Francois Jegou: Radical Innovation for Sustainable Lifestyles

In November 2007 VEIL had the privilege to host Francois Jegou as a the EcoLEAD Innovative thinkers programme. François has focused his work at the crossroads between strategic design, social innovation and design for sustainability. He looks at how small and medium enterprises can form partnerships with other stakeholders and their clients (users) to ‘co-design’ for sustainable futures and create ‘new’ innovation opportunities. Francois also understands that business cannot devise ‘new’ eco-innovation without consumer adoption. Thus much of his work is bottom up, searching social innovations to recognise new possibilities for the creation of sustainable lifestyles, products and services.

He runs the consultancy Strategic Design Scenarios based in Paris and Brussels specialised in co-design of scenarios. In 2002 he initiated the Solutioning-design.net network for the research and development of methodologies of scenarios co-design. He develops in particular within the network a range of scenario visualization and simulation techniques to enable designers activity in products-services systems. He is involved in EU/UNEP research projects investigating the emergence of sustainable solutions (CCSL 2007, EMUDE 2006, HiCS 2004, Sustainable Household 2002), the design of product-service systems (MEPSS 2005), the innovation process in small and medium-sized enterprises (E-VAN 2006, ADAPT 2000) and along with Ezio Manzini was responsible for the Sustainable Everyday project.

This work has crossed many different sectors such as eco-packaging, health systems, senior friendly products, food design, workplace design, and community innovation, involving practice-based work and research investigation. His extensive and diverse client base includes: EDF; Master card; Carrefour; Monprix; 3M; Boch; Ikea; Sony; Zanussi; KPN Orange; Roche Consumer Health; Saab; BMW; Coca-Cola; Douwe Egberts; Commune di Milano; Société de Developpement de la Region Bruxelloise.

Whilst he was here Francois gave a public lecture “Radical Innovation for Sustainable Lifestyles” at Melbourne University.