IU Business Sustainability and Innovation Lab

The value of business sustainability.

The term “sustainability” is often mistaken for feel-good “green” measures that many misinterpret as abstract, expensive or idealistic. However, business sustainability in practice is a long-term operations efficiency plan that saves companies millions — even billions — of dollars each year. 

At the end of the harvest, the farmer doesn’t throw salt in the field or dump old tractor engine oil into the tilled earth. The farmer’s land is a business asset critical for future growth. Identifying the most efficient use of your company’s production or service can quickly create greater value for your stakeholders now and in the future. Sustainability is not just a “nice to have” measure; it’s an imperative for competitive businesses.

Where we can impact sustainability is through an organization's operations. The goal of the IU Business Sustainability and Innovation Lab is to help individuals and companies understand sustainable practices and how they can become more involved in sustainable careers. 

Sustainability is integral to business survival. Even if you aren’t concerned with sustainability, your competitors are working to improve performance, lower their costs, generate more customer excitement and enter new markets. In the long term, those firms survive.

Amrou Awaysheh | Founding and Executive Director, IU Business Sustainability and Innovation Lab and Associate Professor of Operations Management, IU Kelley School of Business

The ROI on Sustainability

1. What is sustainability?

Learn more about the concept of sustainability: what it means related to your firm, how to identify some easy wins and how it can affect your bottom line.

What is sustainability?

2. The Problem

U.S. manufacturers generated 25.86 billion pounds of waste in 2019 and use 20.7 trillion gallons of water annually. But not all of these used resources go to waste. Learn how to identify opportunities for efficiency at your firm, regardless of your industry.

The Problem

3. How to Create Impact

Companies who take advantage of sustainable practices can save hundreds of millions – collectively billions – of dollars over time. We’ve helped many firms get started, and you can learn from their successes.

Our Impact

Connect with us.

Is there room for positive impact in your firm? Connect with us to learn more about the value of sustainable strategies and Awaysheh's work in this area.

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