To innovate now is to build trust. Europe’s FMCG sector is at a crossroads. Consumers demand security, transparency, sustainability and outcome-based solutions — all within a complex regulatory landscape. This track shows how FMCG leaders can turn regulation and sustainability into value drivers. From user-centred design, IoT and digital platforms to data protection and circular practices, you’ll explore how to accelerate innovation, enhance user experience and unlock new opportunities without compromising agility, performance or trust. Check out the presentations from the Innovation Day of 2024 on:

• Turning regulation into action: Designing for sustainability
  By Jeroen Wilms, Consultant MechLab at Verhaert Product Innovation
• Accelerating innovation with synthetic users
  By David Pas, Customer Success Manager at Verhaert Strategic Innovation
• Sovereign cloud: Meeting EU data standards while driving innovation
  By Dennis Daems, CTO at Verhaert Digital Innovation

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Everyone agrees that sustainable innovation is the cornerstone to addressing environmental challenges and lasting economic growth. The truth is that making meaningful changes is difficult and sometimes feels like speeding ahead and hitting the brakes at the same time. What’s holding us back? In this track, you’ll dive into the tricky obstacles slowing down progress and shine a light on fresh, forward-thinking approaches that can break the cycle. Check out the presentations from the Innovation Day of 2024 on:

• Design for sustainability, from an incremental toward a more radical strategy
  By Jeroen Wilms, Consultant MechLab at Verhaert Product Innovation
• The search for sustainability impact
  By David Pas, Customer Success Manager at Verhaert Strategic Innovation and Laurien Wolfswinkel, Head of Operations at Beacon Masters in Innovation

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Innovation thrives on this shared optimism, the conviction that change is possible. In our industry, it’s the spark that empowers people, companies, and organizations to turn ambitious ideas into impactful solutions for the planet’s most pressing challenges. Together, we’re not just imagining a better world, we’re building it.

Meet Gen Z, rewriting the rules of engagement and sustainability

In Wunderman Thompson Intelligence’s Regeneration Rising report, 66% of respondents shared deep concerns about the personal impacts of climate change, rising to 72% of Gen Z. Yet rather than letting fear dictate their future, this generation is choosing action and optimism. An impressive 85% of respondents believe it’s essential to rethink how we live and spend money to address the climate crisis, and 70% are ready to change their behavior to make a difference. Driven by purpose and pragmatism, Gen Z is shaping a new wave of sustainability that is as proactive as it is hopeful.

Born between 1997 and 2012, Gen Z, often called ‘Zoomers’, are true digital natives, with smartphones in hand and a world of information at their fingertips from a young age. Far from passive consumers, they’re socially conscious, empowered and entrepreneurial, bringing a fresh perspective to everything from business to sustainability. As the new wave of consumers and innovators, they’re pushing for change that’s as dynamic and connected as they are.

From hashtags to real change: climate optimism is changing innovation

As Gen Z channels climate anxiety into optimism and action, brands face a clear call: go beyond surface-level changes and deliver real, innovative solutions. This generation’s influence is already reverberating across social media, where climate-related content is surging. By January 2023, hashtags like #climatechange had garnered 4.1 billion views, #eco hit 2.3 billion, and #ecotok, a thriving TikTok community of climate advocates, reached nearly 835 million views.

We’re noticing the same urgency and awareness in our customers. They understand both the gravity of the climate crisis and the unique opportunity for impactful change. Our proven innovation methodology helps clients define and validate value propositions that resonate, with behavioral design as a powerful driver to accelerate adoption. Because while innovation excites, change can be challenging, especially when shifting behaviors is the goal. Yet with focused, purpose-driven strategies, we’re moving from climate concerns to climate solutions, one step at a time.

The search for sustainability impact

How does the quest for sustainability play out in practice? Large companies, in particular, face a unique challenge: big impact demands big opportunities, but the most valuable ideas often start small, like uncut diamonds. At our Innovation Day, we’ll explore how corporations can adopt startup-inspired thinking to identify hidden gems and transform small beginnings into substantial sustainability wins. Join us for an inspiring dive into strategies that turn humble ideas into significant sustainability breakthroughs.

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Sustainability takes center stage

Sustainability was more than just a buzzword at this year’s IFA, it was an essential part of the conversation. Across multiple sessions and workshops on next-gen products, leaders discussed the circular economy, right-to-repair and ecodesign. Many manufacturers unveiled energy-saving features in their household appliances, as well as initiatives around plastic recycling and pilot projects for circular appliances. Notable examples include the Midea Ecomaster AI program, which optimizes energy use, and Miele’s circular vacuum cleaner, which redefines what it means to go green.

AI powers the rise of a truly smart home

AI was a star player at IFA, with big brands showcasing intelligent systems that are taking a smart home to the next level. Companies like Bosch, LG, and Midea are integrating AI to create home assistants that manage everything from energy use to daily chores. These systems offer advanced features like auto-dosing, smart cooking, and self-cleaning, all designed to enhance convenience and efficiency.

Robotics also made a strong showing, with devices for every corner of the home. We saw a new generation of vacuum and window-cleaning robots, garden maintenance bots, and even personal assistants and entertainment companions like LG’s two-wheeled Self-Driving AI Home Hub, a worthy competitor to Samsung’s Ballie.

One trend we couldn’t ignore was the rapid growth in air purification devices. Integrated into fans, heaters, tables and even cat furniture, air purification technology is proving itself essential in our everyday environments. Another is facilitating indoor gardening with products like Balconyfarm and Grovero, which help users grow plants, herbs, and micro-vegetables in the comfort of their homes.

Size matters: from tiny gadgets to massive screens

While household appliances were our primary focus, we couldn’t resist exploring some of the other incredible tech on display. The latest gadgets combine AI with miniaturized sensors and batteries to deliver magical results. Tiny but mighty innovations like the Plaud smart note pin, the Nuance hearing aid, and Vixion’s autofocus glasses showcase how compact technology can deliver immense benefits. Meanwhile, drones like DJI’s Neo are raising the bar in the affordability of cutting-edge recreational tech.

When it comes to screens, IFA remains a playground for the latest in display technology. TVs are getting bigger, image quality is more astonishing than ever, and portable projectors are now small and affordable enough to fit in a pocket, making them perfect for camper vans, kids’ rooms, and beyond. Samsung captivated us with their transparent microLED displays and Hisense with the demo of their AR glasses, which project a virtual 130” screen right in front of your eyes with impressive image quality, given the small and light device.

Focused evolution of technology

While this year’s IFA didn’t showcase many disruptive new ideas, it did provide a powerful reminder of the mindblowing evolution of technology. We’re seeing the refinement of existing trends – like AI, smart health, IoT, sustainability and robotics – with much of the innovation happening beneath the surface. This kind of ‘invisible’ progress is reshaping our lives, and it’s up to manufacturers to harness these trends to create intelligent, data-driven features that increase convenience, improve quality of life and reduce environmental impact.

Key takeaways for the future

For companies inspired by the trends from IFA, here are some actionable areas to focus on:

• User-centered design: understand what users value by combining design research with value engineering to create products that resonate with today’s needs.
• Cost-effective smart tech: invest in technologies that blend low-cost and robust sensors with sensor fusion and onboard intelligence to monitor things like food readiness, clothing cleanliness, and more.
• Intuitive digital extensions: develop user-friendly digital interfaces and scalable IoT solutions to extend product functionality and enhance user experience.
• Sustainable manufacturing: focus on cost-effective manufacturing techniques to maintain affordability in a competitive, price-sensitive market.

If IFA has sparked ideas and inspired you to innovate, reach out! We’d love to discuss how we can work together to turn your breakthrough ideas into reality.

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Vulnerability of the archipelago

Guadeloupe, like many Caribbean islands, faces high climate change vulnerability due to its geography, limited land area and reliance on tourism and agriculture. Combined with limited resources for adaptation, the island also struggles with biodiversity loss and water scarcity, exacerbating its climate challenges. How can we adapt to climate change and ensure the island’s long-term sustainability?

Reducing water usage by tourists

Every year more than 850.000 people visit Guadeloupe, and with an average water consumption of 84 to 2.000 liters per tourist per day, this poses a real threat to clean water availability. As part of one of the solutions implemented by the TransformAr project, we’re developing a nudging experiment together with ADEME Guadeloupe. This experiment aims to make tourists more conscious about their water usage and encourage them to use less water.

Material nudging kit ©Verhaert

In preparation for the experiment, we hosted a panel discussion on the engagement of visitors with various stakeholders of the tourism industry, like hotel managers, tourist accommodation owners and industry representatives. This event also kicked off the full-scale nudging experiment aimed at reducing the water consumption of tourists in Guadeloupe. This experiment involves a ‘nudging kit’, comprised of a shower sensor, nudging stickers and an informational brochure, to be installed in hotel rooms. These materials will remind them and give some tips to conserve water.

Kick-off of the full-scale experiment

If you spend just 1 minute less in the shower, you’ll save about 10 liters of water. With that statistic in mind, the potential of this experiment could already have a big impact on the overall tourist water usage. Having concluded the pilot phase in February 2024, the nudging kit has now been installed in about 100 bathrooms across the island. This full-scale experiment will run until August 2024 and give valuable insights into the effectiveness of nudging strategies in promoting sustainable tourism practices in Guadeloupe.

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