Seven-step strategic framework helps organisations fulfil sustainability commitments

A ‘Corporate Sustainability’ framework, developed at Nyenrode Business University, guides organisations through making seven-step strategic decisions which increase profits and also positively impact society and the environment.

The framework was designed by Professor Annemieke Roobeek (Strategy and Transformation Management) and Professor Jacques de Swart (Applied Mathematics) from Nyenrode, and Myrthe van der Plas, Senior Manager in Data Analytics at PwC Nederland.

It utilises an innovative online software called the Responsible Business Simulator (RBS), which analyses key organisational data from sources including cost-benefit analyses, research reports, and benchmark studies.

When formulating a step-by-step pathway, the framework also takes into account a firm’s values, goals, and risk tolerance. The results generated from this analysis help executives in the government, healthcare industry, and financial institutions develop socially responsible strategies.

Prof. de Swart uses Dutch metal construction company Rimetaal as an example.

“The RBS showed that leasing a waste system in combination with a maintenance contract is the best choice for customers, as well as for Rimetaal itself, to be affordable and future-proof, because this way of working contributes to a circular economy,” he says.

According to Prof. Roobeek, the framework helps organisations and companies fulfil their commitments to buy sustainably, reducing the “say-do gap”.

The RBS has already been implemented in more than 20 organisations, and has been taught as a module to more than 200 Nyenrode students.