Business Sustainability Subject Matter

Business Sustainability

Business sustainability is about the impact companies have on the natural environment and society. Sustainability means to exist or operate indefinitely. Therefore, a truly sustainable business would operate in a manner that could be sustained forever.

That is a goal that no company has attained, and so we have no examples of how it is done.

However, the Lab provides examples of innovative practices and uses these (and other) frameworks as roadmaps for action:

The United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals is an important framework companies use to help them integrate the environment and society into their decisions. The Global Compact is a voluntary initiative to bring business and UN leadership together to mainstream sustainability issues. The Compact has over 15,000 companies that support the SDG goals.

The Environmental, Social, and Governance framework was originally created for investors to compare company performance. Research shows that over 85% of investors consider ESG factors in their decisions, and the majority of institutional investors are more likely to divest of companies with poor sustainability performance.

Considering the content in these frameworks, we find that in addition to valuing our planet and our society, sustainable business strategies can contribute to a company’s overall success in several ways:

Increasing efficiency resulting in reduced cost
Generating innovation and growing top-line revenue
Reducing physical, regulatory and transition risk
Reducing supply chain disruption
Attracting and retaining a motivated workforce
Protecting your brand
Attracting capital
Ensuring long-term value

In this context, participants in the Lab form an Executive Team charged with measuring themselves against triple-bottom-line metrics. They must integrate sustainability into their core business strategy to drive innovation, engage employees, develop loyal customers, and build strong relationships with suppliers, communities, and investors.

They gain hands-on experience working with circularity, supply chain sustainability, water stewardship, climate change, biodiversity, stakeholder, and governance practices, among others.

In the final business cycle, they can take an internal ESG Assessment to help them measure their progress and prepare for a status report to the Board of Directors.

Working together, participants learn new ideas, practice new skills, and discuss new approaches with their colleagues.

Apply essential concepts related to business sustainability to real-world situations.
Understand how each business function contributes to company sustainability goals.
Assess the environmental impact of a product across 5 Life Cycle Stages.
Integrate financial, environmental, and social goals into the company strategy.
Identify opportunities to engage stakeholders in shared value projects.
Compose messaging aligned with the company’s values and strategy.
Analyze company performance against triple-bottom-line metrics to improve decision-making.
Make the business case for environmental and social practices.

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: Half-Day, Multiple-Cycle, and In-Depth.
Labs with longer formats have more options for available features, content, and interactivity.

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Team Activity	Half-Day	Multiple-Cycle	In-Depth
Team Activity	Formats for Business Sustainability
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.