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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Research, Reports & Publications

Erb Featured Business Sustainability Case Study: Hampton Creek's Vegan Take on Mayo
In 2013, Hampton Creek entered the mayonnaise marketplace with the world’s first plant-based, vegan mayonnaise “Just Mayo”. The creation of an egg-free version of mayonnaise had the potential to upset the market, especially for Unilever’s Hellmann’s brand. The case provides an overview of Unilever’s role in the mayonnaise market, highlighting its commitment to innovation and sustainability, as well as its analysis of Hampton Creek as both an opportunity and a threat.

Research, Reports & Publications

Former Advisory Member of the Erb Institute | Business for Sustainability Authors Book "Sustainability - A Guide for Boards and C-Suites"
Sustainability - A Guide for Boards and C-Suites is a succinct business-focused summary of how business leaders should think about the risks and opportunities associated with sustainability. The book includes the author’s insights not only from the approximately 60 board of directors meetings he has participated in, but also from the experiences of over 50 companies that have used the Corporate Sustainability Scorecard over the past 20 years.

Environment

A Business Sustainability Framework for Understanding Water Stewardship through Shared Value
While many companies are already engaging with climate change and an array of other environmental issues, water is quickly emerging as an impactful driver of both business risk and opportunity in the 21st century. Water is a critical input for many supply chains, providing energy and both direct and indirect materials for production as well as giving life to essential natural resources beyond the company gates.

Research, Reports & Publications

Erb Featured Business Sustainability Case Study: Cargill: The Risky Business of Integrating Climate Change and Corporate Strategy
The complex and fragmented agribusiness sector has been resistant to legislation surrounding greenhouse gas emissions and other climate change regulations. Cargill, one of the largest agribusiness companies and the largest privately held company in the U.S., has the ability to become a significant driver of the climate change conversation and set new industry standards.

Sustainable Finance & Socially Responsible Investment

Erb Institute | Business for Sustainability Featured Case Study: Ending the Woes of Short-Termism
Eric Ries, one of the most prominent entrepreneurs from Silicon Valley, is launching the Long-Term Stock Exchange (LTSE), a new stock exchange for companies and investors that want to focus on long-term values and sustainable development rather than short-term profit gains

Education

Popularity of Erb Institute Business Sustainability Case Studies on the Rise at WDI Publishing
Andrew Hoffman's "Strategies for Sustainable Development" course feeds the pipeline of sustainable case studies for WDI and the Erb Institute | Business for Sustainability.

Research, Reports & Publications

Erb Institute | Business for Sustainability Post Doc Finds Positive Correlation Between Education and Polarized Opinions on Controversial Science Topics
Public opinion toward some science and technology issues is polarized along religious and political lines. We investigate whether people with more education and greater science knowledge tend to express beliefs that are more (or less) polarized. Using data from the nationally representative General Social Survey, we find that more knowledgeable individuals are more likely to express beliefs consistent with their religious or political identities for issues that have become polarized along those lines (e.g., stem cell research, human evolution), but not for issues that are controversial on other grounds (e.g., genetically modified foods).

Research, Reports & Publications

Erb featured Business Sustainability Case Study: Climate Change and the Napa Valley Wine Industry
Jon-Mark Chappellet, Director of Operations at Clos Du Val Winery in Napa Valley, is developing a 50-year plan. The effects of climate change are forcing Chappellet and other Napa Valley vineyards to adopt various adaptation strategies to protect the quality of their grapes and wines. Climate change impacts can include decreased water availability, temperature variations outside optimal growing conditions, and increased threat of pests.

Research, Reports & Publications

Decision Support Framework for Developing Regional Energy Strategies
In an effort to reduce “carbon pollution” as well as prepare the U.S. for the impacts of climate change, President Obama’s Climate Action Plan called for changes to be made to the nation’s energy system. This call to action, put the energy industry at the heart of a national effort to meaningfully address the national and global risks posed by climate change.

Research, Reports & Publications

Communicating about Climate Change with Corporate Leaders and Stakeholders
Within the corporate sector, climate change represents an unfolding market shift, one that is driven by policy but also by pressures from a variety of market constituents such as consumers, suppliers, buyers, insurance companies, banks, and others. The shift takes place in both mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions and adaptation to the physical effects of a changing climate.

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

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    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
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