We should no longer be looking for the gap in the market, but for the gap in society
As an innovation strategist, Stefaan Vandist inspires businesses like L’Oréal, Beaulieu International Group and Love Tomorrow to become more sustainable.
As an innovation strategist, Stefaan Vandist inspires businesses like L’Oréal, Beaulieu International Group and Love Tomorrow to become more sustainable. Never with a lecturing finger, mind you, always with his characteristic and infectious enthusiasm. His book pulls together 33 compelling case studies into a canvas for a more sustainable world. Stefaan wants to inspire entrepreneurs to think big and work proactively. ‘The future belongs to entrepreneurs who like to fall in love with a problem rather than a solution.’
With his business Switchrs, Stefaan helps entrepreneurs take steps towards sustainability and a circular economy. Businesses come to him from a wide variety of industries, from shipping to the toy industry, for advice. When the pandemic kept him hidden away from his audience, Stefaan saw it as an opportunity to write the book that had been developing in his head for years. With Pretopia, he compiles inspiring scenarios for the future on sustainable mobility, smart urbanisation, future-proof food and more. The examples are many and varied – from the Parisian example of the fifteen-minute city to plant-based dairy from the Ghent laboratory of Those Vegan Cowboys and Canadian rooftop greenhouses.
With his business Switchrs, Stefaan helps entrepreneurs take steps towards sustainability and a circular economy. Businesses come to him from a wide variety of industries, from shipping to the toy industry, for advice. When the pandemic kept him hidden away from his audience, Stefaan saw it as an opportunity to write the book that had been developing in his head for years. With Pretopia, he compiles inspiring scenarios for the future on sustainable mobility, smart urbanisation, future-proof food and more. The examples are many and varied – from the Parisian example of the fifteen-minute city to plant-based dairy from the Ghent laboratory of Those Vegan Cowboys and Canadian rooftop greenhouses.
Snapshot: Your book says that ‘a pretopia is a mental space in which you can experiment with the future’. Can you explain?
Stefaan Vandist: A pretopia is an attractive depiction of the future on which we can exchange views. I devised the term as a way of creating a mental sanctuary in which to experiment. Give people figures and statistics and they start to argue about them because everyone wants to be right. Give people a stimulating vision of the future and you get an interesting debate in return. It inspires action. In pretopia, creativity can flourish and innovation can emerge.
There is increasing polarisation in society. Left versus right, ‘heimatdenken’ versus cosmopolitanism, nature versus science. If you think creatively about the future, you can transcend those contradictions and break through ideological barriers. You get something new that inspires and connects us.
S: Should we read your book as a prediction of the future?
Stefaan: Predictions are something for fun fairs. I prefer to see it as a book that explores the future. We cannot predict the future, but we can imagine what it might be like. This is the aim of my book. I can fill a shelf with books that analyse our current problems, but I want my story to offer solutions. Specific, pragmatic examples that promote action. A pretopia is neither a utopia, because utopias are unachievable, nor a dystopia, because it is radically positive rather than frightening.
S: Your book is indeed very optimistic. So you don’t think that it’s five to twelve then?
Stefaan: It’s five past twelve! There is no need for us to even discuss it, as it’s been scientifically proven beyond all reasonable doubt. What is important now is to mitigate the climate crash and fit airbags. But alarmism is counterproductive. It makes you powerless when what we actually need is action. I don’t want to start from a present that is not virtuous, but from an ideal end point. A point on the horizon that we work towards, that stimulates our collective imagination.
S: Your book is indeed very optimistic. So you don’t think that it’s five to twelve then?
Stefaan: It’s five past twelve! There is no need for us to even discuss it, as it’s been scientifically proven beyond all reasonable doubt. What is important now is to mitigate the climate crash and fit airbags. But alarmism is counterproductive. It makes you powerless when what we actually need is action. I don’t want to start from a present that is not virtuous, but from an ideal end point. A point on the horizon that we work towards, that stimulates our collective imagination.
Entrepreneurship is what drives change. Entrepreneurs know how to scale ideas and pull dreams out from the hobby room.
S: In the subheading of your book, you make a link to entrepreneurship. Why is that? Will entrepreneurs be the ones to save the world?
Stefaan: Entrepreneurship is what drives change. Entrepreneurs know how to scale ideas and pull dreams out from the hobby room.
Every entrepreneur can explore ways to do things better within his or her industry, as every industry offers room for growth and improvement. The circularity of our economy continues to be stuck at around 8.6 per cent according to the Circularity Gap Report 2022. Pollution is often the consequence of industries that are poorly organised, supply chains that are outdated and twentieth-century solutions that don’t match twenty-first-century problems. Entrepreneurs have the capacity to scale and apply innovation in their field.
S: Image that I am an entrepreneur eager to commit to sustainability but unsure where to start. How do I approach this?
Stefaan: I strongly believe in the design approach. Change by design. There’s no point in continuing to brainstorm in the office. You have to roll up your sleeves and develop physical items that you can display in the office and that make your vision of the future visible and tangible. People can respond to those items, and that leads to an upward spiral and interaction that give birth to innovation. We shouldn’t wait until an idea is perfect. We just have to make a start.
The fear of not yet being perfect prevents companies from communicating about the sustainable initiatives that they are already taking. We must have the courage to show our vulnerability and to talk about our challenges. Only then can we reach out to one another and work on solutions together.
S: You are a firm believer in partnerships between businesses as a way of moving the world forward. Are there any good examples of this?
Stefaan: You can never achieve change alone, but by connecting with people who think alike. Many smaller businesses can come together to form a single powerful, large alliance driven by the same ideal. A coalition of the willing can help to bring change across industries. A good example in Flanders is the Blue Cluster, uniting 178 marine-related organisations. It involves businesses like Siemens and Colruyt as well as universities researching ways in which we can relocate sustainably our polluting, land-devouring economy to the sea. This results in fascinating initiatives such as offshore farms, seaweed farming and offshore wind farms.
S: You are a firm believer in partnerships between businesses as a way of moving the world forward. Are there any good examples of this?
Stefaan: You can never achieve change alone, but by connecting with people who think alike. Many smaller businesses can come together to form a single powerful, large alliance driven by the same ideal. A coalition of the willing can help to bring change across industries. A good example in Flanders is the Blue Cluster, uniting 178 marine-related organisations. It involves businesses like Siemens and Colruyt as well as universities researching ways in which we can relocate sustainably our polluting, land-devouring economy to the sea. This results in fascinating initiatives such as offshore farms, seaweed farming and offshore wind farms.
S: In your book, you talk about the ‘transformative twenties’. Does that have to happen now?
Stefaan: Before Covid, sustainability thinkers like us preached mainly to the converted and to pioneers of the time. Now it’s the turn of the followers, they need to accelerate in order to catch up. It’s encouraging to see that sustainability is no longer a trend or a marketing idea, but is becoming a principle. The change is becoming tangible.
S: The examples in your book play out primarily in cities. Why is that?
Stefaan: Only 3 per cent of the earth is urbanised, but cities make up 80 per cent of the economy and half of all consumption. 80 per cent of waste is generated in cities and half of all raw materials are consumed there. This means that the social transitions are most easy to witness in cities, in the human garden where we live closely alongside one another. That’s why cities are so fascinating, although rural areas are reforming now too, particularly in agriculture and horticulture.
The most fascinating examples are right in front of our faces. I scratch my head when I see an aeroplane ferrying entrepreneurs on an innovation trip to America while there is so much to discover right here. Like Vegan Valley and rural areas in Gelderland such as Holten and Ochten. 80 companies have devoted themselves to the transition from animal to plant-based proteins under the umbrella of Wageningen University and FrieslandCampina. That’s where things are happening.
I strongly believe in the design approach. Change by design. You have to roll up your sleeves and develop physical items that make your vision of the future visible and tangible.
S: There are many more Dutch examples in your book than Flemish examples. Why is that?
Stefaan: A Dutch person has an idea, looks for sponsors and gets to work. He or she makes things visible more quickly and immediately puts together a good story to accompany the idea. A Flemish person waits for a feasibility study to be completed, applies for government subsidies, and arranges meetings. All right, I’m a bit exaggerating, but the difference in mentality is definitely there. This mentality is already visible in schools. In Flanders you mostly need to sit still and listen in class, while in the Netherlands, children develop speaking skills and courage much more quickly. You can see that effect in entrepreneurship.
S: There are many more Dutch examples in your book than Flemish examples. Why is that?
Stefaan: A Dutch person has an idea, looks for sponsors and gets to work. He or she makes things visible more quickly and immediately puts together a good story to accompany the idea. A Flemish person waits for a feasibility study to be completed, applies for government subsidies, and arranges meetings. All right, I’m a bit exaggerating, but the difference in mentality is definitely there. This mentality is already visible in schools. In Flanders you mostly need to sit still and listen in class, while in the Netherlands, children develop speaking skills and courage much more quickly. You can see that effect in entrepreneurship.
S: Which players do you think will be successful in the future?
Stefaan: Entrepreneurs who like to fall in love with a problem rather than a solution. We should no longer be looking for the gap in the market, but for the gap in society. The future belongs to entrepreneurs who are guided by a goal and a mission, who won’t allow themselves to be confined to a single solution. You have to aim higher. Take the example of the Vegetarian Butcher. He wanted to encourage people to eat plant-based food. If he had developed a single soy burger and left it there, he would never have built the empire that has just been sold to Unilever. You must have the courage to dream AND to reach out to others to jointly make things happen. Generosity and sharing your knowledge are also important.
S: Which sounds like Think big and Excel together - two of our core values at Gumption! What role do you see technology playing in sustainability?
Stefaan: Our current technological expertise is crucial to the transition – big data, 5G and artificial intelligence are essential. A lot of unsustainability is the consequence of poor organisation. A quarter of the earth’s surface is covered in ice, desert, or dead farmland. As an example, the Crowther Lab at the University of Zürich is working with Google and NASA to explore how we can change this with technology.
ICT has changed office life and turned many niches upside down – from buying clothes to booking holidays. We’re going to see similar disruptive effects in agriculture. Imagine that we were to succeed in switching to a plant-based diet, that would be thanks to cultured meat developed in laboratories using technology. We can then return the 80 per cent of the earth’s surface currently used by agriculture to nature. That’s so much more exciting than flying to Mars.
Who is Stefaan Vandist?
With a background in sales (at Compaq Computers) and marketing (at Duval Guillaume), Stefaan Vandist decided fifteen years ago that he would follow his own path and become an entrepreneur. With his business Switchrs, he focuses on exploring the future and sustainable innovation. Stefaan is a regular guest speaker, and has spoken at OM Conference, Bloovi Entrepreneurs Summit, RetailDetail Night and Unizo’s Topseminar.
Who is Stefaan Vandist?
With a background in sales (at Compaq Computers) and marketing (at Duval Guillaume), Stefaan Vandist decided fifteen years ago that he would follow his own path and become an entrepreneur. With his business Switchrs, he focuses on exploring the future and sustainable innovation. Stefaan is a regular guest speaker, and has spoken at OM Conference, Bloovi Entrepreneurs Summit, RetailDetail Night and Unizo’s Topseminar.
About the book
Pretopia, 33 inspiring future scenarios for sustainable entrepreneurs. Stefaan obsessively collected good examples that came to his attention in recent years. It is a mixture of ambitious international projects and initiatives by small players just around the corner. ‘There are so many solutions that almost no one knows about’, says Stefaan. ‘To inspire is my goal. By dividing the future into scenarios, we can make it manageable again. My dream is that after reading my book, people will say: “Gosh, I’m going to work at this.”’
About the book
Pretopia, 33 inspiring future scenarios for sustainable entrepreneurs. Stefaan obsessively collected good examples that came to his attention in recent years. It is a mixture of ambitious international projects and initiatives by small players just around the corner. ‘There are so many solutions that almost no one knows about’, says Stefaan. ‘To inspire is my goal. By dividing the future into scenarios, we can make it manageable again. My dream is that after reading my book, people will say: “Gosh, I’m going to work at this.”’
Prefer a hardcopy? Order your free magazine now