It all began with a shared vision: to empower Greenpeace’s Innovation Hub to spark meaningful, lasting change. But how did this shared journey of creativity, challenge and transformation come to life?

Greenpeace, looking for fresh perspectives and external support, joined the Master Challenge platform and became part of a university consulting program in partnership with the Utrecht University in the Netherlands. That’s where we came in – four students from diverse backgrounds, cultures and experiences brought together through our intrapreneurship course and united by a common purpose: to work on a project that truly mattered.

Over the course of eight weeks, our team dove into the world of environmental innovation, offering strategic insights and collaborating closely with the team behind Innovation Hub. But this wasn’t just a class project – it was a journey filled with inspiration, unexpected challenges and powerful moments that reminded us just how vital innovation is to the future of environmental activism.

Four students joined Greenpeace to bring innovation into environmental activism

When we first connected with Greenpeace, we were immediately drawn to the Innovation Hub’s mission. It was something that bridged our 2 areas of interest – technology innovation and care for the planet. The idea of working on a framework for selecting and assessing projects within a global campaigning network was thrilling. On the first meeting, we got introduced to the Hub and how it serves Greenpeace’s Technology Vision.

As technology develops and the world gets more digitised by the day, Greenpeace is laying the foundations to still remain impactful by implementing its Technology Vision within the organisation. Built around a 3-horizons framework, Greenpeace’s Tech Vision sets the guiding star to digitally transform the entire network, from running campaigns and collecting donations, to collaborating effectively and operating ships. The purpose of the Innovation Hub within this strategic program is simple – to allow for innovative ideas to come to life, help reach more people and raise awareness and funds to fight for a sustainable future.

How do we define success?

No meaningful work is ever without its hurdles. Early on, we realised that defining success for Greenpeace’s new projects was complex. Unlike the corporate world, where key performance indicators (KPIs) are often tied to market share, Greenpeace operates in a dynamic landscape where impact is measured in influence, awareness, and mindset shifts. Our challenge was; how do we ensure that groundbreaking ideas get the support they need?

To answer these questions, we followed this structure: first, we decided on the methodology of how we will go about this. Knowing that there were many different parts that needed to be addressed. After careful examination, we decided that a thorough literature research will bring the most advantages, combined with interviews with the people behind the Innovation Hub. We explored key academic frameworks on non-profit innovation, project evaluation, and knowledge-sharing to ensure our approach was grounded in research. Further, innovation thrives on iteration. We researched how to learn from both successes and failures, ensuring that knowledge is captured and applied to future projects.

To better understand the role and impact of the Innovation Hub, we designed a set of interview questions aimed at exploring its purpose, strengths, challenges, and overall contribution to broader goals. These questions also sought to uncover individual perspectives on how the hub operates, what success looks like, and how its learnings can be applied. The goal was to gather insights that could help evaluate the hub’s effectiveness and shape its future direction. By capturing diverse viewpoints, we aimed to create a well-rounded understanding that supports continuous improvement and strategic alignment.

The challenge along the way – expectation vs reality

One of the challenges we found was the one of internal alignment. Greenpeace is a global network of independent organisations with passionate individuals who bring diverse perspectives. The expectations of every person differed a little bit, and we needed to make sure that while innovation should not be slowed down with bureaucracy, we still needed to provide and establish some general frameworks. We also quickly figured that the time that each person can spend on this project is also highly limited from Greenpeace’s side, so we had to keep in mind this while also assessing the adjustments and recommendations.

Influencing change with the outcome

After 8 weeks of almost daily work, we were able to present our results both at the university and to the leaders of the Innovation Hub project. We managed to influence change along two main areas. We worked on quantitative evaluations – this meant adjusting the scoring assessment (as displayed above) and adding subcategories based on academic research for a more accurate evaluation of ideas. Further, as innovation comes with big challenges in terms of human capital, we worked a lot on learning about innovation change within the organisation. This means learning about how to introduce change, psychological safety and other factors, things that are to be implemented in the long term.

We were awarded first place in terms of most innovative and applicable project out of our class, which was amazing after the many hours of hard work. We hope that our work brought practical improvements and that Greenpeace will continue to develop its Innovation Hub and make it a great success!

We wonder – what do you think of this project? Which parts of your organisation do you think could benefit from this? Let us know in the comments below!

Jonas Wernstedt, Tímea Szipková, Sara Verhoef and Sepehrdad Jam are students in Business Development & Entrepreneurship at Utrecht University in the Netherlands.

Guest authors work with Greenpeace International to share their personal experiences and perspectives and are responsible for their own content.

Aotearoa – Greenpeace Aotearoa activists have confronted a bottom trawler off the East Coast of New Zealand, writing “ocean  killer” on the side of the ship, after bearing witness to it hauling in a net straining with marine life.

Launching from the Greenpeace vessel the Rainbow Warrior, activists came alongside the New Zealand-flagged vessel, Talley’s Amaltal Atlantis, on the Chatham Rise[1], an area of ocean floor to the east of New Zealand, and painted the message on its side using non-toxic paint. The vessel is owned by seafood group Talley’s.

Speaking from onboard the Rainbow Warrior, Greenpeace Aotearoa oceans campaigner Juan Parada says:

“Activists rebranded this Talley’s vessel today to expose the bottom trawling industry for what they are: ocean killers. When Talley’s drag their heavy trawl nets across the seafloor and over seamounts, they bulldoze everything in their path, including killing precious coral.

“Faced with a fishing industry that profits from trashing the ocean, and a government that condones bottom trawling, ocean defenders have taken peaceful action today to call out this destruction and demand that bottom trawling stop.

“The Amaltal Atlantis trawls extensively in the waters of Aotearoa and has previously received permits to trawl in the High Seas of the South Pacific. Their trail of destruction is wide and long-lasting,” says Parada.

Talley’s has a long history of carrying out bottom trawling destruction.  In 2018, the Amaltal Apollo trawled in a protected area on the Lord Howe Rise, in the international waters of the Tasman Sea. The Amaltal Mariner was convicted of trawling in a marine reserve off Kaikōura in 2019. 

The at-sea action comes just months after a deep sea expedition led by Greenpeace Aotearoa documented whole swathes of destroyed coral in areas of the Tasman Sea that have been intensively trawled by New Zealand bottom trawlers. This area has been earmarked for one of the first high seas ocean sanctuaries, using the Global Ocean Treaty.

New Zealand is the only country still bottom trawling in the High Seas of Tasman. 

Parada says, “As the rest of the world moves towards more comprehensive ocean protection for international waters, New Zealand is standing in the way of progress by continuing to advocate for the bottom trawling industry.” 

“From depleted fish numbers to smashed coral, dead sharks and seabirds, the cost of bottom trawling is too high. To protect the ocean for the future and safeguard the ocean we all love, bottom trawling must stop.”

In response to the activist’s painting activity, Talley’s responded saying they would seek legal action which “may include the arrest of the Rainbow Warrior.”

ENDS

Photos and videos from the at-sea action are available in the Greenpeace Media Library.

Notes:

[1] The action took place in the Chatham Rise area, where it was recently revealed a New Zealand vessel dragged up six tonnes of coral in a single trawl.

Contacts:

Nick Young, Greenpace Aoteaora, Head of Communications, +64-21-707727, nick.young@greenpeace.org

Greenpeace International Press Desk, +31 (0)20 718 2470 (available 24 hours), pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org

Bonn, Germany – A lack of urgency to address the escalating climate crisis has marred the Bonn Climate Change Conference, leaving much work to be done to deliver real progress on climate and biodiversity action at COP30 in Brazil.   

Ambition to accelerate mitigation, including transitioning away from fossil fuels in upcoming 2035 climate action plans was lacking and talks stalled on climate finance and the Baku to Belém roadmap to mobilise up to US$1.3 trillion for developing countries became polarised. Efforts to secure an end to deforestation by 2030 also struggled to find a landing ground.

An Lambrechts, Biodiversity Policy Expert, Greenpeace International, said: “As temperatures escalate, efforts to end deforestation and protect critical ecosystems are an essential part of the 1.5°C solution. But if an action plan to end forest destruction is to be agreed in Belém, parties must grasp the urgency and deliver a transformative COP30 forest outcome.

“While there were some positive signs for potential progress on synergies between climate and biodiversity action in Belém, there’s been far too much procrastination in Bonn and too little decision-making. We believe in multilateralism, but that spirit needs to be reinvigorated ahead of COP30 to accelerate the protection and restoration of critical ecosystems.”

Lorelei Limousin, Climate and Fossil Fuels Campaigner, Greenpeace France said: “The 1.5°C goal is getting harder every day and ambition to deliver the Paris Agreement must be ramped up in 2035 climate action plans. As custodian of the Paris Agreement, France must drive ambition and needs to support EU targets for both 2035 and 2040 that are aligned with 1.5°C.

“Macron’s attempts to weaken EU ambition is sabotaging the Paris Agreement in its 10th anniversary year, putting at risk EU climate leadership. Instead of backtracking, France – and the EU – need to signal they’ll move ahead and accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels.

“But the EU and Global North as a whole, must also help unlock robust public climate finance to help stimulate climate action in developing countries. One clear solution is to give the bill to the fossil fuel producers and make them pay for the climate destruction their products cause.”

Camila Jardim, International Politics Specialist, Greenpeace Brazil said: “Amid challenging times, this is a great opportunity for Brazilian climate leadership to emerge. As COP30 host, Brazil can make the goal of halting global deforestation and forest degradation a reality, delivering a fruitful COP30 legacy to forests all over the world.

“2035 NDCs and bridging the 1.5°C ambition gap is the make-or-break for COP30. A strong COP outcome is needed to combat the expected shortfall in ambition alongside finance to enable greater action in developing countries. But in Bonn a stalemate on emission reductions and finance was exposed, as the Global Stocktake and NDCs became a new taboo in negotiation rooms and developed countries refused to step up on finance. This needs to change – it’s time to act.” 

ENDS

Contacts:

Aaron Gray-Block, Climate Politics Communications Manager, Greenpeace International, aaron.gray-block@greenpeace.org

Greenpeace International Press Desk, +31 (0)20 718 2470 (available 24 hours), pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org

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