2018 Net Impact Conference

By Sophia Schuster, MBA Class of 2019

At the end of October, six MBAs from the Net Impact Graduate Chapter had the opportunity to attend Net Impact’s National Conference in Phoenix, AZ. Aside from getting some much-needed and well-deserved time in the sun, we had the opportunity to connect with students from across the country who are committed to fusing their sustainability and social responsibility with their business expertise.

One argument I frequently hear is that sustainability initiatives are purely lip service for large corporations to maximize shareholder value and drum up new business from the bleeding-heart customers. The fact of the matter, though, is that by leveraging business expertise, we can make the business case for social and environmental justice work. As it stands, only half of Americans can recycle at home. Of that 50%, only half of them do.  That means that only 25% of Americans practice what I often take for granted and consider a commonplace behavior. Who are the stakeholders that make the decision to make recycling facilities and services more readily accessible? How do you engage customers to recycle religiously and act as ambassadors in the community? Moreover, how do you convince skeptics that their recycling efforts are not in vain? Answering these questions requires distinct, specialized market analyses. What is the most efficient means of providing that service? Whose responsibility is it to collect the recycling—local municipalities, private collectors, or the companies that produced the good? These are critical supply chain operations questions. And layered on top of all this is the question of whether or not providing the service is financially viable.

While it may seem abstract, these were the key thoughts that drove a panel discussion led by the CEO of The Recycling Partnership, the Sustainable Packaging Program Director for the Coca-Cola Company, and an Investment Officer at Closed Loop Partners. The panel, titled “Coming Full Circular: Committed to the Circular Economy,” did not necessarily focus on recycling. It called attention to the fact that we need to encourage people to not only buy green products but to buy less—the former a change in attitude, the latter a change in behavior. Behavioral shifts cannot be tackled by one party alone, thus requiring the development of key partnerships between municipalities, corporations, non-governmental associations, and local citizens. Consequently, we can see that the voice of businesswomen and men will be essential in pushing the needle towards a more sustainable future, encouraging essential behavioral shifts, and ultimately making the case for social and environmental responsibility. Being a part of these important conversations, as future business leaders, is not only incredibly valuable but also unbelievably inspiring. The MBA Net Impact Graduate Chapter is truly grateful for the opportunity to participate and is eager to broaden the value proposition of conscientiousness and global citizenship moving forward.