Learning about Sustainability-Business Challenges and Opportunities with the Bayes MBA

In April 2023, I attended the Sustainability elective at Bayes Business School in The Netherlands and Belgium. This experience provided me with a deep understanding of climate change, social development, and the strategies that companies are implementing to address these pressing issues.

We had the opportunity to visit a range of companies, from startups to multinational corporations, and engage in discussions with policymakers at the European Commission. These interactions gave me valuable insights into the challenges of formulating regulations and gaining international support for sustainability initiatives.

My Personal Journey towards Sustainability

I do not remember when exactly I began growing concern for the impact of human activities on the environment and social welfare. While I had some exposure to this issue through documentaries and news articles, my awareness was limited. However, there were three experiences from my work in a commercial bank that left a lasting impression on me.

The first experience was with a small business in Davangere, India, which used portable solar streetlights to bring electricity to underdeveloped villages. This showed me that rural electrification did not necessarily require a complete electrical grid setup. However, I did not consider the materials used in these solar streetlights at the time.

The second experience was in Yadgir, India, where a farmer expressed concerns about the chemicals used in fertilizer manufacturing and its impact on the nutritional content of crops. He had started exploring worm composting as an alternative, but I did not question the scalability of his business when he approached me for a loan.

The third experience took place in Hubli, India, where I worked in a bank branch located in a slum. I noticed a significant gender imbalance in the student accounts opened at the branch, with far more female students than male students. When I asked a teacher about this, he explained that boys from poor families were often sent to work at a young age to support their families. This made me realise that there could be alternative methods of educating parents to provide better opportunities for their children.

My Experience with the Sustainability Elective

These experiences set the stage for my participation in the Sustainability elective at Bayes. The course provided me with a fresh perspective on sustainability and an opportunity to learn from organisations that are making a positive impact on the environment and society. Visiting the pension fund APG and learning about their responsible investment strategy was eye-opening. However, I still wondered how far investors were willing to go to push for sustainability. Shouldn't all investors be active investors?

Visiting Rotterdam revealed a contrast between large companies with underdeveloped sustainability plans and small companies with limited scalability. Despite these differences, passion for sustainability was evident across most organisations we visited. The visit to Schneider Electric shattered my perception that large companies were resistant to change, as they demonstrated a commitment to addressing sustainability issues.

Our visit to the European Commission confirmed the challenges policymakers face in balancing economic interests with environmental and social benefits. Additionally, our visit to Enabel highlighted the efforts of a government-aided organisation in providing need-based learning to communities in Africa.

My Key Takeaways from the Sustainability Module

At the end of the course, I felt mixed emotions. I had started with the hope that I would find answers, but I found myself leaving with more questions. However, I now know which questions to ask. What I feel the most important learning for me was, that I found a new and more refined perspective of looking at the problem. I learnt to distinguish between insincere and sincere efforts. I realised that perhaps not everything can be changed in one go but starting with small steps that genuinely address the problem is important to bring about change.

I can only offer my sincerest thanks to the MBA course team and professors at Bayes Business School and to Omnia Discovery, the organisers of the trip, for hosting us and planning such an insightful programme.