Businesses depend on reliable access to natural resources and functioning ecosystems to survive, grow, and flourish. As populations and consumption rise globally, increasing strains on the environment are creating new risks and opportunities for business, and are moving corporate sustainability to the center of the business agenda. Businesses that recognize the growing strategic importance of sustainability can reduce their risks, create value through new products and business models, develop new strategic partnerships, and ultimately gain competitive advantage in the marketplace. In a world of volatile climate, carbon markets, stressed water resources and ecosystems, a revolution in energy, and a global public engaged in environmental challenges, leading firms are embedding sustainability as a core capability of their business.

The Corporate Sustainability Initiative (CSI) brings together leading scholars, students, stakeholders, and practitioners from Duke University and beyond to create the next generation of sustainable enterprises and business leaders.  Sustainable businesses deliver new value by simultaneously creating profitable enterprises, reducing negative environmental and social impacts, and offering innovative solutions to emerging environmental challenges. CSI has 2 primary objectives: first, it aspires to develop the theory and practice of corporate sustainability through rigorous research and field testing, drawing from the rich inter-disciplinary resources of Duke University, collaborating with government, private and civil sectors, and implementing new approaches across a variety of enterprises. A second priority is to educate business professionals who link business and sustainability imperatives to create the sustainable enterprises of the future.

The Corporate Sustainability Initiative is a joint venture between Duke’s Nicholas School of Environment, Fuqua School of Business, and the Nicholas Institute of Environmental Policy Solutions. We invite participants from all sectors to join us in this initiative to co-develop the rules and pathways to a truly sustainable economy.