Young people all over the world care about social issues and are eager to design solutions for these (local) social problems. At NN, we believe it is important to help these youngsters care for what matters most to them whilst they develop useful 21st century skills. Therefore, NN and Junior Achievement jointly organise the Social Innovation Relay (SIR) which is a global competition that challenges secondary school students to develop an innovative business concept that addresses a social need. During the global final, three winners were chosen and we are pleased to introduce one of those teams here. Team Esperanza, consisting of Jean Ee, Janessa and Kareena, came up with Resiztable, a one-stop-shop for sustainable wardrobe management. Our colleague Marit van der Veldt spoke to them about their idea.
The Rezistable app is a concept that aims to cut fast fashion and reduce the environmental impact the fashion industry has on the world. The app focuses specifically on garment waste, aiming to stimulate people to reduce, re-sell, and re-use. In creating this innovative platform, the three 17-year-olds hope to better the world. While working on the platform with their mentors, team Esperanza learned a lot about setting up a business and what is needed to succeed as a social innovator. The team mentioned that the biggest challenge they had to overcome was in incentivising customers:
‘One recurring challenge that was constantly on our minds was: how do we incentivise consumers to actually download the app? Our main answer to that question was to have a reward system, whereby we reward consumers for positive wardrobe management.’
We asked team Esperanza: What matters most to you?
Jean Ee: I'm passionate about issues related to the underprivileged community, and social enterprises and social causes in general. So apart from engaging in volunteering sessions, which I really enjoy, I felt that the opportunity at this competition really aligned with what I was interested in looking at. But yes, it was also an experience that was something new, since I had never taken part in a competition like this before. So, for me, what matters most are new experiences, exciting ones, and I think it is even better if there is a social aspect or something I am interested in.
Kareena: I believe in how we as the next generation really ought to be concerned about climate and why climate change is becoming such an increasing issue. Especially when more people our age are becoming aware of how important it is for us to do our part. Because we must leave behind a better world for our children. That is what really drove me and why I am just super happy that we produced this product to satisfy everything that we've all been working towards.
Janessa: For me, it is the desire to do something that will not necessarily change the entire world, but at least leave an impact behind, so I think Rezistable is part of that. We can have a small impact, maybe on the sustainable aspect of the fashion industry and maybe on problems that the world faces today. And in the future, I hope to do something that leaves a bigger impact.
How did you experience the global competition and seeing all the other countries present and compete?
Team Esperanza: We did not know what issues individuals in our age group were passionate about. And then we saw that there were like-minded individuals out there. For example, the Slovakia team with their excellent idea about the markers, and the Romanian team with their ecological battery, we realised that there really are so many people out there who – even though we are in different demographic and geographic areas – are passionate about the same issues as us and are just so capable and amazing.
At NN Group we help people care for what matters most to them. As not all youngsters have equal economic opportunities in life – with some lacking a supportive home environment and others a good education – we at NN want to invest in an inclusive economy where everyone can participate. Therefore, we are proud of our partnership with Junior Achievement Europe, which is in line with our commitment to society to contribute to the wellbeing of the people and the planet so people can thrive for many generations to come.
July 27, 2021
An interview with SIR 2021 winning team Scribo
Team Scribo from Slovakia, consisting of Jakub, Miroslava, Gréta and Oszkár, have started an innovative company to create low-waste whiteboard markers that are made from beeswax.
July 20, 2021
An interview with SIR 2021 winning team Pet-Link
Team Pet-Link, consisting of Alexandros, Konstantinos, Vasilis, and Lydia, came up with an online platform in Greece to match stray dogs with potential owners.
