{"id":32128,"date":"2024-10-01T15:48:21","date_gmt":"2024-10-01T14:48:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/esbri.se\/new-research-how-social-innovations-work-to-save-the-environment\/"},"modified":"2025-03-13T11:47:38","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T10:47:38","slug":"new-research-how-social-innovations-work-to-save-the-environment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/esbri.se\/en\/new-research-how-social-innovations-work-to-save-the-environment\/","title":{"rendered":"NEW RESEARCH | How social innovations work to save the environment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Most social innovations are developed to address social inequalities or to bring marginalized groups into the labour market. More rarely do we hear about social initiatives designed to save the environment and climate. What characterizes them? <\/h3>\n\n

– The people behind the initiatives have in common that they want to solve a societal challenge, and profoundly change people’s behavior when it comes to specific areas, says Lucas Haskell, Ume\u00e5 School of Business.<\/p>\n\n

In his doctoral thesis, he studied how actors who create social initiatives to promote environmental sustainability do so by changing people’s behavior (the behavioral change becomes a social innovation, editors note).<\/p>\n\n

Offers mainly services<\/h2>\n\n

The study includes social initiatives in the second-hand market and the mobility and transport sector, among others.\nOne of the companies studied, located in V\u00e4sterbotten, wants to reduce people’s car use and solves this by renting out box bikes via a sharing service. <\/p>\n\n

– This has led to many people taking their children to nursery school on a box bike rather than by car.\nAnother company offers customers an electric moped taxi instead of a car taxi. <\/p>\n\n

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Lucas Haskell. Photo: Private.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

– These initiatives are designed to help people change their consumption habits and adopt new, more environmentally friendly ways of getting around.<\/p>\n\n

A common feature of social innovations that promote environmental sustainability is that they offer services rather than products to change people’s behavior.<\/p>\n\n

– It is the daily behaviors, what we have a routine around, that these companies want to change.\nHow can we make people buy more second-hand?\nHow can we reduce car use in the city? <\/p>\n\n

Money is not a driving force<\/h2>\n\n

The driving force behind companies working on this type of initiative is to solve a problem – not to make money. Today, there are many more people riding box bikes around the city of V\u00e4sterbotten than five years ago. Many have bought their own box bikes or rent them from other operators, says Lucas Haskell. <\/p>\n\n

– The original initiative has had a ripple effect.\nAnd that pleases the company in my study, because the important thing for them is to have helped people move from one environmentally unsustainable behavior, to another more sustainable one.\nGetting rich has never been a motive. <\/p>\n\n

In the field of social innovation, the focus is mostly on social and economic sustainability.\nThe environmental perspective receives less attention. <\/em> Why is your research important?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n

– I believe we need to prioritize environmental sustainability, as it is environmental and climate challenges that often lead to social and economic problems.\nWe are already seeing many examples of refugee flows caused by the impact of climate change on agriculture, for example – and experts predict it will get worse. <\/p>\n\n

– Therefore, we need to address the root problem by changing our lifestyle and habits.\nSocial innovations focused on environmental sustainability are therefore important to study.\nIn addition, it is important that organizations supporting social initiatives receive financial support to continue supporting this type of entrepreneurship,” says Lucas Haskell. <\/p>\n\n

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THREE PIECES OF ADVICE FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO START AN ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIAL INITIATIVE<\/h3>\n\n\n\n