By Manuel J. Amor Loureda Private Equity (PE) has been historically perceived as lagging behind public companies in recognizing the … More
Category: 2017
Posts from the 2017 edition of Business Sustainability
Momentum, Circular Economy and Trump
The Ellen Macarthur Foundation In recent years, the Circular Economy model has grown with more businesses evaluating their existing model … More
UberEats for Leftovers – Tackling the logistics of recycling food
Monte Wan, the owner of a fantastic Thai restaurant in Toronto, Khao San Road, has started calling Uber to deliver … More
IN FIGHTING CLIMATE CHANGE, REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE CAN BE A SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION
“All the world’s problems can be solved in a garden.” Geoff Lawto Humanity’s unrivaled success over the past few hundred … More
Repurposing nature’s waste: Coconut husks as a disruption to the peat moss industry
Written by Adhika Nurul, Lisa Wei, Lara Bekhazi Somewhere in the world right now, a coconut’s kernel is harvested and … More
Shell in a low carbon future
Oil and gas majors, like Royal Dutch Shell and Exxon Mobil, are often portrayed negatively in the media for polluting … More
Save the Food from the Bin – Start Food Sharing!
Do you know between 33% – 50% of all food produced globally is never eaten? Around 88 million tons of … More
Prospects of the Northern Sea Route and preserving the Arctic
By Kadambari Uthayasankar, Rishita Chennupati, Swati Sharma Development of Northern Sea Route with the melting Arctic ice Watch the trailer … More
WHAT’S NEXT DOLE?
“Area R – Sector 5: Online / Ecosystem: Stable / Yield: 0.4% above target / Nutrition level: Irregular – Launch … More
Enabling Circular Economy in the Construction Industry
By: Kadambari Uthayasankar, Rishitha Chennupati and Swati Sharma The building construction industry is the largest consumer of raw materials worldwide. 30% of … More
Insecta Schnitzel – the food industry fighting world hunger and climate change simultaneously
By R. vd Meer The thought of eating grinded buffalo worms will make many people feel sick. The … More
Life can be a beach – Rising sea levels and real estate bubbles
(1) The rise in sea levels and underlying factors There is compelling evidence that the “mean” sea level is rising. … More
Digital in health – PEEK; A clear sight worldwide
By R. vd Meer 9.30 am in a primary school in a small town not far away from Aligarh (Uttar … More
Health Care Education In India – A Sustainable Business Model
In this blog, we would like to focus on two specific goals from the existing larger framework of the U.N. Sustainability Goals, and … More
How to make Coffee Green and Sustainable?
Coffee is the world’s second most tradable commodity after oil. The burgeoning coffee culture in the developed world has resulted … More
Sustainable coffee – setting industry standards
The coffee industry As the world’s second most tradable commodity[1], coffee is in high demand. Coffee export alone is a … More
Circulating the Medical Devices Industry
Circulating the Medical Devices Industry Siobhan Richards, Diana Denke, Andreas Maertl June 21, 2017 1 Introduction The healthcare industry is … More
Airlines & Social Responsibility
Airlines and Social Responsibility Air travel has been one of the most important developments of the past century. Journeys from … More
The Potential of IoT in Agriculture: Feeding the Next Billion
Everyone in the world needs to eat. Food is such a critical part of society – going far beyond providing … More
Consulting “as a force for good”
Consulting is an industry which is uniquely placed in its exposure to different industries and being at the forefront of … More
INDITEX makes fast fashion sustainable
(by: Erietta TOSIDOU, Flavio DE ALMEIDA MOTA, Jacqui VANOS, Lea KIRIAKOS SAAD) Globally, the fashion industry is valued at about … More
A better future through urban innovation and action: ways in which cities are building resilience in response to climate change
(by: Erietta TOSIDOU, Flavio DE ALMEIDA MOTA, Jacqui VANOS, Lea KIRIAKOS SAAD) It is difficult to anticipate with high … More
How IT technology revolution would make agriculture supply chain more sustainable
By Apoorve Khandelwal, Atul Shukla, Madoka Shimanuki, Ashima Gupta The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) estimates … More
Is climate change insurable?
By Manuel J. Amor Loureda Since the 1950s, the frequency of weather-related catastrophes, such as windstorms and floods, has increased … More
Does one size fits all? And are “ugly” fruit and vegetables fit for purpose?
For years, supermarkets in developed countries have only served ‘the best’ to their customers, such as the perfect round tomato, … More
Smart Cities and Opportunities for Telcos
by Anna Wang, Elcio Yanaga, Tatyana Ivanova, Tejinder Chahal Half of the global population lives in cities, consuming 75% of … More
Why do we love to fly Emirates? Efficiency and effectiveness in the civil aviation industry
By Yonatan Avivi and Kenneth Kou In August 2009, while the US was deep in recession, The Harvard Business Review … More
Aviation leading the way with global emissions targets
Written by Pippa Tregear, Lucinda Robinson, Benedikt Manigold Cathay Pacific Airways and Sustainable Aviation The impact of aviation … More
Before the Wheels come off… Rethinking the Car Manufacturer’s Place in Society
By Benedikt Manigold, Lucinda Robinson, Pippa Tregear “Sustainability is achieving the right balance of economic progress, environmental care and social responsibility.” Transportation simultaneously … More
One Man’s Trash Is Another Man’s… Infrastructure
A variety of goods, products, and packages made of plastic are for the most part non-biodegradable and much of the … More
Kumwe: Using Digital Technology to Improve Rwandan Supply Chains
By: Yonatan Avivi and Kenneth Kou If you were a smallholder farmer at harvest season in rural Rwanda, getting your … More
Solving healthcare’s biggest shortages: Using inventory management and telemedicine innovation to address major access challenges
By Jen DeBerardinis and Sarah Hughes-McLure Healthcare sustainability goals for 2030 and existing initiatives Broadly, healthcare sustainability goals are intended … More
Food Waste Reduction: Restaurant Industry
1. Current business model and value chain Restaurants have been dealing with the challenge of reducing food waste since their creation. … More
Mosquitoes on the move: the WHO adapts to growing malaria burden caused by climate change
By Jen DeBerardinis and Sarah Hughes-McLure Climate change increases the burden of malaria Deemed “among the greatest health risks of … More
Bringing Education to the Masses
Education or the dissemination of knowledge is a cause that I’m very passionate about. As the world becomes smaller, my … More
A better future through urban innovation and action: ways in which cities are building resilience in response to climate change
(by: Erietta TOSIDOU, Flavio DE ALMEIDA MOTA, Jacqui VANOS, Lea KIRIAKOS SAAD) It is difficult to anticipate with high certainty … More
Mosquitos on the move: The WHO adapts to growing malaria burden caused by climate change
by Sarah Hughes-McLure and Jen DeBerardinis Climate change increases the burden of malaria Deemed “among the greatest health risks of the … More
Solving healthcare’s biggest shortages: Using inventory management and telemedicine innovation to address major access challenges
by Sarah Hughes-McLure and Jen DeBerardinis Healthcare sustainability goals for 2030 and existing initiatives Broadly, healthcare sustainability goals are intended to … More
How to reduce food waste in restaurants?
One trillion dollar worth of food, or 1 percent of global GDP, is what the world throws away each year … More
Cities, How Should We Do Them?
Alright kids, it’s late and I spent all day in the police station instead of writing this like originally planned, … More
Should We Really Ban All Child Labour in Garment Manufacturing?
By Sesilia Plavina & Cristina David In the past few decades, the focus of fashion consumption has steadily shifted … More
Have Your Cake And Eat It Too: Reducing Food Waste In Hospitality
By: Madiha Javaid, Andrea Lam, John DeNavi “Don’t waste food. There are starving children in Africa!” For many of us … More
Laying Waste to Food Waste
The value chain for fresh food is rife with waste and inefficiencies, particularly from a social and environmental standpoint. Food … More
Pulp and Paper Industry – heading towards becoming the first ‘Carbon-Negative’ industry
[Written by Atul Shukla, Madoka Shimanuki, Ashima Gupta, Apoorve Khandelwal] Context Paper has been around for more than 2000 years … More
Environmental goals for the wood industry
I’m going to set environmental sustainability goals for the wood industry. I know it well as I worked in it … More
Fastned, pioneer of fast charging stations for electric cars
Fastned is building a network of fast charging stations for electric vehicles, directly along the highway. They not only enable … More
Just Scan Here! Blockchain and Farm to Closet Transparency…
From sheep-sheering farms to customer closets, the garment supply chain is long, complex, and increasingly global. Consumers exposed to the … More
A Sustainable Business Model to Re-think the Plastic Usage Through Biodegradables
The Environmental Toll of Plastics Plastics damage the environment and human health. They are inexpensive and durable products that could … More
Farm-to-Filth: Tackling Food Wastage Across the Agriculture-Food Production Value Chain
Laura Heely, Nathaniel Kenninger, Nicholas Patocki-Tomas “Abundance is the success story of the human species. You look back at the … More
Can a school teach the commercial catering industry a new model?
New sustainability goals for the commercial catering industry As the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations defines, a … More
The World’s Most Sustainable Community, and the Company and Certifications Behind it
Nicholas Patocki-Tomas, Nathaniel Kenninger, Laura Heely Windmill Development Group, a Canadian “visionary real estate development company” has made it … More
Equator Principles – New business models to save the self-regulatory scheme for the Project Finance Industry
Written by Tomas Zbynovsky and Celso Roberto Pereira Filho. 1. The project finance industry and the challenges in implementing the … More
The future of a Fortune 100: A new kind of smart for Johnson Controls
By: Madiha Javaid, Andrea Lam, John DeNavi When did everything become so smart? Smart phone, smart watch, smart car, smart … More
Distributed Ledger Technology: The Key to Reducing Global Inequality?
By Marvin Amberg, Nuri John Atay, Steve Isaacs & Christine Onyung “Indeed, the distribution of wealth is too important … More
Next Generation of Energy Demand Management
Author: Dogan Yiginer; Elizabeth Kim; Miro Mo; Irakli Urushadze When Benjamin Franklin first introduced the concept of electricity to the … More
The threat climate change poses to Kraft Heinz
Siobhan Richards Andreas Märtl Diana Denke Business Sustainability Thinking Blog Post 1: Kraft Heinz 1. IMPACT With some of … More
VIDA: Sustainable fashion via business model innovation
Written by Tomas Zbynovsky and Celso Roberto Pereira Filho. Vida transforms the traditional fashion industry by bringing closer designers to … More
Out Of The Loop: A Clearing House To Support The Mass Deployment Of Electric Mobility
1. Socio-environmental goals of the Automobile industry The automobile value chain consists of product planning and design, raw material extraction, logistic … More
How blockchain could rewrite land rights and boost financial inclusion
Financial inclusion is a challenge faced in many emerging markets. Often traditional banks do not give credit to the bottom … More
Drax’s conversion from coal to wood pellet: green-friendly or green-washing?
A wood pellet is a high-density material, made from wood that has been exposed to heat and pressure, and can … More
Consolidated Edison: Victim of Climate Change?
Author: Dogan Yiginer; Elizabeth Kim; Miro Mo; Irakli Urushadze When the Superstorm Sandy battered New York City in the … More
Blockchained Together
When Satoshi Nakamoto published the original Bitcoin paper, aptly titled “Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System”, he (or they) produced … More
Urban Ouroboros
Mankind’s relentless march into the future has come with a steep price tag that continues to unfurl before us. The … More
Ninjacart – Demand-based harvesting in India
Written by: (Ee Hui Phoa, Johnson Hwang, Sadaf Sultan, Anson Wong, Mumu Yu) Context: The backdrop of this business innovation … More
The Way Forward in Traditional Farming
[Written by- Ankur Ghosh, Emma Bernal, Harald Schweitzer, Julie Colinet and Nidhi Kapoor Khetarpal] Context According to the World Economic … More
Innovation Project – SolarCity
Written by Sally Guo, Louie Liu, Archi Varma, Ellen Xu Introduction and Context Addressing environmental problems and issues needs a … More
Off-Grid, Integrated and Resilient Eco-Villages
Business Sustainability Thinking INSEAD – ASIA CAMPUS 2nd June 2017 Innovation Project – Self-sustainable off-grid housing BUCKMAN, … More
Sustainability Innovation: Vertical Farming
Written by: Helena Prado, Maximilian Giers, Ernar Sagatov, Krystal Cho, Sean Ahn Back in 1798, Thomas Malthus predicted that population … More
Waste Cooking Oil: Closing the Loop
Final write-up: Alex Cameron, Arnau Gallard-Agusti, Henning Huenteler, Natalia Rialucky, Shan Wang Problem statement Every year 180 million metric … More
Nursing Home or College Dorm?
By princesses Annika, Tunuka, Iciar, Loes & Frog Gerasimos By 2050 nearly 2.1 billion (approx. 20%) of the world’s population … More
Challenges and opportunities of waste treatment in the food industry
I. Social & Environmental Sustainability Goals in the food industry Sustainability is impacting entities along the entire food industry value … More
A sustainable future for healthcare – challenges and opportunities in the digital era
Written by Giovanna Dughera, Shobha Joshi, Thy-Diep Ta, Lindsay Van Landeghem As stated in the UN Sustainable Development goals, “ensuring … More
INVESTING IN YOU: Hybrid Model for Student Loans
INVESTING IN YOU: Hybrid Model for Student Loans By: KUNG, Nathan. SALAK, Timothy. VON FANGE, Joshua I. Introduction … More
Why EdTech Needs a Rethink
(By Syed Sadaf Sultan and Ee Phoa Hui) Many say that EdTech is the Fintech of the future. The $5 … More
Tuliu: Finding new ways of land valuation and transfer in China
Company Background Tuliu is both a land transfer online platform and a land value evaluation system. It created China’s … More
The solution for food supply chain traceability? Blockchain!
In 2015, Chipotle faced one of the most critical situation in its history, as 55 customers got infected by E.Coli … More
Precision farming
The agricultural sector is experiencing a revolution thanks to a set of new digital technologies that allow farmers to improve … More
How blockchain is inspiring the cultural industries?
Written by Louie Liu and Ellen Xu Anyone who follows the cultural industries knows there’s a long list of players … More
Blockchain rhapsody – rethinking the music value chain
Written by Giovanna Dughera Blockchain, the technology behind Bitcoin, is an open-source distributed database using state-of-the-art cryptography that may facilitate … More
Insurance industry turning change into opportunity
The insurance business model of assessing risk, collecting premiums and paying claims hasn’t changed since ages. The thing that has … More
“Virtual Doctors” in Healthtech
A 2015 World Bank report found that 400 million people do not have access to essential health services. In the … More
Blockchain | A Catalyst for African Development
By Thy-Diep Ta and Lindsay Van Landeghem Blockchain, a transparent, tamper-proof ledger that tracks and stores bitcoin transactions internationally, is … More
Blockchain- Not Just Bitcoin
Can the “Internet of Value by Blockchain (IoVB)” project be the new environmentally and socially sustainable form of supply chain … More
Precision agriculture is the future – or is it?
(Written by princesses Loes Van Egmond and Iciar Ania) With an ever-growing world population, the world will need to produce … More
Blockchain and Real Estate
Written by Ernar Sagatov, Krystal Cho A blockchain is essentially a distributed database of records or public ledger of all … More
Digital You
“Aetna will subsidize Apple Watch in first U.S. Insurer Deal1”, “Google secures patent for glucose-sensing contact lens2”, “Jawbone acquires Mobile … More
Solar innovation in Africa
Tahai Baik, Mortiz Steinle and Sebastien Marlier Africa has leapfrogged the development of fixed phone lines. Only one percent of … More
Utilities and blockchains – flexible energy trading
Written by Natalia Rialucky and Henning Huenteler In the centralized grids of the last century, baseload plants, often fired by … More
Changing the way we store and access medical records
By Sean Ahn and Maximilian Giers Unicef has recently been doing a lot to encourage building ideas around wearables for good causes: … More
Revolutionizing Agriculture with Drone Technology
(Written by Maya Chdid & Chaya Maheshwari) For ages, most of farming has been manual legwork. Labor had to be … More
Centralised or Distributed: where will we generate the electricity that will power the cities of the future?
By 8pm on Tuesday 8th November 2016, Stephen A. Smith was ecstatic; Florida had voted ‘no’ on Amendment 1 by … More
Big data makes farming smarter
(By Nathan Kung & Joshua Von Fange) Food demand is expected to increase by 59%-98% by 2050, driven by growing … More
Digital Transformation in the Logistics Industry
(Written by Nidhi Kapoor Khetarpal & Ankur Ghosh) An orphaned polar bear cub; half a million bottles of vintage French … More
3D Printing in Aerospace: starting to take off
By Helena Prado and Gerasimos Skaltsas // Aerospace has always been a leading industry in R&D and technological advancement, … More
Blockchain and its impact on the accounting/audit industry
Written by HWANG, Johnson and WONG, Anson In the accountancy industry, digitization and “the internet of things” are still in … More
IGrow: How a “Modern Farmville” business creates innovative solutions ahead of global risks from Climate Change
Climate change is becoming more and more real as the world starts to experience some of its major threats. Because … More
Inside Fracking
Operating model of oil and gas companies is and will continue to be significantly impacted by changing environmental legislation. Many … More
Green red tomatoes
Ace Tomato Co. Inc. is a grower and packer of tomatoes in California, the leading tomato producing region in the … More
When Cows Wear Backpacks: Some of the Most Potent Climate Change Initiatives that No One Talks About!
(By Sadaf Sultan and Phoa Ee Hui) That cheeseburger you are eating is killing the environment! Would you believe that a patty … More
What is Fracking really about?
There are a lot of misconceptions and misunderstandings as to what Fracking is, and is not. From media, films, politicians, … More