From regulation to innovation

With the Right to Repair Directive and the new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR), the EU is sending a clear message: products must become more durable, repairable and resource-efficient. Spare parts must be available. Repair information must be accessible. Product design decisions must become more transparent.

For companies in retail and manufacturing, this means adapting to new requirements for product design and supply chains, complying with increased transparency obligations, and responding to growing expectations from customers and business partners.

But beyond compliance, there is a real opportunity: companies that integrate repairability, modularity and circularity early on will strengthen resilience, sustainability, customer loyalty and long-term competitiveness.

This is where our Challenge comes in.

The Challenge: Your question, our community

As part of Circular Week 2026, a European high-level format, we invite companies to submit concrete challenges related to Right to Repair and Ecodesign:

How can business models become more repair-friendly?

How can products be designed for modularity and longevity?

How can customers be more actively involved in repair processes?

What new service or platform solutions are needed?

And how do we interest customers in repair or refurbished offerings?

Solutions from the wisdom of the crowd

The co-do lab translates your question into an open innovation challenge and shares it with a strong network of:

Apprentices, Trainees, University students, Fab Labs, Repair cafés, Circular innovators, etc.

They will develop practical and concrete concept solutions. The best ideas and the winning solutions will be showcased during Circular Week at Gut Einern – the home of co-do lab – and awarded prize money.

This creates a real co-creation space between business, civil society and young talents – generating value for all participants.

A highlight: The repair world record attempt

Another highlight of Circular Week 2026:
Our colleague Stephan Schaller is organising, together with the FAB Region Bergisches Städtedreieck and partner companies, a repair world record attempt.

The goal: to complete more repairs in one place on one single day than ever before – during a large public festival in Wuppertal and with partner satellites across NRW.

This is more than a symbolic action. It is a strong statement: repair is no longer a niche topic. It is a key pillar of economic and societal transformation. Making it a social event and easily accessible may support in offering attractive alternatives to convenient online shopping of new items.

Why you should join

By participating, companies gain fresh perspectives on upcoming regulatory requirements and receive concrete, practice-oriented solution ideas. They also benefit from increased visibility within a European high-level format, the opportunity to position themselves as frontrunners in the circular transformation, and access to young talent as well as potential new partnerships.

Become part of the Challenge

Circular Week 2026 is the stage.
Your challenge is the starting point.
Our community develops the solutions.

Would you like to submit a challenge or learn more about the Circular Week 2026?

Let’s not just talk about transformation. Let’s co-do it.

We are a start-up and do-tank for sustainable transformation.
We co-do transformation for a better tomorrow – for businesses, for cities, for society.

These questions were symbolically posed at the Co-Creation Kitchen – a station at our Grand Opening that deliciously combined sustainability, creativity and community.

At the co-do lab, transformation is not just something to be thought about, but something to be experienced and shaped – with your head, heart and hands. In the Co-Creation Kitchen, this vision was literally brought to the table: with shared energy, inspiring conversations and a wide variety of ingredients, ‘transformation cakes’ were baked. The result not only tasted good, but also provoked thought.

From recipe to resonance – how a cake became a symbol

The task sounded simple – but it was anything but: in just 30 minutes, teams whose members did not know each other beforehand had to create a ‘transformation cake’ together. But instead of a fixed recipe plan, the focus was on joint thinking and decision-making.

Each group worked on one stage of the cake – and built on the decisions of the previous teams. The result was not just a dessert, but a symbol of sustainable transformation:

Group 1 decided on the base – the foundation for change. For example, they decided whether the dough should be based on innovation and environmental awareness (oat yoghurt) or accessibility and feasibility (cow’s milk yoghurt).

Group 2 added strategic flavours, such as local honey as a symbol of regional value creation or cane sugar when global perspectives were seen as an important lever.

Group 3 took on the design – the visible differentiation, the vision of a transformation that inspires and excites: almonds for longevity or seasonal fruits for a little more freshness and zest?

In the end, there were several colourful, creative cakes on the table – each an expression of different approaches, beliefs and styles. And all together, proof that transformation needs diversity.

Chaos meets creativity – and the result is impact

Of course, not everything went according to plan. Quantities were mixed up, ingredients improvised, time slots stretched. But that was precisely where the magic lay: despite (or perhaps because of) the lively chaos, moments of genuine collaboration arose in which people laughed, took responsibility and embraced new ideas.

The feedback was clear:

The participants wanted exchange between the groups and space for mutual learning and connecting perspectives. It was surprising how quickly an atmosphere of trust and interest developed despite time pressure and unfamiliar team constellations. Transformation, it turned out, does not begin with perfection – but with openness.

Co-creation as a recipe for success

Behind the scenes, too, it became clear how much power there is in genuine co-creation. Michael provided the vision, Ada coordinated the planning, and Jakob – star chef at Restaurant Winkelmann – took care of the culinary implementation.

This collaboration made tangible what we live by at co-do lab: Transformation succeeds when people with different perspectives combine their strengths – when thinking, feeling and acting come together.

Conclusion: Change goes through the stomach – and the heart

The co-creation kitchen is more than just a cooking station. It is a living example of how ideas become tangible experiences – and how joint action makes change tangible. Transformation happens when people take responsibility, feel joy and experience meaning. And sometimes it starts with a spoonful of dough – and the question: How does change taste to you?

Curious to experience this yourself and with your team? Get in touch!

At the Grand Opening of the co-do! lab and the 20th anniversary of the CSCP, our mother organisation, nearly 100 guests experienced just that: transformation through connection, nature, and immersive moments that touched head, heart, and hand. Here’s how one day became a catalyst for lasting change.

On May 22nd our guests joined us at Gut Einern, our home base in Wuppertal, and embarked on a transformation journey across six interactive stations, each designed to engage the mind, touch the heart, and activate the hands. From the Base Camp, groups set out with guides, each stop offering its own impulse:

In the Futures Visioning station at the Vertical Farm, hidden inside a former shipping container, participants encountered a futuristic vision of local food systems, car-free cities and the future of work—and tasted it, too. The crisp lettuce sparked conversations about how visionary ideas often begin with a simple, tangible prototype.

In the co-do! Mobil, a repurposed city bus, the focus shifted to dialogue. The cozy, unconventional setting turned into a vibrant discussion space for everything from systems change to shared responsibility.

At the Impact Fireside, guests gathered on straw bales around a glowing campfire. Through reflective questions and partner exchanges, deep connection emerged—both with others and with the self. Many described this moment as grounding, emotional, and inspiring.

Hello Transfromation, set in a blooming permaculture garden, offered two paths: a hands-on sparring session which promotes the formulation of more complex thought as well as attentive listening, or a meditative journey through past and future set in nature. Both options created space for new perspectives—and surprising clarity.

Then came the Skill-Building Deck, where participants explored transformation tools through playful interaction. A highlight was Fabby: a cheerful AI onion that playfully guides users through circular economy thinking. Fabby made complexity approachable—and memorable.

In the Co-Creation Kitchen, dessert became metaphor. As teams combined ingredients into sweet creations, they reflected on what’s needed for transformation to succeed—reflection, experimentation, diversity, and joy.

Back at the central square, the co-do lab’s partner organisations hosted a collaboration camp. Guests then stepped into the Zukunftsscheune, a repurposed barn, for an immersive sound and light installation featuring “100 Voices” on the future of sustainability.

After a collective dinner the day ended around the fire with self-made dessert, good conversations, and a golden sunset. We heard again and again: these kinds of experiences stay with people. They inspire. They move. They create a shift.

We at the co-do! lab, the newly founded start-up of the CSCP, believe in this approach deeply. We call it the 10% method—reaching and empowering the pioneers in any system who then carry the momentum forward.

Curious to learn more or join our next experience? Get in touch!
📩 hello@co-do-lab.org

Mark your calendars for 22 May 2025—an exciting day for us as we are celebrating our Grand Opening on Gut Einern.

As the do-tank of the CSCP family, the co-do lab is designed to inspire, empower, and bring together changemakers from all sectors. On this special day, we’ll showcase how the co-do lab serves as a hub for pioneering solutions and bold ideas, all aimed at creating a sustainable future.

We will host a selection of interactive sessions, inspiring discussions, a sustainable dinner and countless opportunities to connect with our growing community of sustainability leaders and innovators. And of course, you’ll get to experience the co-do lab’s vibrant atmosphere firsthand as we welcome you to Gut Einern – a pioneering place where collaboration meets transformation.

We can’t wait to celebrate this milestone with you!

Join us in shaping the future.

Returning participants and newcomers, including individuals from sectors like banking, finance, energy, and more came together. The sense of belonging and shared purpose was palpable, a testament to the programme’s focus on connection and collaboration.

Exploring sustainability in practice

On the first day, participants explored the concept of the Circular Economy through immersive sessions across various parts of Gut Einern. Highlights included:

A visit to the farm shop, where unpackaged, locally sourced produce demonstrated sustainable consumption.

A tour of the historic Winkelmann restaurant building, a 400-year-old structure that has been carefully renovated to extend its lifecycle, showcasing resource preservation in action.

A deep dive into composting and material recycling processes, highlighting ways to keep resources in use longer.

These hands-on experiences made abstract concepts tangible and sparked ideas that participants could take back to their own organisations.

Inner development meets climate action

The second day introduced the pressing issue of climate change, starting with a climate quiz to challenge pre-conceptions and inspire positive action. The group explored how companies can implement climate strategies, emphasising the interconnectedness of mitigation, adaptation and behaviour change.

The group then focused on organisational transformation, guided by the Inner Development Goals (IDG). Participants worked through exercises that translated the programme’s insights into actionable strategies for driving sustainable change in their organisations.

Throughout the programme, it became clear how deeply intertwined the issues of climate, biodiversity, circular economy and behaviour change are. For example, circular economy practices help reduce CO2 emissions, while behavioural change helps address Scope 3 emissions – the largest source of carbon footprints for many organisations.

Community, nature and culinary experiences

One of the most distinctive elements of Hello Transformation is the immersive outdoor learning environment at Gut Einern. Participants explored the permaculture farm, picked salads from the vertical farm and cooked meals together, combining education with a sense of community. Each meal was thoughtfully linked to the themes of the programme. With a focus on collaboration and intercultural competence, the group prepared and enjoyed dishes from every continent and tried unique and experimental dishes such as ramen made with oak leaves.

Looking Ahead

The October 2024 session of Hello Transformation demonstrated the power of combining theoretical knowledge with practical, nature-based experiences. From exploring biodiversity to tackling climate change, participants left with fresh perspectives, actionable strategies, and a strong network of like-minded peers.

As this successful second run wraps up, we are excited to announce that new opportunities to join Hello Transformation in 2025 are available as of now. Our upcoming sessions will continue to combine impactful content, transformative community experiences, and the inspiring setting of Gut Einern.