Business Sustainability for Practitioners

What is the benefit of a lot of great thinking in the pursuit of business sustainability if it can't be put into practical application? We asked ourselves the same question and decided that the ability to take what is known and learned and put it into action, needs to be a crucial part of what the Erb Institute is about.  In this campaign we will share specific examples of where faculty, partners, researchers (and students) have turned science into action in order to move the needle on business sustainability.

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Supply Chain & the Circular Economy

How Driscoll’s Is Creating Shared Value in Berry Supply Chains
The buyer-supplier relationship is changing in more ways than you might imagine. Consumers and retailers are increasingly demanding that suppliers demonstrate their sustainability: How are buyers and suppliers collectively adapting to changes in the market, as well as labor and environmental pressures?

Research, Reports & Publications

Erb Featured Business Sustainability Case Study | Dell: Upcycling Ocean Plastics Through Supply Chain Innovation
This case focuses on Dell’s efforts to develop an open-source, scalable, and cost-effective supply chain capable of delivering ocean plastics waste to its production facilities, and potentially to those of partnering companies through a consortium. Piyush Bhargava, vice president of global operations at Dell and leader of Dell’s Ocean Plastics Initiative, must deliver a strategic plan for how to proceed with the initiative but has three primary challenges: (1) how to deliver “additionality”, (2) how to operationalize an ocean plastics supply chain at scale, and (3) how Dell should approach developing a consortium to ensure meaningful demand for the material.

Events, Media & Communications

Dow Joins Forces with Erb Institute | Business for Sustainability to Expand Sustainability Literacy through Online Education Series
In celebration of Earth Day, The Dow Chemical Company and the Erb Institute of University of Michigan are partnering to host the inaugural Elements of Sustainability Series, a free online education event taking place April 16-20, with webinars posted daily at 3 p.m. ET. The week-long webinar series will explore the fundamentals of sustainability as seven renowned academics share their expert insights on the leading global challenges shaping the future of business, society and sustainability.

Research, Reports & Publications

Managing for Business and Societal Impacts: Erb Institute and World Environment Center Roundtable (Washington D.C)
The University of Michigan’s Erb Institute for Sustainability in Business (Erb) and the World Environment Center (WEC) brought together 40 senior-level thought leaders and executives from business, academia, government and nonprofits, as well as selected Erb Institute students, for a roundtable discussion.

Education

Thinking About an MBA in Business and Sustainability? Consider a Dual Degree From the Erb Institute | Business for Sustainability
Are you concerned about the environment? Do you feel there is still a lot of progress to be made on social issues? Do you have a global perspective? And, most importantly, do you feel that business, more often than not, can be the answer? It sounds like you could be the perfect candidate for a dual degree program at the Erb Institute | Business for Sustainability and we’d love to meet you!

Research, Reports & Publications

Dave Stangis, CSO Campbell's to Speak at Erb Institute | Business for Sustainability on Convergence of Technology and Sustainability
Dave Stangis has been in the sustainability business for over 20 years. As of last year, he quite literally wrote the book on sustainability—twice. The Campbell’s vice president of corporate responsibility and chief sustainability officer first co-authored 21st Century Corporate Citizenship:

Research, Reports & Publications

Behavioral Decision-Making and Environmental Consequences - Erb Institute | Business for Sustainability

Events, Media & Communications

Exploring Best Practices for Human Rights Issues – An Erb Institute/WEC roundtable
The field of sustainability has evolved in recent years to include human rights issues. Consumers and investors have made these issues a priority, so businesses are responding. As they do, collaboration is critical.

The field of sustainability began with environmental issues, which brought about standards and regulations that companies must follow. But human rights issues don’t yet have the same kind of established standards. “It’s still a relatively new dialogue and language for the business community,” said Theresa Loar, an independent consultant who focuses on human rights in business. “While there are excellent UN guiding principles, it’s not the same thing as your government setting certain requirements and standards.”

More from University of Michigan: Erb Institute | Business for Sustainability

  1. Erb Institute Sustainability Experts in the News
    The Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise is renowned for its contributions to business sustainability through research, teaching and...
  2. Business Sustainability for Practitioners
    What is the benefit of a lot of great thinking in the pursuit of business sustainability if it can't be put into practical application? We asked...
  3. Academic Thought - Sustainability Action
    The Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise conducts both scholarly and applied research. Our scholarly work pushes the envelope on...