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IMD Integrating Sustainability into Strategy program

Blended program

Integrating Sustainability into Strategy

Create superior customer value and competitive advantage through sustainability

Blended program

Integrating Sustainability into Strategy

Create superior customer value and competitive advantage through sustainability

Length

2.5 days on campus (Lausanne) plus 15 hours liVe virtual & online

Fee

CHF 5,900

Next program starts

02 April 2025

Eligible for

Executive Certificate in Sustainable Business

Leverage sustainability for strategic advantage

Despite significant investments in environmentally and socially responsible products, many companies experience only modest returns and struggle to achieve profitability from their sustainability initiatives. Business leaders worldwide grow increasingly frustrated, finding it challenging to align sustainability with business strategy effectively. Why does this happen?

Many firms believe that sustainability should somehow “co-exist” with the firm’s strategy. For some, sustainability efforts focus primarily on regulatory compliance and risk mitigation. Other companies have developed “greener” products and capitalized on reputation enhancement, yet these measures often yield limited sustainability or customer value. Yet others have placed sustainability at the heart of their business philosophy, prioritizing societal and environmental interests but overlooking the need to create customer value and drive profitability.

However, a few firms have managed to truly embed sustainability into their strategies to create real customer value and renew competitive advantage. These companies have moved beyond the mere co-existence of sustainability and business strategy towards seamless integration, showcasing that sustainability and business are inseparable.

IMD’s Integrating Sustainability into Strategy program offers practical insights into leveraging sustainability as a tool to elevate your strategy, enabling you to deliver new sources of value, product innovation, competitiveness, and business resilience. Through practical case studies and examples, you will discover different pathways for integrating sustainability into your strategy – from improving product performance and revisiting your business model to expanding into new markets and deepening customer engagement.

By the end of the program, you will be equipped with a practical framework and tools to develop and execute sustainability strategies that deliver both superior business performance and significant customer-centric impact.

Adopt a customer-centric approach

Gain a deep understanding of consumer purchasing decisions and the relative value of sustainability benefits versus traditional product attributes so you can craft compelling offerings that resonate with your customers.

Assess your current situation

Analyze your organization’s current sustainability approach to identify opportunities for leveraging sustainability as an intrinsic, value-generating strategic tool.

Discover pathways for integration

Acquire a structured methodology to integrate sustainability into strategy, enhancing product performance, revisiting your business model, and tapping into new markets through strategic adjacencies.

Explore strategic enablers

Explore critical enablers for executing an integrated sustainability strategy, including digital technologies and targeted communication.

Achieve your first wins

Apply your newly gained insights to your own strategic project, securing your first sustainability wins and clarifying the next steps for integrating sustainability into your strategy.

You and your class

You are a C-level or senior executive, business unit head, corporate strategist, seasoned sustainability manager, or marketing product leader, looking to embed sustainability into your strategic plans and enhance the value of your offerings.

Join a diverse community of leaders and change-makers committed to steering sustainable transformations.

Typical participant profiles include: Chief Sustainability Officer, Sustainability Manager, Head of Business Unit, Head of Corporate Strategy, Chief Marketing Officer, Product Development Manager, R&D Strategy Lead, Innovation Manager, Director of Customer Engagement, Marketing Strategy Manager.

Assess your profile

Information Session

Join us on 16 January 2025

Interested in an IMD sustainable business program? Don’t miss this opportunity to get all your questions answered by our Program Advisors at 12:00 (CET).

See all events

Information Session

Join us on 16 January 2025

Interested in an IMD sustainable business program? Don’t miss this opportunity to get all your questions answered by our Program Advisors at 12:00 (CET).

See all events

Connect, reflect, be inspired

This program is a step towards IMD’s Executive Certificate in Sustainable Business. If you choose to continue your journey and earn the certificate, you will join IMD’s TOGETHER community, a solid network of leaders committed to creating a sustainable future.

Discover more

Your learning journey

Embark on a comprehensive journey, combining interactive group discussions, case studies, and practical assignments for a holistic learning experience, all designed for maximum impact on your professional growth.

Laying the foundation: Understanding the “What” of sustainability integration

Debunk sustainability myths: Critically analyze the misconception that sustainability can exist as a standalone goal, recognizing its inherent connection to fulfilling customer needs.
Customer-centric sustainability: Gain a deeper understanding of how sustainability interacts with traditional product attributes and influences consumer preferences. Rethink sustainability through a customer-centric lens.
Identify sustainability mindsets: Discover distinct company mindsets towards sustainability, embodied by the minimalists, trenders, enthusiasts, and integrators.
Structured integration framework: Explore a structured framework of specific pathways for integrating sustainability into business strategy – by creating resonant products, building resonant business models, and moving into adjacent markets.

Exploring real-world cases: Mastering the “How” of sustainability integration

In-depth exploration of different integration strategies: Dive into real-world examples and case studies of integrating sustainability into strategy by improving product performance and affordability, reviewing the current business model, and tapping into new markets and offerings.
Harness digital technologies: Explore the role of digital technologies and data capabilities as key enablers for enhancing both customer value and engagement and sustainability impact.
Effective communication strategies: Gain insights into effective communication strategies to articulate sustainability messages to different consumer groups.

Bringing it all together: Applying sustainability integration

Develop your strategy: Develop a proposal that integrates sustainability in your organization’s strategy.
Peer discussions: Present your project to your peers for feedback and refinement.
Reflect and strategize for impact: Discuss your learnings from the changes you have been spearheading in your organization and reflect on strategies for achieving ongoing impact.

Immersive experience

Your IMD learning experience will seamlessly combine real-time liVe virtual, on-demand online, and in-person engagement, designed to deliver maximum impact on your development.

Tailored to your busy schedule

The program is thoughtfully designed to accommodate your demanding schedule blending a limited on-campus commitment (2.5 days) with engaging, technology-mediated interactions.

Community of peers

Forge connections with like-minded global peers tackling similar challenges and united in pursuing sustainability excellence.

Detailed schedule | October 2025 session

Module 1 (liVe & online)

Module 2 (on campus)

Module 3 (liVe & online)

Laying the foundation: Understanding the “What” of sustainability integration

Dates: 16-30 October 2025 (liVe virtual & online)

16 October 2025, 12:00-13:00 CEST (liVe)
23 October 2025, 12:00-14:00 CEST (liVe)
30 October 2025, 12:00-14:00 CET (liVe)
Additional video material, reading, and assignments (online, self-paced)

Exploring real-world cases: Mastering the “How” of sustainability integration

Dates: 5-7 November 2025 (on campus, Lausanne)

Start time: 5 November 2025, 13:30 CET
End time: 7 November 2025, 17:30 CET

Bringing it all together: Applying sustainability integration

Dates: 4 December 2025 – 7 January 2026 (live virtual & online)

4 December 2025, 12:00-14:00 CET (liVe)
7 January 2026, 12:00-14:00 CET (liVe)
Additional assignments (online, self-paced)

Meet the experts who will inspire you

IMD’s Integrating Sustainability into Strategy program is co-directed by Professors Goutam Challagalla and Frédéric Dalsace. Both split their time between teaching, research, and working with international companies, remaining on top of the latest management trends. Their recent Harvard Business Review articles, “Moving the Needle on Sustainability” and “How to Market Sustainable Products,” feature their expert insights on sustainability integration.

Goutam Challagalla

Professor of Strategy and Marketing and dentsu Group Chair in Sustainable Strategy and Marketing

Goutam Challagalla is Professor of Strategy and Marketing and dentsu Group Chair in Sustainable Strategy and Marketing. He focuses on how digital advances and sustainability concerns are impacting companies’ business strategies and approaches to marketing. Having helped companies to rethink their business models and build new capabilities in the …

Frédéric Dalsace

Professor of Marketing and Strategy

Frédéric Dalsace is Professor of Marketing and Strategy. He focuses on two distinct areas – B2B issues such as customer centricity, buyer-seller relationships, and value management, and sustainability, inclusive business models, and alleviating poverty. He believes that companies need to rethink their approach to customer centricity. He says…

Article

A marketing playbook for sustainable products

Marketing campaigns for sustainable offerings often fail, leaving businesses with products that do not sell. How can companies reach customers more effectively?

By Goutam Challagalla and Frédéric Dalsace

07 May 2024

Article

From deepfakes to disease prevention: 7 AI trends driving business in 2024

IMD’s professors and expert contributors shed light on key trends that will shape the technological landscape in the coming year.

By Michael R. Wade, Amit M. Joshi, Howard H. Yu, Simon J. Evenett, Johannes Fritz, Goutam Challagalla and Sarah E. Toms

31 December 2023

Article

In the field with HRSD: How can government agencies and public sector entities become more customer centric?

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (HRSD) was created to manage public and private sector labor markets in an integrated fashion and to improve access for socially disadvantaged groups to services and benefits. It ha…

By Goutam Challagalla, Mahwesh Khan and Pallivathukkal Cherian Abraham

01 December 2023

Article

Integrating sustainability and strategy: 3 narratives for success

The future lies in creating positive value equations for customers, showcasing how sustainability enhances traditional product benefits.

By Frédéric Dalsace and Goutam Challagalla

15 November 2023

Next start & fee

Length: 2.5 days on campus (Lausanne) plus 15 hours liVe virtual & online

Dates

2 Apr – 4 Apr 2025

Location

Blended

Length

2.5 days on campus (Lausanne) plus 15 hours liVe virtual & online

Price

CHF 5,900

Apply

Dates

16 Oct 2025 – 7 Jan 2026

Location

Blended

Length

2.5 days on campus (Lausanne) plus 15 hours liVe virtual & online

Price

CHF 5,900

Apply

Tuition, teaching materials, and lunch are included.
All fees quoted are exclusive of any value-added or other indirect taxes that may be due in any country.
IMD reserves the right to modify the program dates, location, and fee at any time.

Blended

Leading Sustainable Business Transformation

Build your smart roadmap for a sustainable business future

This program provides you with a complete business transformation journey through the lens of sustainability.

New

Measuring and Managing Sustainability Impact

From ESG compliance to competitive advantage

Equip yourself to shift from mandatory ESG reporting to comprehensive measurement of your sustainability strategy and impact.

New

Creating Value in the Circular Economy

Drive long-term growth and business resilience through circularity

Harness circular economy practices to create a more resilient, regenerative, and competitive business model.

Executive Certificate in Sustainable Business

Accelerate your impact and be recognized for your mastery of sustainable business practices.

Learn more

Executive Certificate in Sustainable Business

Accelerate your impact and be recognized for your mastery of sustainable business practices.

Learn more

One step closer to joining IMD alumni network

Successful completion of this program takes you one step closer to joining IMD’s powerful alumni network.

130k+ alumni

Networking

250+ events per year

Communities

50+ clubs worldwide

Resources

Learn more about IMD alumni network