Since 2017, collaboratio helvetica has worked tirelessly to promote and catalyse systems change, helping individuals and organisations tackle complex societal challenges towards the SDGs, and advancing the conversation around sustainable transformation in Switzerland. In 2024, we embarked on a strategy revision process to clarify our focus, while also addressing the financial challenges that many non-profit organisations face.

Back in autumn 2023, ZHAW sustainable approached collaboratio helvetica, looking for a partner to design a dialogue series that would create tangible touchpoints with the recently published ZHAW Sustainability Report 2023. In this blog post, Kaspar Paur shares insights regarding the design, impact, and learnings of this project.

Collaboratio helvetica designed and facilitated an international and multilingual workshop for the Biodiversity Lab, a project by the Swiss association Brainforest.

Zusammen mit Impact Hub Zürich und One Planet Lab hat collaboratio helvetica den Changemaker Workshop Bundling Forces organisiert.

Von September bis Oktober 2023 fand das Protein Lab statt, ein kollaboratives Projekt der drei Organisationen Sentience, der Berner Fachhochschule BFH und collaboratio helvetica. Die Workshopreihe zielte darauf ab, sektorübergreifende Lösungen für den Wandel des Ernährungssystems zu entwickeln.

Das Protein Lab soll die dringend notwendige Proteinwende in der Schweiz vorantreiben. Im September 2023 startet das Projekt, das ausgewählte Expertinnen und Experten aus verschiedenen Sektoren zusammenführt, um Lösungen für ein nachhaltiges Ernährungssystem zu erarbeiten – mit Fokus auf alternative Proteine.

Nora Wilhelm and Diana Oser from collaboratio helvetica traveled to Alpbach in Austria to give speeches and workshops on the topics of transformation and systems change at the Convention4u 2023.

Le HUB de l'Université de Lausanne organisait mercredi 3 mai la deuxième édition du Forum de l'Innovation Sociale. «Ensuite, nous devrions réfléchir de manière systémique. Les personnes qui ont un même but restent souvent dans une logique de compétition, de combat, alors qu'elles pourraient avoir une logique de collaboration. Il faut trouver de nouvelles manières de penser et de procéder pour adresser les défis sociaux et écologiques complexes» - Nora Wilhelm

This year’s International Cooperation Forum, organised by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), was held in Geneva alongside a vibrant and inspiring group of partners, youth ambassadors, educators, social innovators, and professionals from around the globe.

What a beautiful get-together with about 70 participants from our community and partners we celebrated 5 years of co-creation, system change and collaboration. It fills us with hope and happiness to see all those people willing and engaged in co-shaping the Switzerland you want to live in. Many thanks to everyone who came to our celebration with your presence and warmth. We feel nourished by your trust, warmth and connection. Have a look at some impressions here!

Wie soll eine Ernährungspolitik für die Schweiz aussehen, die bis 2030 allen Menschen gesunde, nachhaltige, tierfreundliche und fair produzierte Lebensmittel zur Verfügung stellt? Zu dieser Frage hat sich während fast 6 Monaten der erste nationale Bürger:innenrat getroffen.

When one thinks of plastic waste, the Swiss watch industry is probably not the first that comes to one’s mind. But plastic pollution is a global challenge and Breitling in its 2021 Sustainability Mission Report, Breitling committed to achieving zero plastic waste across operations by 2025. To engage key internal and external stakeholders on this ambitious goal, Breitling is collaborating with collaboratio helvetica and Let's Talk Waste. Earlier this year, stakeholders were invited to deepen their understanding of the topic and to reflect on how Breitling can most efficiently and meaningfully achieve its target.

This report summarizes some reflections regarding belonging in Switzerland, cultural identity, and the courage to shape new traditions, taken from the impressions of the 1st of August Celebration on the Rütli.

The newly defined strategy is a framework for the time span from 2021 to 2030. It lists the areas of work that collaboratio helvetica has identified as being key to fulfill its mission towards its vision, which is an evolutionary purpose.

Collaboratio helvetica has been on a journey since its foundation in 2017. A journey with many obstacles and stumbling blocks. A journey in which experimenting, being bold and leaving the beaten track are key. A journey whose destination is unknown. On such a journey, the so-called failures and defeats were obviously numerous - both at the project level and at the organisational level.

During module 5 of the Catalyst Lab, the collaboratio helvetica’s team organised a one-day virtual prototyping workshop. The goal of the prototyping day was to support further the catalysts towards convening their systems and tap into the resources and knowledge of the community. The invitation was to get into a prototyping mindset and discover the benefits of experimenting with rapid prototyping tools, crowdsourcing, and co-creating with other changemakers working on diverse challenges, all while having fun. This workshop took place online due to restrictions linked to covid-19.

Social Innovation Labs are an emergent framework practiced by different types of organizations that includes governamental, non-profit, for-profit and a mix of them all. The key aspects of what constitute labs and the methodologies used by them can be a powerful framework for those seeking social innovation.

Die Transformation zu einer nachhaltigen Gesellschaft ist ein kollektiver Lernprozess. Zusammen mit verschiedenen Partnern haben wir an der SDSN Switzerland Konferenz 2019 sechs verschiedene 'Learning Journeys' unternommen.

With a lot of enthusiasm we supported the design and especially the flow of the morning for the SDSN Conference 2019 under the Motto “The Sustainability Transformation: A Joint Task for Our Society".

From September to December 2018 we collaborated with Sustainable Living Lab at Impact Hub Lausanne & Living Lab Lausanne at EPFL on a Social Lab called “Beyond Waste | Circular Resources Lab”. We are now ready to share many beautiful insights of our participants (individually and in their prototyping groups), extensive summaries of our Lab’s processes and also some meta topic articles.