Opportunities determine life paths. Children need support and attention, which they do not always receive, especially in difficult social circumstances. The Löwenhaus in Hamburg- Harburg promotes the development of children by offering low-threshold childcare which provides motivational homework support, varied meals, games, fun, and a variety of leisure activities. At Löwenhaus, every child gets the chance to strengthen their social and cultural skills.

IMPCT has supported Löwenhaus Harburg since autumn 2019. Together with the founders, we have developed an effective long-term strategy for this important place, supported its digitalisation, and designed effective fundraising concepts that strengthen the social relevance of Löwenhaus Harburg and position the organisation for the future.

Anchoring of sustainability criteria in the licencing regulations is the goal set by the DFL (German Football League) in consultation with the clubs of the Bundesliga and 2nd Bundesliga. In order to implement this project, the DFL commissioned IMPCT gGmbH to develop a corresponding catalogue of criteria. All three interlocking and mutually dependent dimensions of sustainability – economy, environment and society – are to be considered, as per the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the United Nations. This process is being jointly carried out by the DFL and IMPCT gGmbH before the clubs of the Bundesliga and the 2nd Bundesliga subsequently decide on its implementation.

Previously, the importance of sustainability had also been emphasised in the summary report of the results of the “Future of Professional Football Task Force” set up by the DFL. Between October 2020 and January 2021, 37 experts from the fields of sport, society, science, politics and business worked in three interdisciplinary groups on relevant topics and issues concerning the future of professional football. In the resulting report, consisting of a vision for 2030 and 17 recommendations for action, the topics of sustainability and social responsibility were a focus.

“The setting of a sustainability standard is intended to create a framework for action and orientation for the clubs in the Bundesliga and 2nd Bundesliga, and thus to serve as a stimulus. This will allow German professional football to take on a pioneering role and to underline the relevance of sustainability beyond sport,” says Tanja Ferkau, Managing Director of IMPCT gGmbH, who was also a member of the task force.

Fairness, solidarity and partnership describe the cooperative values of Hamburger Volksbank. These values are adhered in the course of on a par communication with customers, but also serve as guidance for behaviour among employees as well as with others in general. As an important player rooted in Hamburg, Hamburger Volksbank is highly committed to the region. In order to further strengthen this initiative, IMPCT has prepared a study that outlines how Hamburger Volksbank can position itself even more strongly as an active shaper of the city of Hamburg through sustainable commitment.

In normal times, many children already experience little support at home in terms of movement, creativity and education. In times of crisis, such as in a pandemic, this problem is exacerbated because children and young people can no longer take advantage of external childcare services.

With the digital platform HOMEES, we enable organisations to bring their existing in-person offerings into the digital world and to supplement them with additional options. HOMEES combines edutainment (knowledge, personal development, fun, creativity, sustainability, STEM) with assistance with crisis prevention and intervention, help with homework and home schooling, and counselling on various topics such as addiction or violence.

IMPCT wants to give children from challenging home situations a better perspective for the future. The digital platform creates an interface between the target group, the in-person institutions of child and youth welfare services, schools, and independent counselling services in the market. It’s a place that bundles and complements the diverse offerings of institutions, NGOs and politics and makes them digitally accessible.

Numerous raw materials and nutrients accumulate in urban areas. Tons of food enter cities every day like on a one-way street; the leftovers usually end up as waste and are difficult to dispose of. The hurdles to thinking in and working with cycles are extremely high. For this reason, many potential material cycles have not yet been recognised.

Economically feasible solutions for cross-company material cycles have been developed with the help of the intelligent “loopsai” software. loopsai enables individual material flows to be networked for resource efficiency: Who buys which quantities of which raw materials? Is this even necessary, or could other companies’ waste products be used instead? The intelligent and easy-to-use software draws a digital image of a company and its needs, also known as a “digital twin”. loopsai is to be trained in a pilot project – a mushroom farm where edible mushrooms are grown on coffee grounds. A learning interplay is created with sensors, between the farm and its digital twin. As a result, the AI is constantly learning. Soon it will be able to develop solutions for complex material cycles in all economic sectors. Another advantage: with the digital twin, the effects of changing parameters can be tested in practice before actual implementation. The AI not only optimises the main products, such as coffee drinks and edible mushrooms, but also keeps an eye on all material flows: For example, how does adding another organic waste to the coffee grounds affect the production volume of an urban mushroom farm? Which brewing method reduces the C02 balance of a catering business the most, since the resulting organic waste can be fed optimally into material cycles and never becomes waste in the first place? The software is open source and only requires little information to get started.

We at the University of Bremen, Frisches Management and IMPCT want not only to record and better understand highly complex material flows, but also to network them so that a closed cycle is ultimately created. This would not only improve supply and demand but also save valuable resources and shorten transport routes.

The German Sustainability Award is recognising loopsai’s idea by placing it among the top three recipients of the German Sustainability Award for Research.