“The most important thing is: you need to be stubborn! Don’t listen to the people who want to talk you out of your idea!” Sophia Slingerland knows what she’s talking about. As the founder and CEO of the ecological startup Shine Greentech, she has faced scepticism and experienced many ups and downs since starting her endeavour in 2022. On Tuesday, April 9, 2024, this multilingual businesswoman from Germany shared her experiences as a social entrepreneur with SBC students, at the invitation of business lecturer Christian M. Goettker.
Among other modules, “Business and Climate Change”, delivered to Event Management Students in Year 4 of the Huddersfield programme, covers topics such as “B-Corps and Social Enterprises” and “The New Responsibilities of Business”. Sophia Slingerland’s guest lecture, titled “GreenTech Startup – Closed Loop Thinking as a Necessity for ESG”, provided real-world examples and firsthand insights to the undergraduate students.
Together with her shareholder Franz Böhnlein, who has a long career as a senior executive at Volkswagen in China, Sophia walked the students through the rewards and challenges of starting her own business, specifically the production of water-free toilets. She emphasized the need for knowledge, resilience, passion, and the right partners to turn dreams into business. As an architect committed to sustainability throughout her career, she explained how she was inspired by the concept of passive houses and closed-loop systems, leading to the development of fully independent sanitation systems and dry toilets that don’t require any water. “If every person in the world used a water flush toilet every day, we’d waste 324 billion liters of fresh water daily. This shocking realization inspired me to do something about it.”
The students appreciated the opportunity to learn from an entrepreneur who decided to actively mitigate climate change while seizing a business opportunity.
“Sophia's lecture refreshed my knowledge of entrepreneurship and ESG and gave me a real sense that people are trying to make a difference on our planet. What impressed me the most was when she said, ‘When you want to do it, just do it, and be brave’, which I think has given me confidence for my future career,” said Ashly Xue.
“Sophia's guest lecture taught me a lot about entrepreneurship. She gave us knowledge about business innovation from an architecture major, told us about the dos and don'ts of entrepreneurship, and shared firsthand experiences and feelings about the field, providing a shortcut for students planning to start their own businesses in the future,” remarked Frank Fang.
“The lecture taught me how to handle the challenges of starting an environmental company. Sophia loves her business and continues to work hard for it, showing us the entrepreneurial spirit necessary for success,” Zack Chen noted.
“Her experience and achievements deeply inspired me, giving me a deeper understanding of the entrepreneurial journey from scratch to success,” said Helen Liu.
Michael Rigby, Programme Leader of Events Management, concluded: “A fantastic guest lecture which provided Events Management students with invaluable insight into sustainable practices and green innovation. Offering our students the opportunity to learn about the importance, practicalities and opportunities of sustainability from an expert in the field will help to inform and inspire them in their future endeavours.”
