Global industry inspired to innovate sustainable products using space technology
At the Sustainability Space Day in Shanghai on Oct 10, innovation and sustainability project Down To Earth gathered top stakeholders from industry, government and academia. The purpose was to discuss how commercialized space technologies can generate a more sustainable world, while creating growth, innovations and new jobs. For both states and corporations, space technology transfer is becoming big business.
- Sustainability Space Day is about showing key stakeholders of society that they can benefit from solutions in space. We meet global topics such as education, household services and city development with innovative ideas inspired by space, says Cecilia Hertz, co-founder of Down To Earth and Managing Director of space design company Umbilical Design.
NASA technology based success story
Swedish entrepreneur Dag Landvik have vast experience in space technology transfer, after having built up Fagerdala World Foams. The company is an international group specializing in high technology polymer foams and a world wide success story in using space technology after developing the “Tempur” foam based on NASA technology. The ”Tempur” foam was accepted to the NASA Hall of Fame in 1998.
- The space sector is fantastic to understand and use for innovations, and as a source for inspiration. At Fagerdala we managed to find the right application for NASA’s technology in our own state of crisis and the successes have inspired us to continue apply space technology for other business areas. Examples are boat hulls and light weight components for the car industry, where we use material from space, says Dag Landvik, key note speaker.
Mind challenging initiative with high ambition
The project is founded by space design company Umbilical Design and Jönköping International Business School, with the overall objective to stimulate industry to create new exciting jobs for young people based on sustainable technologies.
- Down to Earth is a mind challenging initiative and a chance for industry, academia and society to work around real global challenges and explore new innovative business opportunities. As an educator of tomorrow’s international business developers it is important for us to be part of driving this kind of development, says Professor Niclas Adler, co-founder of Down To Earth and Dean and Managing Director of Jönköping International Business School in Sweden.
See full story at: downtoearth.se/101010/
