Sustainability Marketing

Dates for 2025 to be confirmed.

The application portal will open towards the end of the year for Summer 2025.

We invite you to pre-register your interest for 2025 to be alerted when the application portal opens.

•    Created and taught by leading professionals in the field of sustainability.
•    Real life cases based on meeting the UN 2030 Sustainability Goal commitments
•    Accessible to students of all backgrounds who wish to integrate sustainability initiatives
     and best practices in communication on these initiatives into their approach.
•    Benefit from the experience of guest speakers from the field of sustainability.
•    Unparalleled opportunity to collaborate with diverse peers as part of a group project.
•    Real life experience: final presentation of the group project to a jury.
•    Earn an HEC Paris Certificate following successful completion of the program.

Sustainability has become a major priority for almost every major company as well as small & mid-sized businesses & governments.  Many have prioritized among the 17 United Nations 2030 Sustainability Goals, with entire organizations striving to meet those commitments.  Brand Purpose Marketing has become of paramount importance.  It involves not only explaining the sustainability initiatives, but also changing customer behavior in ways that help the planet & its inhabitants.  

In this class you will learn about the range of sustainability initiatives companies are undertaking throughout the value chain, and how they are communicating those programs in different ways through compelling advertising, public relations, packaging, in-store signage & more. With a focus on best practices, you will analyze the important role of Marketing in maximizing sustainability awareness and adoption, and work through the steps of developing an effective market-appropriate campaign that will positively influence consumer behaviour.
 

Read more about Sustainability Marketing here.

Upon successful completion of the summer program, participants will be able to:

• Identify successful sustainable brands that address the 17 United Nations Sustainability Goals, including their marketing tactics & success factors;
• Set goals and objectives for marketing sustainable products and services;
• Innovate in product & services along the value chain from raw material sourcing to design, manufacturing, distribution, to final recycling;
• Create compelling marketing messages that will change behaviors & make a difference to the planet;
• Select audiences to target and understand which messages resonate;
• Select the best marketing vehicles to get the message out in the right context;
• Understand the metrics used to measure a sustainability marketing program's success.

The program will be based on a combination of class lectures and discussions, applications to real life cases, and group projects.

All readings are made available in electronic copy to participants.  They will include:

-    2 Harvard Business School cases about sustainability.  
-    The United Nations 17 Sustainability Goals document

Each group will focus on a different UN Sustainability Goal of their choosing. Part of the assignment will be to find relevant articles, summarize them & come up with a marketing campaign for a specific target audience that will result in a positive, measurable impact.

All participants are expected to be in class, come with questions and participate in group discussions.

Grading will be determined as follows:

• Presence & Participation: 30%
• Individual Assignments: 10%
• Group Project*: 60%

*Participants will work throughout the program on a team project inspired by one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This provides the opportunity to apply the learnings from the classroom to a real-life product or service idea. All projects are presented for peer review at the end of the program.

Participants who successfully complete the program will earn 5 ECTS credits.  Full attendance is required to obtain the Program Certificate.

All students who are seeking credit are encouraged to consult their home academic institution to validate credit transfer.