Together with Evides, Havensteder and Municipality of Rotterdam
How could intense rainfalls become valuable for residents?
To make neighborhoods more water-aware and -resilient, Evides, a water supply company, joined forces with the social housing cooperation Havensteder
and the municipality of Rotterdam. Coming up with ideas from a multi-stakeholder perspective by identifying what value is currently being destroyed, missed, and could be (re)created.
Dealing with heavy rainfalls
Evides Waterbedrijf delivers safe, clean and tasty drinking water to 2.5 million customers daily and operates with close regard to its local environment. Evides got in touch with social housing cooperation “Havensteder”, who wanted to create a pleasant living environment for their residents and address the water issues in Rotterdam Lombardijen. With the forecast of increasing intensity of rainfall, this new collaboration asked Innoboost to help them tackle the shared challenge to make neighborhoods more water-resilient for the future.
Partnering for progress
In a Circular Economy, new collaborations and systems are formed. Instead of sticking to what you do in the same way, you can rethink how existing capabilities (sales and logistic channels, data, space) could be used in new and other ways to stay relevant. Starting by identifying value destroyed or missed, as a starting point for innovation: solving a critical unmet societal need.
Rethinking roles
Sustainable technology and innovative business models force certain companies to think about their role in the future and to re-evaluate how they use their assets. For example, companies like Airbnb, Uber, and eBay are forcing tax authorities to rethink their tax system. For Evides, it is important to rethink its role as a sustainable and innovative water supplier.
What if people start to provide their own water through decentrally provided water filters, just as they generate power with solar panels, decentralized, and off-established large power grids? To better understand each other’s perspective on circular ideas, our value mapping tool was used to assess concrete solutions and enhance them in cross-company teams.
Best outcome so far
Instead of rain pouring down all summer long, no water leaks into the ground, as the groundwater level is too high, making the green area of no value because it is always wet and soggy. Evides has optimized the local water experience by collecting rainwater from the rooftops and storing it in bio-plastic bags underground. This way, people can use the water when they need it, for cleaning the porches and watering the greens in the shared vegetable garden.
With more inspiring new concepts on their way, residents might long for heavy rainfalls, because circular solutions bring new opportunities from missed value.
