Course directory

KEMI 2EN19 - Sustainable Capitalism - How businesses can combine ecological urgency and economic reality

KEMI 2EN19 · Fall semester 2026-2027

Language of tuition
English
Course type
Cours séminaire
Number of hours
12
Credits
2

Information

Description

Ecological crises — climate change, biodiversity collapse, resource depletion — are no longer distant risks: they are reshaping the rules of the game for every business, in every sector. Yet the transition remains deeply uneven, contested, and complex to operationalize. This course takes students from the macro to the micro: from international frameworks to the concrete strategies, tools, and dilemmas faced by companies navigating ecological transition. Through sectoral case studies, regulatory analyses and

testimonies from practitioners, students will develop both a critical understanding of why business as usual is no longer viable, and an operational toolkit to drive change from within organizations. The course pays particular attention to a central tension: how to reconcile ecological imperatives with economic sustainability — and what it truly takes to move beyond good intentions.

Prerequisites

None.

Teaching format

Background reading. Case studies. Interactive sessions with public and private sector practitioners.

I used an AI (Claude) to assist with:

  • Finalizing the course structure
  • Identifying concrete examples/resources to illustrate the different sessions
  • Translating certain resources from French to English.

Assessment

  • Home working group on case studies to be presented in class (15 min) 80%
  • Class participation 20%

Readings

Main readings 5

  1. IPCC - Sixth Assessment Report, Summary for Policymakers (2023) https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/syr/summary-for-policymakers/

  2. Raworth, K. - Doughnut Economics (2017)

    Borrow

  3. Rockström et al. - Planetary Boundaries: Exploring the Safe Operating Space for Humanity, Ecology and Society (2009)

  4. WBCSD - The Business Action Guide to Climate Transition Making the Business Case and Implementing the Transition (2025) https://www.wbcsd.org/resources/the-business-action-guide-to-climate-transition/

  5. World Economic Forum and Boston Consulting Group (BCG) report The Cost of Inaction: A CEO Guide to Navigating Climate Risk (2024) Press release: https://www.bcg.com/press/11december2024-climate-risk-cost-of- inaction

Further readings 5

  1. Breaking the Tragedy of the Horizon – climate change and financial stability (2015), speech by Mark Carney, former governor of the Bank of England https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/-/media/boe/files/speech/2015/breaking-the- tragedy-of-the-horizon-climate-change-and-financial-stability.pdf

  2. Ellen Macarthur Circular business models: Rethinking how value is created (2025) https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/articles/circular-business-models- rethinking-how-value-is-created

  3. European Commission - The European Green Deal Striving to be the first climate-neutral continent https://commission.europa.eu/strategy-and-policy/priorities-2019-2024/european- green-deal_en

  4. EY - What the first year of CSRD reporting reveals: key insights and trends (2025) https://www.ey.com/en_gl/technical/csrd-technical-resources/what-the-first-year-of- csrd-reporting-reveals-key-insights-and-trends

  5. Serafeim and Cohen (2020) How to measure a company's real impact? Harvard Business Review https://hbr.org/2020/09/how-to-measure-a-companys-real-impact

Teaching units

Unit no.Unit type Teaching unitsTeachers Number of hoursCredits
20109Cours séminaire Sustainable Capitalism - How businesses can combine ecological urgency and economic reality Sophie AUBERT122
20119Cours séminaire Sustainable Capitalism - How businesses can combine ecological urgency and economic reality —122

Teachers

  • Sophie AUBERT

In the curricula

Contacts and resources

Contact
JEROME Amélie