“Social Sustainability is Central to a Good Life for All”

Nils Kreft has joined our CSCP Communication Team with a background in psychology, business and economics. He is passionate about improving social sustainability in our daily lives, particularly in urban contexts. Learn more about his work at the CSCP to advance this and other important sustainability goals.

In your work at the CSCP you place importance on recognising all three levels of sustainability (ecological, economical, and social). Do you think they are given due attention in the sustainability agenda?

I find that the mainstream conversations about economic sustainability, for example, often lack consideration of the other two aspects. At the CSCP and in all our collaborations with partners we focus on moving beyond such limited views. We want to ensure that our projects and efforts take into account climate, biodiversity, water, resource use, waste and other environmental considerations alongside economic ones. In addition, we pay special attention to the social aspects of sustainability. Personally, I am passionate about ensuring that social sustainability is also part of the debate: from meeting everyone’s basic needs to increasing social cohesion to mental and social health. I believe these issues are more important than they are normally given attention to in achieving a good life for all within planetary boundaries.

One of your main projects looks into social change, more precisely how to increase the number of inclusive and participatory social spaces. Why is this essential for society today and how can we mobilise action?

Yes, one of the main aspects of the FAB Region project is to establish a network of innovation centres as hubs for sustainable transformation in the German Bergisch city-triangle of Wuppertal, Remscheid and Solingen. The centres that are already part of the project are very diverse and interesting places. They include the Gründerschmiede, a start-up centre offering expertise in circular economy; the Gläserne Werkstatt, a former shopping mall transformed into a creative workshop and event venue for the common good; and Gut Einern, an estate that has become a hub for ecological and social sustainability, including a permaculture farm and a lively neighbourhood community.

Why is it important to have these kinds of participatory spaces? I believe that our actions are largely shaped by the context in which we live and our context often tells us to do things that aren’t necessarily for the common good. Overconsumption is an example here. Innovative spaces like the ones we work with in the FAB Region project are urgently needed as spaces where purpose, social cohesion and sustainability can be experienced first-hand. They are powerful platforms to engage civil society and to provide alternatives to mainstream third spaces.

It has been shown that when it comes to shaping sustainable transformations, psychological and behavioural factors are often determinant. How can communication play a positive role here?

When you try to bring many people together for a common goal such as sustainable transformation, it is key to have clear and concise messaging. Communication is the most important tool we have to create a common ground about the vision, goals and pathways to achieve them. Good communicate can motivate, share knowledge, and highlight opportunities for action. In order to engage audiences, one has to think not only about how messages are framed, but also how they may be received, interpreted, and acted upon.

Personally, when you’re not working on a sustainability project in the office, how do you engage with the topic?

At the most basic level, I try to live a life that avoids the big emitters – flying, eating an animal-based diet, owning a car, or overheating in winter. I try to be mindful of my habits and routines and align them with my own needs rather than external pressures. I am passionate about creating more participatory social spaces as a means of introducing more sustainability at all levels of our life and work toward this goal also in my private life.