Shaping Projects Where all Voices Can Be Heard Addressing today’s complex challenges requires diverse perspectives, shared responsibility, and inclusive solutions. Yet, those most affected by unsustainable systems—such as women, migrants, low-income communities, and people with limited decision-making power—are often excluded from the very processes meant to improve their lives. When these voices go unheard, we miss out on key insights and opportunities for lasting impact. Inclusive approaches are key to democratic resilience, social cohesion, and sustainable progress. When systems cater only to a select few, public trust erodes and divisions grow. By actively including underrepresented voices, we strengthen institutions, build legitimacy, and foster a shared sense of ownership. From complexity to collaboration: Embracing tension for real impact However, impactful solutions don’t emerge by avoiding complexity—they take shape when we lean into it. When actors with diverse priorities come together, meaningful progress happens not by steering around tension, but by approaching it with openness, curiosity, and a commitment to shared understanding. At the CSCP, we build our work on the belief that collaboration should reflect the diversity of the world it seeks to change. This is what informs and guides the way we approach and implement Diversity, Equity and Inclusion internally and in our projects and collaborations. Through our work, we witness how inclusive, multi-stakeholder engagement creates spaces where a wide range of experiences can shape the research, nourish dialogue, drive action, and ultimately lead to positive change and increased impact. Putting inclusion into practice: Lessons from the field Understanding who is most impacted by sustainability interventions takes time. But when we invest that time, we build stronger buy-in and ownership among the key actors who are essential to lasting solutions. A good example is our Sustainable Island Mauritius project, where our efforts to identify and engage not only major hospitality players and policymakers, but also artisans, SME tour guides, and local communities, allowed us to co-create solutions that benefit tourists and businesses while also supporting livelihoods and protecting ecosystems. Overcoming the urge to achieve quick results and instead staying committed to a meaningful participation of groups that are often overlooked opens up pathways to real impact. In Mongolia, we are working directly with nomadic cashmere herders to co-develop solutions that reflect both sustainable production goals as well as the herders’ knowledge and needs. In Brazil, our main partners in the ARABICA project are women entrepreneurs with whom we are exploring ways of integrating sustainable practices in the coffee industry to increase resilience but also meet regulatory demands of deforestation-free supply chains. While we know that without involving a broad and representative group of participants in research and decision-making, solutions often lack legitimacy and fall short of achieving long-term impact, engaging the right actors is not always straightforward. It requires trust-building and the ability to navigate complex power dynamics. We face these kinds of challenges across various projects, particularly those where we apply the Living Labs methodology. In Like-a-Pro, which aims to make alternative proteins more mainstream, we navigate gender-related imbalances not only in dietary habits but also in who carries the burden of decisions—often women, who are more likely to do the grocery shopping and should balance factors like cost, health, and family preferences. In PSLifestyles, a project that helps citizens measure and reduce their environmental footprint, income levels emerge as a key factor influencing individual consumption patterns and opportunities for change. And in iCOSHELLs, which focuses on enhancing soil health, we work to balance the diverse interests, values, and resources of both large-scale agricultural producers and smaller or more traditional farmers. In some cases, inclusive engagement means going to where people are and meeting them in their lived realities and everyday contexts, as we did in our Day of the Good Life project in 2021 in Wuppertal, Germany, where engaged communities defied all odds, even the hurdles of a pandemic. In other instances, it requires designing creative and accessible formats that ensure all actor groups not only understand the topic at hand but also feel encouraged and empowered to participate. We constantly employ approaches like personas and storytelling to bridge knowledge gaps and create shared spaces where diverse voices can connect and contribute. Designing for equity: Making sustainability work for everyone It is not enough to ensure diversity and inclusion in processes—these values should also shape the outcomes. At the end of such efforts should stand not only specific, actionable insights but also tangible ways to improve the living conditions of less-advantaged groups, women, smallholder farmers, low-income communities, people with disabilities, LGBTQI*, or youth. Developing outcomes that reflect the needs and realities of those at the margins—not just the mainstream—is essential to ensuring that the benefits of more sustainable ways of living and working are shared across society. At the CSCP, we are passionate about broadening our lens and shaping solutions that reflect the diverse perspectives, priorities, and needs of the communities we live in. Let us come together to inspire action and drive meaningful change! Rosa Strube – Head of Sustainable Lifestyles Flandra Syla-Beqiri – Communications Manager