Results of the stakeholders roundtables series 2014-2015

Results of the stakeholders roundtable series with regional focus
2014–15
ESA is a space agency which implements a
comprehensive sustainable development policy
based on a holistic approach which comprises
respective actions in outer space and on the
ground.
Space programmes and applications support
European public policies and can also help to
reach any of the challenges of the UN
Millennium goals in contributing to a more
sustainable society and to a more secure and
healthy planet.
ESA has committed to be exemplary as a space
agency and as an organisation and has the
ambition to be a model agency for clean,
responsible and sustainable space activities .
- Meet legal and regulatory requirements in
core business and support activities
- Reach stakeholder's expectations for a fair and
transparent reporting of activities
- Guarantee accountability for sound, efficient
use of public money
- Ensure responsibility of ESA as an organisation
and as a space agency
Content and layout
Coordination Office on Sustainable Development, ESA Strategy Department,
N. Meusy (Head of Office), M. Mirailles, A. Bouilly
Contact
cosd@esa.int / If you wish to know more about our roundtables, please do not hesitate to contact us.
2012 - 2013: Seven dedicated one-day roundtable discussions at ESA HQ
(first roundtable brochure)
2014 - 2015: Three regional one-and-a-half-day events in different
regions of Europe
Participants: About 50 participants at each event from space and nonspace sectors
Lisbon, Portugal / C3P and ISQ
Stockholm, Sweden / Umbilical Design
Topics: Space for Sustainability and Sustainability in the space sector
Prague, Czech Republic / Czech Ministry of
Transport
From 2012 to 2014, ESA started a series of roundtables covering
various S u s ta i n a b l e D e v e lo pm e n t ( SD) issues. The exchanges
focused on best practices and on the potential for cooperation. The
intention was to build a platform o f e x c h a n g e among actors
mainly from the space sector but also with others with a strong SD
policy on and experience in the topics to be discussed.
Paris, France / ESA Headquarters
By including SD leaders in the discussion, the expectations were in particular to identify common approaches and
specific indicators for the space sector in dealing with SD-related topics, as well as sharing best practices, concerns and
potential solutions. The aim was also to assess how SD principles are being integrated into the space sector.
After the conclusion of the first round of the series (2012-13), which was summarised in the first brochure, the idea of
regionally focused events was introduced.
To fulfill its purpose of serving ESA’s Member States, COSD decided to hold these regional roundtables in different
ESA Member States. In 2014 and 2015, three roundtables took place in Southern, Northern, and Central and Eastern
Europe. In addition to building a platform among stakeholders, the aim was to involve local partners and companies
in the discussion. All three regional roundtables had a similar set-up, and dealt with similar topics. It was
subsequently easier to compare the regions.
At each regional event we welcomed approximately 50 participants from different sectors of activity. The first day was
divided into two sessions: space for sustainability and sustainability in the space sector. On the second day a field tried
was usually organized by our local partners to visit companies or buildings in relation to sustainability.
The Mediterranean countries have similar challenges to face due to climate change: expected rising sea levels,
desertification, water scarcity, etc. Additionally, due to the financial crisis, these countries have been hit with a
variety of problems. But there also lie great opportunities for instance for energy generation from solar panels or
wind turbines. The region can now use its potential for sustainability innovation and investment.
The region facts:
Countries: Greece, Italy, Portugal, Spain
Inhabitants: 129 Mio
Area: 1.03 Mio km²
GDP: 2.931 trillion Euros
CO2 emissions per capita: 23.3 tones
26-27 May 2014
Partners: Center for Pollution Prevention Program (C3P) and ISQ, Portugal
Moderation: Paulo Chaves (ISQ) / Karoline Marburger and Marion Mirailles (ESA)
Special kick-off: Paulo Magalhães Earth Condominium / Ricardo Moita (get2c) Develop smart projects aiming
at a cooler world
Field visit: UAVision / Environmental Education Center of Torres Vedras
Nathalie Meusy, ESA - Head of COSD
Pelágio Castelo Branco, C3P - President
Manuel Cruz, ISQ - President of the Board of Directors
Pedro Caneiro, FCT - Vice President, Portuguese Delegation to ESA
Morning: Space for Sustainability
The morning featured a very philosophical exchange of views
triggered by a presentation on the Earth Condominium. The
discussions revolved around the question of who should be the
leaders in bringing the change towards viewing the Earth as
common heritage: the broad public and civil society, the
political elite, multinational cooperation or small enterprises at
local level.
Afternoon: Sustainability in the Space Sector
The afternoon session was less philosophical in nature. It
highlighted the importance of the top management support
for the engagement in sustainable development on the one
hand and the necessity of awareness raising throughout the
whole company on the other hand. The space sector seems to
be well on the way of introducing Environmental Management
Systems based on ISO14001 certification. The question was
raised whether there should be a further harmonisation in
the space sector on SD issues.
It was pointed out that space activities at
large provide benefits for sustainability but
also that sustainability is also a guarantee for
the future of space activities. The quest for
sustainability is seen as an opportunity for
the industry to create new competitive
technologies. In Portugal there is the
biggest potential to develop a blue
economy in the European zone which should
be taken advantage of.
Furthermore, it was observed that
companies from Portugal and Spain really
seem to be on the way of continuous
improvement
regarding
their
SD
engagement. There was general agreement
on the importance of linking space and
sustainability.
At the end of the day one sentence
remained unquestioned: The “pale Blue Dot”
is the only place in space we know for life,
we have to take care of our life support
spaceship.
Visit to UAVision:
- Opening address (Paulo Ferrão, University of Lisbon)
- Tour of UAVision (Nuno Simoes, UAVision)
Visit to the Environmental Education Center in Torres Vedras:
- Tour of the education center
- Presentation of the Portuguese winners of the ESA CanSat Competition
The second day started with the visit of UAVision. At the facilities of the
company there was first a presentation by Paulo Ferrão from the
University of Lisbon. He talked about urban sustainability and the
challenges posed to cities due to growing urbanisation, climate change
and new technologies. After his presentation Nuno Simoes, General
Manager at UAVision, gave a tour of their production facilities. He
showed not only the manufacturing of their drones, which was their
core business, but also other products which they had developed as
spin-offs. These were for instance a special temperature-water qualitywave height measuring buoy and a ground monitoring pole for
agriculture.
The mayor of Torres Vedras municipality had invited
ESA and the roundtable participants to their newly
opened Environmental Education Center. The building
is carbon neutral and uses wind, geothermal and solar
energy as well as collects rain water for sanitation.
The interesting part was to discover not only the
building itself but the whole concept and policy behind
it. The municipality engaged a lot in awareness raising
starting with little children, to families and retired
citizens. Rooms were integrated in the center where
school classes can come and learn about the
environment. During the short stay and lunch at the
center we got the chance to meet the Portuguese
winners of the ESA CanSat competition who presented
us their project (see next page).
A CanSat is a simulation of a
real satellite, integrated within
the volume and shape of a soft
drink can. ‘CanSats in Europe’
is an initiative of the ESA’s
education office, which also
supports
national
CanSat
events with the help of local
organisations.
These
organisations are collaborating
to increase the support for
CanSat activities in Europe.
The challenge for the students is to fit all the major subsystems found in a satellite, such as power,
sensors and a communication system, into this minimal volume. The CanSat is then launched to an altitude
of a few hundred meters by a rocket or dropped from a platform. The mission is: to carry out a scientific
experiment and achieve a safe landing. The first national CanSat competition of Portugal took place in
April 2014. 16 teams comprising around 100 students from 10 high-schools in Portugal competed against
each other. The jury selected the team ‘Mission impossible’ from Externato de Penafirme of Torres Vedras
as the overall winner. During the visit day of the roundtable we met part of the students and they
presented their CanSat. They later on took part in the ESA European CanSat Competition in Andoya,
Norway, in June 2014.
Paulo Chaves, ISQ International
“It was an honour for ISQ to be selected as the host and co-organizer of the first ESA regional sustainability
roundtable, in Lisbon. It was a great opportunity to gather experts from industry, academia and national
agencies, with European space stakeholders, to exchanges ideas, concerns and possible solutions relating
to sustainable development, and the role of space to achieve it.”
The Scandinavian Countries form a rather homogeneous group. They stand out for their specific welfare
system, their economic strengths and tax systems. These countries are said to have a well advanced
engagement in sustainability. For instance Copenhagen Business School is ranked as one of the leading
universities in the world on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and SD topics and research. Additionally,
Finland, Sweden and Denmark recently all ranked among the top five countries in the CleanTech Innovation
Index 2014. Sustainability in the north of Europe is understood as a holistic approach which already found its
way into city planning (e.g. Copenhagen wants to become carbon neutral by 2020), the strategies of companies
and the everyday lives of citizens.
The region facts:
Countries: Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland
Inhabitants: 26 Mio
Area: 1.2 Mio km²
GDP: 1.344 trillion Euros
CO2 emissions per capita: 27.1 tonnes
10-11 November 2014
Partner: Umbilical Design, Sweden
Moderation: Per Tegner (ESA Senior Advisor) / Gierth Olsson (OHB Sweden)
Special Kick-off: Christer Fuglesang (ESA Astronaut) Sustainability and Space
Field Visit: OHB Sweden / Green buildings
Olle Norberg, Swedish National Space Board - Director General
Cecilia Hertz, Umbilical Design - Founder and CEO
Nathalie Meusy, ESA - Head of COSD
Morning: Space for Sustainability
The morning featured an exchange of views on
fundamentals: what is sustainability? A great part of the
discussion then focused on the socio-economic benefits of
space. There was general agreement that more needed to
be done in this domain in order to raise awareness among
the general public about how dependent on space
applications life on Earth has become. Coordination
between space actors would be vital in this respect
especially in
the
domain
of
communication.
Furthermore, cooperation amongst actors could also be
fruitful in respect to end-users’ requirements.
Afternoon: Sustainability in the space sector
During the afternoon session various topics were
addressed: social aspects, environmental management
systems,
knowledge
(and
consciousness)
about
environmental impacts of the sector or even ethics. One of
the topics that reappeared in the northern region was that
of communication - but this time focusing more on the
sustainability engagement in the sector. The question was
also raised whether the space sector can provide a valid
benchmark for other sectors.
In light of the focus on the Nordic region one
can confirm the image Scandinavian
countries have when it comes to
sustainability and CSR. During the discussions
and presentations it became apparent that,
especially in the building sector, there is a
particular ambition to go far beyond existing
building standards in Scandinavia. In general
the Nordic region seems to take a very
proactive approach towards sustainability.
Specific areas where space applications
could
contribute
to
sustainable
development were identified: the Arctic
region, the Baltic Sea, urban planning and
connectivity due to long distances.
Technology transfer could also play an
important role in this respect. Specific issues
on the sustainability in outer space were also
mentioned. Such were several Swedish
initiatives: rendez-vous and docking as
basis for active space debris removal,
space weather and its contribution to
research as well as a special motor for
deorbiting cubesats.
Visit to OHB Sweden:
- Presentations OHB Sweden (Gierth Olsson) and ECAPS (Mathias Persson)
Visit of Green buildings:
- Aula Medica, Solna (Guided visit by Rasmus Waern – Wingårdh Architects, Designer of the building)
- New Karolinska Solna (High-specialist hospital with its own energy production) Guided visit in NKS showroom
- ÅF Headquarters, Solna (Guided visit by Jonas Gräslund / Skanska, Technical Manager and Adj. Professor Energy and
Environment, Chalmers University of Technology)
An overview of the company and its activity was given by
Gierth Olsson, Managing Director at OHB. Then Mathias
Persson, Managing Director of ECAPS, presented his
company specialized on the development and production of
green propellants for satellites. Afterwards, during a tour of
the building, the group was able to see the clean room of
OHB as well as two mission control rooms for ODIN and
Prisma. The latter was a project during which two satellites
flew in formation while just one of them could be steered.
This project will provide valuable insight into future projects,
especially in the domain of active space debris removal.
Following the visit of OHB, the second part of the day focused on
buildings. The first building visited was the Aula Medica - a big
auditorium on the medical campus of the New Karolinska Institute. The
architect himself showed the strangely shaped building with its 1000 -seat
auditorium. The second building was more of a construction site, giving an
insight in the planning and construction of the New Karolinska Solna.
This new specialised care hospital was planned to take various kinds of
sustainability aspects into account, up to producing its own energy. After
a lunch at ÅF Headquarters their building was also visited. It had been the
first “green building” in Sweden and is using several interesting
techniques to have a low impact on the environment while staying a
functional building adapted to the needs of the people working in it. In
general all these buildings were or were going to be of the highest
building standards in terms of sustainability or going beyond them.
With a short intervention by James Leatherwood from NASA in the afternoon of the first day, participants of
the roundtable were able to get a glimpse of how NASA is engaged in sustainability. He gave a short overview with
some highlights of the NASA 2014 Strategic Sustainability Performance Plan. It became apparent that problems
and challenges were not so different on the other side of the Atlantic. Next to general environmental goals such as
energy and water consumption reduction or waste management, NASA is also trying to evaluate climate change
risks and identify and manage effects of climate change. According to Mr Leatherwood, NASA was well on its
way towards becoming more sustainable and environmentally friendly but there was still a lot of work to be done.
For instance, many on-site challenges laid ahead concerning their buildings (refurbishment of older buildings,
certification of buildings, etc.).
Cecilia Hertz, Managing Director and Founder of Umbilical Design, Stockholm, Sweden
“Umbilical Design is glad and honoured to have been hosting and co-organised the ESA Sustainability Roundtable in
Sweden in November 2014. Our goal at Umbilical Design is to drive Sustainable Development and innovation forward
through Space Technology Transfer.
Umbilical Design has 15 years of experience from the space sector and since its inception has worked with the
European Space Agency and NASA on design for the space industry and represents Sweden in the ESA Technology
Transfer Network, as 1 of 15 Space Brokers in Europe.
The opportunity to have hosted an ESA Sustainability Roundtable created valuable insights for the participants as
well as for us and will help us in our mission from the ESA Technology Transfer Network Office (TTNO). It was also an
opportunity to highlight the value we believe that ESA Technology Transfer Network can create.
Furthermore, we believe that ESA's Sustainability Roundtable opens up many new possibilities, by creating a crossdisciplinary exchange platform for various companies within the Space and Sustainability Sector, as well as for
leading researchers. It was very exciting to discuss different topics and ideas, with the aim of global collaboration
and sustainable action in Sweden.
Many people wonder how space is linked to sustainability. A common perception is that these two concepts are far
apart. A space shuttle or a future lunar base is on the contrary, one of the most durable systems you can imagine;
namely a closed ecosystem. By specifically showing how space missions deal with scarce resources, such as energy,
water, air and living space, we challenge industries to creatively apply these resource effective approaches in order
to collaboratively develop new products or services that lead to new businesses and ventures, and exciting new jobs
for young people based on sustainable concepts and technologies.
We also have an ambition of increasing the commercialization rate of space technologies and know-how by
developing and using new innovation processes, by implementing our tools Volume Management and Weightless
Thinking.
Space technology transfer is a potential growth engine and an innovative force for industry.”
The Central and Eastern European countries are very diverse. Regarding the access to maritime areas, for
example, some have access to the sea such as Poland, the Baltics or Romania, and some do not have any
coast line like the Czech Republic or Hungary. Despite the fact that they share a common history after the
Second World War these countries developed different competences and core industries. In terms of
sustainability they thus have very different potentials. For instance Romania is considered to have the highest
potential for wind energy in the region. The space sector could also be used in order to promote and
strengthen sustainability efforts in this region, e.g. for rural development as universities, in the region, are
developing studies and research on agriculture.
The region facts:
Countries: Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Poland, Romania
Inhabitants: 80 Mio
Area: 778000 km²
GDP: 899.000 billion Euros
CO2 emissions per capita: 29.3 tonnes
9-10 March 2015
Partner: Czech Ministry of Transport
Moderation: Ondrej Svab (Czech Ministry of Transport) / Karoline Marburger (ESA)
Keynote speech: Maciej Morczek (Vice-Chair Polish Parliamentary Space Group) Space and Sustainability
Special Kick-Off: Bruno Gerard (Arianespace) Sustainability in the space sector
Field Visit: Regional Organiser of the Prague Integrated Transport
Kamil Rudolecky, Minister of Transport - Czech Deputy
Václav Kobera, Czech Ministy of Transport - Director of Space Activities and Intelligent Transport Systems
Department, Delegation to ESA
Ondrej Mirovsky, Member of the Council of the City of Prague
Nathalie Meusy, ESA - Head of COSD
Morning: Space for Sustainability
The morning featured an overview of the various
ways in which space can contribute to sustainability.
Earth observation data was seen as the most
prominent next to GNSS data. Both could give
incentives for new market opportunities, for instance in
areas such as agriculture or energy management. The
general agreement was that space applications provide
new and smart solutions for many sectors.
Afternoon: Sustainability in the space sector
The afternoon session addressed environmental
concerns in the space sector. The importance of
sustainability for strategic purposes was particularly
outlined, especially in light of strict regulations and
increasing expectations from customers to reach
international standards (certifications like ISO 14001 and
ISO 50001). Here there was the opportunity to enhance
good practices towards the environment by working in
close coordination within the sector. The regulations on
the use of substances and processes imposed by REACH
can also be an
opportunity for green market
development
and competitive advantages by
stimulating R&D and innovation.
There was general agreement that space
applications have a high potential for fostering
sustainable development. This potential had
been already demonstrated through various pilot
projects. There is the need for governmental
commitment for the follow up and continuous
use of the insights gained through these pilot
projects. A top down commitment is thus crucial
(EU, Member States Ministries, Municipalities,
Agencies). Especially the example of Poland has
shown that a central success factor in this
respect is parliamentary support.
However, there are also challenges as to how to
seize these opportunities. For instance the
access to Earth observation data and its related
costs are a great obstacle. Another challenge is to
stimulate stakeholders’ involvement in concrete
projects. But also technical problems had to be
faced, for instance in bringing together
different and often competing technological
solutions (space, airborne,
ground) in
integrated applications.
Reporting on sustainability is a topic that
should further be discussed in light of a possible
joint approach within the space sector.
Czech Ministry of Transport:
- Presentation of Regional Oganiser of the Prague Integrated Transport (ROPIT) by Petr Cuchal
Visit of ROPIT:
- Tour of the operational center of ROPIT
The second day started with a presentation by the
Regional Organiser of the Prague Integrated Transport
(ROPIT) at the Ministry of Transport. Petr Cuchal, working
at ROPIT explained how they use GNSS for the real time
tracking of the public transport in Prague. Their monitoring
system integrated bus and regional train lines with the aim
of making it more efficient and also aligning connections in
a better way.
Afterwards the group visited t h e operational center of ROPIT which gave everyone a first-hand experience on
how the monitoring was being conducted. They did not have any visibility yet on how much they reduced their
effect on the environment or their emissions, thanks to the continuous work optimizing the transport system.
However, this is an aspect they were planning on including in the future. Another pilot project was at that time
being conducted to that aim, focusing on a bus equipped with CNG fuel.
The morning session of the first day began with a key-note speech by the Vice-chair of the Polish Parliamentary
Space Group, Maciej Mroczek. He insisted on the need for strong parliamentarian support in order to strengthen
Europe’s engagement in space, especially for sustainability on Earth. During its presidency of the European Inter
-parliamentary Space Conference (EISC) in 2012, Poland had therefore explicitly chosen space and sustainability as
the main theme. It was also at this occasion that the EISC-ESA “Space for Sustainability” Award had been
launched. Reaching its third edition by the time of the regional roundtable in Prague, the Award is still addressing
young European students and professionals and encourages them to propose innovative project ideas on the
thematic of space and sustainable development
During the roundtable it was highlighted that regional cooperation is key for avoiding duplication of efforts. People
need to be made aware of space applications and their benefits. Here lay great opportunities especially for small
Member States and SMEs for fostering innovation and R&D for green technologies. There is an opportunity to create
a competitive advantage within the space sector in this field.
The Coordination Office on Sustainable Development (COSD) held a special two days event - a review of the
3 years of roundtable series, named ‘Developing a common approach of SD in the European space sector’.
The first day consisted in a day of workshop with presentations, debates and discussions. The second day
included a visit of the Airbus Defence and Space premises at Les Mureaux.
Overview of the roundtable series:
ESA proposed this workshop with the purpose of engaging our various partners who already participated to
our local and regional roundtables towards a common view of sustainability in the space sector.
The meeting followed three regional roundtables (in Lisbon, Stockholm and Prague) and seven local ones
which were held since 2012. As usual, the general aim of the meeting was to foster the exchange platform
amongst actors mainly from the space sector but also from other sectors of activity with a strong SD
engagement and experience in the discussed topics. All regional roundtables had a similar set-up with
similar topics (sustainability in the space sector and space for sustainability) while also trying to focus on
regional specificities.
This wrap-up event, in the morning panel, intended to summarise the discussions of the overall series. Thus,
our regional partners presented the conclusions and the actions that followed the roundtables held in their
country.
Nathalie Meusy, ESA - Head of COSD
Johann Wörner, ESA - Director General, special statement
The morning consisted in presentations of the three
regional roundtables, country by country. The ESA
sustainability office presented an overall review on the
whole process of the workshop and intended to introduce
the debate and discussion on possible future joint efforts
and actions towards SD in the European space sector.
The afternoon was dedicated to a session of three working
groups. The main objective of this session was to establish
a common baseline for a possible future action plan, in the
European space sector, on sustainability. The groups were
composed by 6-7 people, and after 90 minutes of
discussion, the moderators provided the assembly with the
feedbacks. The idea was, for each group, to stimulate
debate and discussion around the following questions:

In which area do you think harmonisation of the space
sector would be possible/beneficial (communication,
environmental management, responsible procurement,
etc.) ?

How would it be possible (cooperation arrangements,
common set of specific KPIs, etc. )?

In which time-frame of actions?

What is the level of importance and priority?
From the Portuguese experience, the Southern
Europe roundtable allowed to better understand the
challenges of the space sector in terms of
sustainability and to make connections between
both sectors.
In the same perspective, the Swedish roundtable
was qualified as a “huge opportunity to develop
networks and projects in the space sector with a
special focus on sustainability”.
The roundtable in Prague fitted ideally with the
general Czech space agenda, where Czech Republic is
developing a new national space strategy with a
reflection on sustainability. There is a real willingness
of cooperation from the Central and Eastern region
on the issues of space and sustainability. Emphasis
was put on the fact that it is important for the region
to communicate more on space and that especially
the area of sustainability could provide good
opportunities.
In general, during the wrap up two main elements of
the discussion were highlighted. The development of
a common strategy thanks to a new series of
roundtables and the question of the communication:
the next step is to set up a website where we could
basically see and exchange best practices on SD in
the space sector and consequently enrich our
activities.
Visit to Airbus Safran Launchers: Presentation of ASL and visit of the facilities at Le Mureaux
Located 40 km west of Paris, at the heart of the Astech and Systém@tic clusters, this site comprises most of Airbus
Safran Launcher’s central directorates. The site specialises in the prime contractorship of major space and strategic
programmes, such as Ariane. After a presentation of Airbus Safran Launchers, we had a quite complete and very
exciting visit of some premises of the company. The tour began with the very interesting visit of the rooms where
are fabricated the satellite reflectors, the satellite central tube and the SYLDA (Ariane dual payload system) which is
the adaptor designed to
add a second satellite
inside the fairing. We then
had the opportunity to see
the Biomass installation
and
understand
the
functioning of this system
chosen to reduce heat
costs and CO2 footprint.
After that, we had the great
chance
to
visit
the
installations
for
the
integration of the Ariane 5
Cryogenic Main Stage. The
visit ended up with a lunch
reception which was a ideal
occasion to close-up this 2days event on a more
informal exchanges.
« Without change there is no innovation, creativity, or incentive for
improvement. Those who initiate change will have a better
opportunity to manage the change that is inevitable. »
William Polland