Climathon – Participation and co-creation

Client: Bæredygtig Herning

Partners: Herning Kommune, Lifestyle and Design Cluster, VIA University College, Aarhus University Herning, Business Academy Midtvest

Sectors: Innovation District, Higher Education, Business Cluster, Textile Industry, Public Administration 

Services: Stakeholder engagement, Participation design, Facilitation, Public speaking

Year: 2021

The green fire was ignited

“A green fire was burning at the premises in Herning, as local students took up their ideas to bring sustainability into the business of local textile companies.“

This is how a local media outlet begins its coverage of the Climathon, which cirka cph advised on and put into practice.

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Leveraging local community through climate action

It was in a collaboration, initiated by Bæredygtig Herning, that the municipality, businesses and educational institutions decided to join forces to take action on the sustainable transformation of the local textile industry.

In the days that followed, there was winds blowing in the metaphorical sails. Students from across the university, business school and vocational college came together for a carefully planned program of idea development, professional sparring and company presentations.

“They got fired up when they realised they were coming up with ideas that could reduce clothing waste while increasing trust and transparency in the textile industry – it fits right into their area of interest.”

Bert Meijers, Programme Manager at Bæredygtig Herning

Renewed green hope for the proud traditions

It was no coincidence that textiles became the focus of the Climathon. After all, Herning is known for its excellence in textiles, which has long historical roots. Therefore, the city also wants to contribute to much more sustainable solutions.

“Herning is known for its expertise in textile production, so we also want to be the ones to come up with solutions to the sustainability challenges,” said Lajla Johansen, development consultant at Herning Municipality.

“The local anchorage is really important for us, so it has been a great success to choose a topic that fits so well with Herning’s profile as a textile city” added Bert Meijers.

Concrete results achieved in a short time

The course made it possible for the students to use each other’s skills across their respective disciplines, which meant they managed to develop ideas that are sustainable in more than just one sense.

“The participants were surprised by how quickly they came up with concrete results and how much potential there was in the results”, says Thea Lyng Thomsen, CEO of Bæredygtig Herning.

That’s why the organisers in Herning are already in the process of planning the next Climathon, where yet another sustainability challenge will be put on the common agenda in the city. This will take place during Global Climathon Week, when 200 cities around the world will host their own Climathon focused on an important local theme.

“The Climathon showed us clearly that the close cooperation between municipality, businesses and educational institutions is one of the things we need, in order to make Herning a hub for sustainable textile and lifestyle“

Thea Lyng Thomsen, CEO of Bæredygtig Herning.

Want to know more?

Want to know more about this case? Contact partner Kai Paludan-Müller on +45 26 258 253.

You can also explore more case stories. Find out more about Bæredygtig Herning, Lifestyle and Design Cluster, Herning Kommune as well as educational institutions VIA, EAMV, and AUHE on their websites.