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Case Studies in Sustainable Business

The Center for Sustainable Business compiles case studies and other educational resources related to sustainable business on topics including finance, management, supply chain, and organizational development.

How can students best prepare for a world in which they will have to assess and manage sustainability (environmental, social and governance) issues in most functional roles — from marketing to finance?

CSB hopes to support students and faculty by publishing and recommending the case studies below that examine sustainability in a variety of roles and companies.


Recent Case Studies published by CSB and others:

 
Case StudyRelated Disciplines  Published
Advocate Health: A Case Study on Switching from Single Use to Reprocessed Medical DevicesOperations, Supply ChainNYU Stern CSB (2024)
Cardinal Health: Optimizing Last-Mile Pharmaceutical DeliveryOperations, Supply ChainNYU Stern CSB (2024)
The Business Case for Decarbonization of a Healthcare Delivery System-- A Case Study on Energy Management with Gundersen Health SystemsOperationsNYU Stern CSB (2024)
Gore Mutual Insurance Company: Building Resilience in the Eye of the StormManagement, Stakeholder EngagementNYU Stern CSB (2024)
The Business Case for Partnering with Farmers in Regenerative Agriculture - A Beef Cattle Case StudySupply Chain, Sales & MarketingNYU Stern CSB (2024)
The Business Case for Decarbonization of Oil & Gas Waste Management - A Case Study on Slurry InjectionOperations, Stakeholder Engagement, FinanceNYU Stern CSB (2024)
The Business Case for Sustainable Beer: Working with Growers to Adopt Nutrient Management Strategies with Anheuser-BuschOperationsNYU Stern CSB (2023)
The Business Case for Sustainable Farming to Improve Biodiversity with Hero GroupOperationsNYU Stern CSB (2023)
The Business Case for Biocontrol Use - A Case Study on Combating Aflatoxins in Corn with IngredionOperations, Supply ChainNYU Stern CSB (2023)
Natra Case Study: Measuring the Financial Return on Sustainability Investment in the Chocolate IndustryOperations, FinanceNYU Stern CSB (2022)
The Role of Private Equity in the Decline of a Major Forest Products CompanyManagement, OperationsNYU Stern CSB (2021)
The Campaign to Reenergize ExxonMobil ManagementNYU Stern CSB (2021)
The Business Case for Implementing Sustainable Practices to Drive Financial Performance within the Automotive Sector Operations, Finance, ManagementNYU Stern CSB and SASB (2021) 
The Business Case for Sustainable Apparel at EILEEN FISHEROperations, FinanceNYU Stern CSB (2021)
Thinking "Out of the Box:" Up-cycling for Planet, People, & ProfitOperations, FinanceNYU Stern CSB (2020)
#OptOutside REI Co-op's Employee Wellbeing Programs Allign with Positive Financial OutcomesManagementNYU Stern CSB (2020)
Martin Guitar: Navigating Sustainability and LegacyOperations, Supply ChainNYU Stern CSB (2020)
Innovating a New Business Model for Electric Utilities: Con Edison's Brooklyn & Queens Demand Management Project  Finance, OperationsNYU Stern CSB (2019)
Greyston Bakery on Open Hiring for Social Enterprises and Traditional FirmsManagement, Organizational BehaviorNYU Stern CSB (2019)
Parnassus Investments: A Contrarian, Socially Responsible Mutual Fund Manager FinanceNYU Stern CSB (2017)
Tyson Foods and Alternative Proteins: Where to Invest for Sustainable Growth Strategic Planning, FinanceWDI Publishing (2019)
Should a Pension Fund Try to Change the World? Inside GPIF's Embrace of ESG FinanceHarvard Business Publishing (2019)
Ending the Woes of Short-Termism: The Long-Term Stock ExchangeFinanceWDI Publishing (2019)
Michigan Dining: 20% Local by 2025  Operations, ManagementWDI Publishing (2019)
Danone: Adopting Integrated Reporting or Not?AccountingHarvard Business Publishing (2018)
Sustainability Through Open Innovation: Carlsberg and the Green Fiber Bottle Operations, Product DevelopmentHarvard Business Publishing (2018)
Dell: Upcycling Ocean Plastics Through Supply Chain Innovation  OperationsWDI Publishing (2018)
Ather Energy: Riding the Electric Vehicle Tide EntrepreneurshipHarvard Business Publishing (2018)