Back into my 20's, my diploma thesis was “how to Market Fairtrade”; at that time, I was already concerned about bringing more equity and sustainability to businesses that were doing the right things. Soon after, I joined a small enterprise in the UK, collecting leather waste from the automotive, furniture and shoe industry that had no value for those manufacturers, but a real one for other players, who were giving scrap a second life. We were not yet talking about circular economy or cradle to cradle at the time, but this was creating value, and decreasing waste.

While in Malaysia, I helped to grow a marketplace for discarded IT equipment that were still of use in developing countries.

These experiences have forged my belief that we can reverse Climate change but we must all act collectively NOW.

I went through various curriculum online before choosing the Cambridge Business Sustainability Management “CISL” for a 9-weeks program online. I could have chosen the one from MIT or Yale, or the NUS, but the timeline of Cambridge was more alined with mine. They have about 4 cohorts a year.

To be noted also, as a business case study, you need to choose one company for three of your assignments, with the intent to present your Sustainability strategy to the CEO. It’s said to opt preferably for a company that has already published a sustainability report, and that any company, even the most sustainable one like Patagonia, can still have room to progress.

Be ready to study hard!

Weekly assignments are to be delivered and some require researches and long report-readings. It is a rather academic approach (Cambridge-style and living to its reputation), where you must use the right count of words and references.

I wish I had known how intensive the program was. It was mentioned 8-12 hours per week, which turned out to be closer to 20-25 for me. If you want to get good grades (yes it feels like going back to passing the Baccalaureate or the A level ; p),

I would recommend the CISL program for newly appointed or soon to become sustainability officers, with no prior knowledge to get the broad spectrum of all ESG concepts relation to an enterprise. It could also be well fitted for executives that want to lead the CHANGE in their organisation.

Finally, it is a MUST to have TIME to dedicate and not for a full time working and busy employee.

The program is divided into 8 weeks = 8 topics - You can get the curriculum here.

Even if it is rather academic, well-documented program, it is also full of concrete examples, videos, and interactions with others students.

I personally enjoyed working on the practical cases (materiality assessments - risks and opportunity matrix, how to write a convincing speech to your CEO, establishing your SMART objectives…).