Prototyping journey Insights: impACT for Companies — Turning Sustainability Intent into Collective Action

Acting  for sustainability often feels overwhelming, impossible, and, these days, sometimes not so important anymore. Between corporate inertia, moralising narratives, and the feeling that “someone else should go first”, action is often delayed indefinitely.

The team behind impACT for Companies, supported by the Prototype Fund, decided to tackle this “triangle of inaction” head-on. Their mission: to mobilise employees and organisations to take meaningful, concrete steps toward sustainability.

“The challenge isn’t a lack of awareness,” the team explains. “It’s that people feel disempowered — they don’t know where to start, or they think their actions don’t matter. We wanted to change that dynamic.”

From Research to Co-Design

The impACT project began with a deep listening phase. The team engaged in interviews and workshops with companies, sustainability experts, consultants, and researchers to understand the real needs behind corporate sustainability efforts.

One key insight quickly emerged: companies were looking for a tool that bridges individual motivation and organisational goals — something that would help employees feel part of a shared journey rather than isolated efforts.

To shape this vision, the team organised a co-design workshop with sustainability professionals, exploring how impACT could be integrated into existing strategies and workplace cultures. The result was a clear concept: a customisable app that allows companies to tailor sustainability challenges to their context, size, and sector.

Designing for Engagement and Flexibility

impACT for Companies is now entering its technical development phase, creating sector-specific actions and features. that encourage people to take action at their level in their organisation – employees, leaders, everyone can contribute at their level of responsibilities. Working together also fosters community, motivation, and shared purpose inside organisations.

“One of our biggest learnings,” says the team, “was the importance of flexibility. Each company has its own culture and priorities, so a one-size-fits-all solution simply doesn’t work. impACT needs to be adaptable — that’s how real change scales.”

Another powerful insight came from the level of interest shown by both companies and public institutions, which validated the project’s direction and highlighted the growing demand for action-oriented sustainability tools.

Small Actions, Big ripples

The project’s most rewarding moment so far came when unexpected users became advocates. People who had never considered themselves “environmentalists” found meaning and joy in completing challenges — and soon became ambassadors for change in their workplaces.

“Watching people light up as they realise they can make a difference — that’s when it clicked for us,” the team shares. “It confirmed that impACT is more than an app. It’s a movement toward collective empowerment.”

Looking Ahead

The team is now preparing to pilot impACT for Companies in real-world environments — from businesses to municipalities — and adapt it based on hands-on feedback.

For those curious to explore the citizen version of impACT, it’s already live and running:
👉 www.impact-ch.ch (currently available in French)

With each new user, conversation, and challenge completed, impACT continues to demonstrate that change doesn’t start with perfection — it starts with participation.