: "All companies, especially in a country at the heart of Europe like Luxembourg, must enthusiastically take up the challenge of greening their activities. This is all the more possible as ecology has become economically profitable and creates jobs. So let's change the narrative to talk about solutions rather than problems. I am happy to see the Luxembourg government and HRH Grand Duke Henri commit themselves to this today. The solutions labelled by the Solar Impulse Foundation and presented at the Chamber of Commerce can considerably modernize the way companies and individuals in Luxembourg, but also in the rest of Europe and the world, produce and consume. Let's encourage all these actors to take the necessary steps to ensure a more efficient future.

For more information:

• Rubrique RSE de la Chambre de Commerce : https://www.cc.lu/en/missions/our-csr-commitment
• Betriber & Emwelt :
  • Le Label de Solar Impulse : https://www.betriber-emwelt.lu/fr/label-solar-impulse-foundation/
  • Les 7 solutions luxembourgeoises labellisées « Solar Impulse Efficient Solution » : https://www.betriber-emwelt.lu/fr/label-solar-impulse-foundation/success-stories »