Practicing the Business Case for Sustainability

Context

In courses focused on business sustainability, the Green Business Lab places learners inside the strategic decision context where environmental and social considerations shape innovation, competitiveness, resilience, and long-term value creation.

What participants do

Participants act as a company’s executive team, making enterprise-level decisions under real constraints. With limited capital, competing priorities, vocal stakeholders, and a Board evaluating performance, teams must integrate sustainability alongside other strategic demands.

What participants practice

Through iterative decision cycles, participants actively work with the business case for sustainability by:

  • Integrating sustainability into core strategy

  • Evaluating initiatives for efficiency, resilience, innovation, and long-term value

  • Allocating capital across financial, environmental, and social priorities

  • Communicating decisions and performance to stakeholders and the Board

  • Observing how different approaches affect outcomes 

Performance is tracked through detailed reporting showing financial results, environmental impacts, and social outcomes.

Closing

The experience concludes with a presentation to a simulated Board and an optional ESG-style assessment, reinforcing how sustainability decisions are evaluated in practice through strategy, execution, and long-term vision.

Use the sustainability simulation game.

Working together, participants hone their skills by integrating perspectives, aligning priorities, and discussing decisions within a shared strategic context.

  • Leadership strategy for supply chain, the environment, and the planet.
    Make the business case for environmental and social initiatives.
  • Teams use the marketing business simulation game.
    Understand how each business function contributes to company sustainability goals.
  • Track supply chain strategy in the sustainability simulation game.
    Analyze company performance against triple-bottom-line metrics to improve decision-making.
  • Leadership strategy and supply chain are important in the simulation game.
    Integrate financial, environmental, and social goals into the company strategy.
Diagram of the sustainability simulation game work process.
View the "Process" graphic
Description of the sustainability simulation game work flow.
Download the "Process" PDF

The following table describes in detail 3 Lab formats: Event, Short-format Module, and Multi-week Integration.
Labs with longer formats have more options for available features, content, and interactivity.

View this page as a PDF

Team Activity
Formats for Business Sustainability
Event Short-Format Multi-Week
Select a product design and make operational decisions. 1. Select a design and make operational decisions for a product using data about component cost, pollution and energy impact, and customer preferences.

1. Select a design and make operational decisions for a product using data about component cost, pollution and energy impact, and customer preferences.

2. Make operational decisions, including circularity.

1. Select a design and make operational decisions for a product using data about component cost, pollution and energy impact, and customer preferences.

2. Make operational decisions, including circularity.

3. Make sure that supply chain decisions are consistent with the company strategy and values.
Market the product. 1. Create either a storyboard or 30-second video commercial.

1. Create either a storyboard or 30-second video commercial.

2. Implement marketing decisions that are aligned with the company brand strategy.

1. Create either a storyboard or 30-second video commercial.

2. Implement marketing decisions that are aligned with the company brand strategy.

3. Qualify for green labels based on footprint and energy standards.
Promote the company and product through Social Media. Not Available. This is an optional activity described in the In-Depth format. 1. Post comments about the company and product to the Lab’s internal Social Media feed, and comment on the other posts.
Engage with stakeholders designed into the Lab. This is an optional activity described in the Intermediate format. 1. Consider scripted stakeholder perspectives related to company activities.

1. Consider scripted stakeholder perspectives related to company activities.

2. Engage interactively with stakeholders played by the instructor via the Lab’s internal email app (optional).

Make leadership decisions for your company.

(The instructor selects the topics. For the In-Depth format, we can also create custom topics based on instructor input.)

 1. Make decisions for 1 leadership topic.

1. Make decisions for up to 3 leadership topics from the following list:

  • Life Cycle Innovation.
  • Water Stewardship.
  • Supply Chain Disruption and Ecosystem Services.
  • Product Take-back.
  • Remanufacturing and Circularity.
  • Supply Chain Safety.
  • Corporate Social Responsibility.
  • Product as a Service.

1. Make decisions for up to 8 leadership topics from the following list:

  • Life Cycle Innovation.
  • Water Stewardship.
  • Supply Chain Disruption and Ecosystem Services.
  • Product Take-back.
  • Remanufacturing and Circularity.
  • Supply Chain Safety.
  • Corporate Social Responsibility.
  • Product as a Service.

2. Make decisions for custom topics (optional).

Propose a solution to a business opportunity related to business sustainability.

 

(The instructor selects the topics. For the In-Depth format, we can also create custom topics based on instructor input.)

 Not Available. This is an optional activity described in the In-Depth format.

1. Propose a solution to a business opportunity that relates to course content. Here are some examples:

  • Create a culture of sustainability.
  • Start a project with external stakeholders to create shared value.
  • Improve energy efficiency or begin a change to renewables.
  • Strengthen your supply chain.
  • Empower women and minorities in your company and supply chain.

2. Propose a solution to custom topics (optional).

 

Complete Debrief Questions & Surveys about company, team, and peer performance.

(For the In-Depth format, we can create custom surveys based on instructor input.)

Answer questions and surveys:

1. Business Sustainability Debrief Questions.

Answer questions and surveys:

1. Business Sustainability Debrief Questions.

2. Peer Evaluation Survey.

Answer questions and surveys:

1. Business Sustainability Debrief Questions.

2. Peer Evaluation Survey.

3. Team Evaluation Survey.

4. Answer custom Debrief Questions or Surveys that we create for the instructor, based on their input (optional).
Make a final presentation to the Board of Directors. Not Available. This is an optional activity described in the In-Depth format. 1. Present company strategy, progress-to-date, and future direction to a volunteer Board of Directors.
Use the simulation to teach business sustainability.
The simulation game teaches business acumen engineering lessons.
Use simulation to teach business strategy.
Use the simulation to teach about leadership.
Use the simulation to teach about marketing.
Use the simulation to teach about sustainable supply chains.

Participants explore topics in greater detail and interactively as time allows.

View this page as a PDF
Data that describes the sustainability simulation game.

Focus Areas

Use the simulation to teach business sustainability.
The simulation game teaches business acumen engineering lessons.
Use simulation to teach business strategy.
Use the simulation to teach about leadership.
Use the simulation to teach about marketing.
Use the simulation to teach about sustainable supply chains.

Use in virtual, in-person, or blended classes.

Use in virtual, in-person, or blended classes.

The Green Business Lab logo for the simulation.

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