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Sustainability is a worldwide critical imperative and, as John Kerry (US Climate Envoy) said: "Fifty percent of the reductions to get to net-zero by 2050 will come from technologies we don't yet have.” Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is at the forefront of this transformative movement. We’re becoming a sustainable enterprise ourselves and are proud to say TCS Europe has been carbon neutral since 2022. But the climate crisis won’t be solved by companies ‘doing their bit’ in isolation.
TCS has always been heavily invested in the communities we operate in and aim to build greater futures through technology and collective knowledge – the only way to tackle global challenges like the climate crisis.
TCS Sustainathon Europe™ is one way to deliver on that purpose. It’s based on TCS Pace™, a methodology we use for our clients to innovate at speed and scale. We connect our clients with an ecosystem of partners (from start-ups to developers to academia) helping them refine strategies and lead them from problem to value.
The 2022 edition of this recurring event asked students and young professionals to solve sustainability challenges during a three-day collaborative event. The teams were asked to address one of six challenges focused on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 12 (balancing consumption and production cycles). Motivational talks provided additional inspiration, before the teams entered a whirlwind of brainstorming, expert feedback, development, and finally presenting their idea to a panel of judges.
AN EXCITING EVENT
A social media campaign using teaser videos garnered 363,248 impressions and 120,186 engagements, attracting 160 registrants from 12 countries. In total, 22 teams came together (most in person at TCS’s Pace Port innovation hub in Amsterdam, some virtually) and were given the opportunity to work with subject matter experts including GISMA Business School, Wageningen University, Think Young, Nokia, and Letsgrow.com.
WINNING IDEAS
The winner of Sustainathon™ Europe 2022 was Dutch team Nyenrode, with an innovative platform that allows consumers and companies to easily monitor and reduce water waste. Second place was awarded to the German-Indian team VitaminBee for their ingenious 3D-printed bee-hive, which tracks bee data to discover why these vital pollinators are dying. Third place went to Team RobinHood from GISMA University of Applied Sciences in Germany, who pitched an inventive idea to reduce packaging waste and emissions in e-commerce.
LONG TERM BENEFITS AND TANGIBLE IMPACT
The three winning teams were awarded a cash prize and the top five teams were also given the chance to develop their concept over a seven-month period through the TCS Pace European Incubator Programme. This offers dedicated support from TCS and its partners to develop their solutions into marketable products/services.
The programme produced some amazing results, including:
- More than 25 sustainability ideas and five projects with a real chance to become reality.
- A proven, successful implementation of the TCS Pace methodology.
- Inspiring the next generation of engineers.
TCS Sustainathon Europe allows true collaboration, giving rise to innovation that surpass individual capabilities, while ensuring they are actively nurtured towards implementation. It demonstrates our belief that uniting our strengths is the only way to solve the world's most pressing issues and create a sustainable future.
Nomination Title: TCS Sustainathon
