CEMS2250 B Impact Lab (3 op)

The course offers the opportunity for students to put theory into practice in this applied learning course. Students will gain skills as consultants and help companies with their sustainability impact assessment. The course will use the B Impact Assessment (BIA) tool, which is used as part of the B Corp certification scheme.

The B Corp Movement, established in 2006 in the U.S., is a global social movement of purpose-driven corporations with one unifying goal: to build an inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economic system for all people and the planet. The Corp Movement consists of sustainability certification, currently the only one in the market that evaluates corporations' sustainability as a whole instead of focusing on a particular business area. To become B Corp Certified, companies must complete the B Impact Assessment (BIA) that measures and manages the company's positive impact on its workers, community, customers, governance and environment at the operational and business model level.

Client companies will include different size companies that are at different stages of the certification process. Students will form teams and work independently with the client company, helping with the BIA assessment.

This course supports specifically UN Sustainable Development Goals 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure and 12 Responsible Consumption and Production, and 17 Life partnership for the goals.

On successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

• Understand the practicalities of sustainability certification assessment tools, assessments, and processes.
• Plan and implement sustainability impact assessment project
• Conduct sustainability impact assessment using the B Lab Impact Assessment Tool (BIA) on selected business areas: governance, environment, workers, community, and customers.
• Apply theoretical knowledge to a real-world consulting engagement, helping to identify and accelerate their client’s pathway to B Corp Certification through B Lab.

As an experiential applied learning lab, the course will include compulsory lectures and two project presentation sessions (mid-term and final project presentations), where all students (and, at times, client representatives and guest speakers) will participate. Outside of lectures, students and clients are expected to have regular meetings, including kickoff and final transition meetings, along with weekly sessions to manage project-related work items. The duration of the project is 10 weeks, which involves group and client meetings and individual work.

Successful completion of the course requires that each student attends all lectures and completes and submits a group assignment and individual learning diary at the end of the project to receive the course credits (3 ECT). The estimated amount of time to complete the course is 75 hours. Students should expect to invest around 4-6 hours weekly that include weekly project group meetings,  client meetings, and independent work.

The course is suitable for students who are interested in gaining practical experience in sustainability certification and impact assessment. The course is beneficial for CEM students who have already taken courses on impact assessment, such as life-cycle assessment, and want to gain practical experience. This course is also beneficial for CEM students who are interested in learning and gaining experience in social impact assessment.