JYSK talent goes to India for UN’s Global Goals
Date: 09/01/2023
Author: Laura Roesgaard, Sustainability Communications Consultant , JYSK
Category: Sustainability , People
Transforming the United Nations’ Global Goals into action was the overall purpose, as Lena Müller from JYSK participated in the UNLEASH Innovation Lab in India.
What is UNLEASH Innovation Lab?
UNLEASH Innovation Lab is a global initiative that every year gathers 1,000 young people from around the world to share their knowledge, to network and to develop concrete ideas for how we as an international community fulfill the ambitions of the Global Goals.
19,000 applied, 1,000 were selected, and Lena Müller from JYSK was one of them. As a result, she packed her bag and traveled around the world to participate in the UNLEASH Innovation Lab in India to share her knowledge and expertise.
In JYSK, 26-year-old Lena Müller works as Compliance & Sustainability Specialist at the head office in Denmark. Her role at the Innovation Lab in India was, together with other young people from around the world, to come up with new ideas for transforming the Global Goals into concrete actions.
“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, I would say. I am very grateful I got the chance,” says Lena.
Climate Action
The events at the UNLEASH Innovation Lab were a good mix of knowledge sharing, posters and stickers, new ideas and solutions, morning motivational dancing, cultural exchange, field visits, pitching ideas to a panel of judges, and new friendships.
“Everybody at the Innovation Lab was extremely motivated, and it was great to exchange ideas and experience that we all worked toward the same goal,” says Lena.
All participants were divided into small groups and asked to focus on one of the Global Goals.
Lena and her group had the Global Goal number 13, Climate Action.
“It was intense. Your head was spinning from morning to late evening. I think the brainstorming part was the most fun. The more we discussed, the more problems and ideas for solutions we came up with,” Lena says.
All participants were presented to a thoroughly prepared framework for the group work, which they could lean on during the process.
During the week, Lena and her group managed to come up with a new solution for waste management in Delhi in India, as they identified the lack of a waste-sorting system as the main risk to the climate in Delhi.
Grown as a person
Back in Denmark, Lena is still high on energy.
What are the Global Goals?
In 2015, the United Nations adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (also known as the Global Goals) with the intention of solving some of the planet's biggest challenges by 2030 and building a better and more sustainable future for everyone.
JYSK has identified the five Global Goals that are most relevant to our business, including the Global Goal 13, Climate Action. Read more at JYSK.com
”I just want to continue the state of inspiration and energy that I am in right now, to keep the momentum going,” she says.
Waste management in India may seem like a different story than working as a Compliance & Sustainability Specialist in JYSK. Nonetheless, Lena can use a lot of her newly gained insights in her job.
“The way of thinking and attacking a problem – to keep asking why. Why is there not a solution yet if it is a big problem? At each step of the process, which we followed at the Innovation Lab, there are things which I can use in JYSK,” Lena explains and adds:
“I have the feeling that I have grown as a person during my stay in India. I returned with a new perspective, a much deeper understanding of the Global Goals, many new friendships and a strong global network.”
