Article from the discussions during the UX-Conf Lyon round table on January 30, 2025,
Standards and regulations: systemic design and its tools for sustainable business transformation
The transformation of companies in terms of sustainability and eco-responsibility of the products or services they offer to consumers and users, as well as their own model, is today a major challenge, particularly in the face of growing environmental and societal demands. During the round table on January 30, 2025 in Lyon, we discussed with our guests several key points, including the importance of the approach and systemic design, the impact of new standards and regulations such as the CSRD for companies, the tools used such as the Business Model Canvas developed by our guest experts, as well as questions on the role of design in supporting this transformation.
Systemic design: an essential approach and a lever for business transformation
Systemic design is an approach that helps companies better understand and manage complexity and unpredictability by adopting a broader and interconnected vision. In this sense, the systemic approach allows for the finding of effective and adapted solutions, particularly concerning the issues of eco-responsibility and sustainable transformation, because it allows for:
- Take a step back and take a global view → Rather than addressing problems in isolation, systemic design encourages seeing the whole system (interactions between the different elements).
- Anticipate and adapt → Businesses must cope with changing and uncertain environments. This approach allows them to better manage unpredictability.
- Integrate regulations → Current laws and regulations require that companies structure their actions taking into account ecological, social and economic aspects.
- Ensure sustainability → By integrating these principles, companies can better respond to current challenges and guarantee their sustainability.
In summary, systemic design helps businesses navigate an uncertain world by adopting a holistic approach that takes into account regulatory, environmental and societal issues.
The impacts of CSRD regulations on businesses
La new regulation European CSRD The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSD) requires large companies with more than 250 employees and those with high revenues to disclose their environmental and social impacts. Since 2024, these companies have been required to provide a documented report validated by an auditor.
This report is based on the principle of double materiality, a method that aims to understand both the company's impact on the environment and how environmental changes affect business. This process includes consulting and involving stakeholders such as suppliers and service providers throughout the value chain, requiring them to provide reliable and regulatory-compliant data to identify real issues and challenges.
This new requirement and these constraints ultimately create a different competitive lever, where the selection criteria are no longer based solely on cost or performance, but also on the transparency and environmental commitment of the company.
So this is new, the competition is also based on the ability of companies to implement action plans and optimize their environmental scoring.
The central idea of the Systemic Design approach on this topic is based on the fact that no business can prosper on a degraded planet. It is therefore essential to think beyond immediate financial interests and adopt a long-term vision, integrating ecology and economic performance. Thus, standards and regulations, perceived as constraints, become levers for new opportunities.
What strategies and tools can businesses and brands adopt to meet these new requirements?
One of the major challenges when talking about systems to leaders who are the decision-makers and primary actors in the dynamics of change, is that the very evocation of the terms "Design" et “Systemic” can cause a dropout or a direct loss of attention!!! 😅 The approach often seems too abstract or complex, which hinders its adoption. To overcome this bias, there are simple and concrete tools that allow this approach to be integrated smoothly.
The dynamic business Canva, a 15-dimensional grid and a pragmatic tool.
Fabrice Liut presents the Dynamic Business Canvas he developed, an improved version of the Business Model Canvas based on a grid of 15 boxes, each representing a key dimension of the company, regardless of its sector or size. The goal is to use this grid to ask the right questions and structure discussions.
The operation is simple: by placing this grid on a table or screen, stakeholders are invited to answer specific questions for each box.
For example:
- What are the company's main challenges currently?
- What actions are being taken to resolve these issues?
These questions allow for seamless navigation through the various strategic dimensions, without necessarily resorting to systems jargon. The facilitator plays a key role in guiding the discussion and ensuring that the interactions generate relevant ideas.
A full session can last two to three hours for an initial exploration, or extend over a full day for in-depth work. At the end of this analysis, the company obtains a precise map of its priorities and strategic challenges.
Indeed, comparing the initial hypotheses and strategies with the reflections generated by this exercise allows us to evaluate their relevance:
- Do the priorities established at the start remain valid after this session?
- Has the company identified any blind spots it hadn't considered before?
This collaborative approach avoids a siloed approach and highlights the interconnections between different functions within the organization. For example, an issue raised in one department may have repercussions on financial or legal strategy, requiring increased coordination between departments.
A tool for everyone
While this tool can be used at the corporate level, it is equally relevant for a specific department or service. Even without being able to directly influence the entire organization, a manager or employee can initiate an approach by analyzing the impact of their own work on the company's overall value proposition.
By conducting an internal survey and identifying levers for action, it becomes possible to build a proactive strategy. For example, a designer looking to improve their CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive) compliance score could work with the legal and finance teams to see how their work can fit into a sustainable transformation process.
Integrate ecological issues and subjects transparently as a real business lever
Addressing or reflecting on ecological impact also fits into the issues addressed in Canva, and should not be seen as a constraint, but as a real opportunity for transformation and strategic differentiation. Ecology can be a powerful business lever, provided it is approached pragmatically. It is not only a matter of identifying negative impacts, but also of assessing the extent to which a company is prepared to assume them, and at what pace it can evolve towards a more virtuous model.
For example, a company that knows its business is polluting water must ask itself these questions: Is it prepared to reduce this impact? To what extent? Can it find alternatives? By asking these questions and publishing its results transparently, it can structure a strategic response aligned with its values and economic objectives, and strengthen its credibility and attractiveness.
The business model canvas of the regenerative enterprise.
Developed by the collective “We are alive” and presented here by Jérémy Dumont https://noussommesvivants.co/le-business-model-canvas-de-l-entreprise-regenerative-2/
First of all: understand what the term “Regenerative” means.
Ecology should not be seen solely as a constraint, but as a way to live better together on Earth, without exclusion.
The Regenerative approach is an approach that no longer aims to limit itself to reducing negative impacts, but aims to create contributory effects.
Ideally, businesses would generate no negative externalities. Some are already moving in this direction by designing products and services with no harmful impact, while contributing to the regeneration of living organisms. Can a business, through its actions, increase biodiversity? Can it improve the quality of life of its employees and local communities? These are the questions that guide eco-sociodesign approaches today. This vision is radically transforming the way businesses understand their place and role in society.
From the circular economy to the regenerative economy
The transition from a circular to a regenerative model requires a profound transformation of the product or service value chain, which must be carried out in collaboration with all stakeholders over time. Viability must be ensured in the short, medium, and long terms. To achieve this, a specific methodology is implemented over five workshops that help fill in the regenerative business canvas.
Mapping and integrating stakeholders : A regenerative economy can only be built with a collaborative approach involving all stakeholders, from suppliers to end consumers.
- Analyze the value chain : Each product or service is analyzed in its entirety, integrating life cycle analysis data, as well as its current and future commitment.
- Deploy broader indicators : Unlike traditional analyses, regeneration takes into account much broader environmental and social indicators, notably those defined by the CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive).
- Looking to the long term : Decisions are evaluated not only in the short term but also in the 10 years, to ensure sustainable and beneficial development for all stakeholders.
- Optimize investments By dividing and spreading investments across multiple stakeholders and over a long period, it becomes possible to increase biodiversity, strengthen local cultures and improve overall impact.
Learn more about the Business Model Canvas of the regenerative enterprise
The example of the Orange case and the transformation of the Livebox
A concrete example of this approach is the work carried out with Orange around live boxThe goal was not simply to improve the object itself, but to rethink access to digital technology while minimizing the overexploitation of natural resources.
The value chain analysis revealed a major problem: water consumption in data centersBy integrating this criterion into the thinking, new solutions emerged:
- Degraded mode in case of drought : An innovation allowing the operation of the Livebox to be adapted to environmental constraints.
- Optimizing data flows : Rather than focusing on storage, it is about rethinking flows to reduce resource consumption.
- Taking into account local regulations : The inclusion of environmental laws and regional specificities in the design of products and services.
This project perfectly illustrates how a regenerative approach can transform an existing service into a lever for positive impact. Moreover, this current model is designed to be remanufactured up to seven times, drastically minimizing the extraction of rare minerals. It's easy to see how this approach not only optimizes resource use, but also reconciles digital usage with respect for ecosystems.
Learn more about this project: THE REGENERATIVE DIGITAL BUSINESS MODEL
Read article Part 2: Rethinking growth and sustainable innovation, the new challenges of design and designers
Our guest experts:
- Clémence Piteau, Co-founder of the Lyon community of Ethical Designers, lle works as an independent designer committed to a digital world that is emancipatory and respectful of the environment, individuals and society.
- Jeremy Dumont, Strategic Planner and founder of the “We are alive” Collective, on the initiative ofworkshops and frescoes such as the fresco of imaginations, emotions and eco-anxiety, and the Business Model Canvas of the Regenerative Enterprise
- Fabrice Liut, co-founder and partner of TheTandem He accompanies leaders and C-levels in their vision, strategies and operational management during key moments of their transformation.
- Elodie Bert, Senior UX Designer and Product Designer at UX-Republic, Animation of the round table
Elodie Bert, UX/UI designer at UX-Republic
