New Business Design Lab to support corporate solutions to social issues

Zenbird’s sister website, IDEAS FOR GOOD, has started a service for companies to help them develop businesses aimed at solving social issues. Called IDEAS FOR GOOD Business Design Lab, it was launched on March 10.

Since December 2016, IDEAS FOR GOOD, which is in Japanese, has published more than 1,300 articles on actual examples of actions taken throughout the world for the social good. These particularly include issues of sustainability, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and circular economies. Now, as the climate crisis deepens and further social challenges emerge, the website’s operating company, Harch Inc., wants to turn that knowledge into action.

To do that, the Business Design Lab will offer comprehensive business support by utilizing the knowhow and network that IDEAS FOR GOOD has accumulated.

Turning ideas into action for a better world

The Business Design Lab (BDL) offers essential information for companies developing new operations, products or services related to topics such as SDGs, ESGs, sustainability and circular economies, and comprehensive services to realize those plans.

It provides two of its services – IDEAS Explorer and a newsletter – free of charge to anyone who registers as a member. IDEAS Explorer allows searching through IDEAS FOR GOOD articles specified by industry, issue, solution, SDG or country, which is useful for research or to generate ideas. The newsletter contains selected topics gleaned from IDEAS FOR GOOD’s extensive overseas research, and will be distributed once a month.

Other services include an ‘Insight Report’ on the latest, leading sustainability trends from around the world, put together by researchers from IDEAS FOR GOOD. BDL will also hold regular events to help participants comprehend issues and conduct networking. It can also assist with planning and execution of in-house corporate workshops.

BDL can arrange observation visits to companies and organizations that lead sustainability efforts in Japan and overseas, and assist in developing products, services and operations, as well as project management. It can also help recruit staff for operations that address social issues.

Along with a write-up on IDEAS FOR GOOD, BDL can assist with public relations for new projects.

Solution partners to further social solutions

To help firms overcome various challenges, BDL has forged partnerships with a broad range of organizations that have specific expertise within the field of sustainability, such as marketing, PR, imaging, art, business development, human resources and collaboration with NPOs.

Through its work with other companies, BDL hopes to increase the number of actions being carried out to resolve social issues. The world will never run out of problems, but by creating sustainable systems, we can greatly reduce them. Working together, we can do much more.