As wildfires forced the evacuation of INSEAD's Europe Campus in Fontainebleau while Season 3 of the INSEAD Business Sustainability Series came to a close, the reality of climate change could hardly have felt more immediate. Yet environmental challenges are only one dimension of the turbulence facing business leaders today. Geopolitical tensions, supply chain disruptions, shifting regulations and growing skepticism toward ESG have all raised a fundamental question: does sustainability still make business sense?
Throughout this season, Professors Karel Cool and Atalay Atasu explored that question with executives, entrepreneurs and innovators from around the world. Rather than debating sustainability in the abstract, the series focused on concrete examples of companies that are transforming environmental and societal challenges into competitive advantage.
At the heart of every discussion was Professor Karel Cool's concept of the "triple win": business sustainability creates lasting value only when it simultaneously benefits shareholders, customers and society. Far from being a trade-off, the most successful initiatives reinforce all three dimensions.
One message emerged consistently across our conversations: meaningful transformation is rarely linear. Whether scaling a climate-tech start-up, reinventing an iconic consumer product or transforming an entire industrial ecosystem, success demanded vision, perseverance and, above all, exceptional teams capable of sustaining change over many years.
Across four webinars, leaders shared remarkably candid accounts of their successes, setbacks and lessons learned. Together, they demonstrate that while industries and business models differ, the principles of successful business sustainability remain strikingly consistent.
Webinar 1 – Why the Business Case for Sustainability Remains Strong
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The season opened with a strategic discussion on a question occupying boardrooms across the globe: Does sustainability continue to create competitive advantage amid geopolitical uncertainty?
Joining the discussion were Kristin Skogen Lund, Chair of the INSEAD Board; Aron Cramer, CEO of BSR; Pierre-Martin Huet, SVP Sustainability at Michelin; and Tomoaki Ichida, Managing Executive Officer at Mitsui O.S.K. Lines (MOL).
Despite acknowledging political uncertainty, regulatory shifts and economic pressures, the panel reached a clear conclusion: the long-term drivers of sustainability remain unchanged. As Kristin Skogen Lund observed, business leaders should distinguish between temporary "storms" in public discourse and the enduring "climate" of structural transformation. Climate risks, resource scarcity, technological innovation and changing customer expectations will continue to reshape markets long after today's political debates have passed.
Each speaker illustrated this perspective from a different angle. Tomoaki Ichida explained how his company is pursuing multiple pathways toward net zero through operational improvements, alternative fuels and investments in emerging climate technologies. Pierre-Martin Huet demonstrated how Michelin integrates sustainability into innovation, materials science and customer value rather than treating it as a compliance exercise. Aron Cramer argued that sustainability is fundamentally about identifying material business risks and opportunities, not ideology.
The overarching message was clear: organizations that embed sustainability into their long-term strategy are not simply responding to external expectations. They are building more resilient and competitive businesses.
Webinar 2 – BIC: Reinventing Circularity for an Iconic Product
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The second webinar took participants inside one company's transformation journey. Professors Karel Cool and Atalay Atasu welcomed François Clément-Grandcourt (EMBA'09D), Member of the BIC Group Executive Committee and General Manager of BIC's Lighter Business, to explore how the company has spent more than a decade reinventing circularity for one of the world's most recognizable disposable products.
Rather than treating sustainability as a compliance requirement, BIC approached circularity as an opportunity to rethink its business model. Through years of experimentation, the company developed systems to collect, dismantle and recover used lighters, creating new value from materials and components that would otherwise become waste. The transformation required far more than technological innovation: it involved redesigning logistics, working with retailers and regulators, engaging suppliers and challenging long-held assumptions about what was technically and commercially possible.
François Clément-Grandcourt emphasized that circularity succeeds only when it creates measurable business value. Beyond reducing material consumption, BIC has strengthened supply-chain resilience, recovered valuable materials and opened new opportunities for innovation. Equally important, the journey highlighted the role of leadership and organisational culture. Progress depended on empowering multidisciplinary teams, encouraging experimentation and learning quickly from failure.
The BIC story demonstrates that sustainability is not simply about reducing environmental impact. When embedded into strategy and operations, it can reshape business models, strengthen competitiveness and create lasting value.
Webinar 3 – The Power of Collaboration Across the Automotive Ecosystem
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The third webinar shifted the focus from an individual company to an entire ecosystem. Bringing together Bart de Groof, Vice President Global Refinish Marketing at Axalta; Marco Iriarte, Global Head of Sustainability at Solera; and Edward Reinderts, COO and CCO of ABS Autoherstel, the discussion explored how sustainability can be embedded into everyday operational decisions throughout the automotive repair value chain.
Each speaker demonstrated a different piece of the puzzle.
Bart de Groof showed how Axalta's innovations in coating chemistry dramatically reduce the energy required for vehicle repainting while increasing workshop productivity, demonstrating that environmental performance and operational efficiency can reinforce one another.
Marco Iriarte explained how Solera uses data and artificial intelligence to quantify the carbon footprint of every repair decision, enabling insurers and repair networks to integrate sustainability directly into operational decision-making rather than treating it as a reporting exercise.
Edward Reinderts illustrated how ABS Autoherstel combines standardized repair processes, digital workflows and AI-supported repair-versus-replace decisions to improve repair quality, reduce emissions and enhance customer experience across its network.
Across the discussion, one principle emerged repeatedly: sustainability becomes scalable only when it is measurable. Reliable data, transparent metrics and collaboration across the value chain allow organizations to improve both environmental and business performance simultaneously. This was another compelling example of the "triple win" in action.
Webinar 4 – Turning Purpose into Profitable Businesses
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The final webinar featured three recipients of the 2026 INSEAD Business Sustainability Awards, presented during the Alumni Forum in Oslo. Although their organizations differed greatly in size and maturity, each speaker illustrated how sustainability can become a durable source of competitive advantage.
Louise Parlons Bentata (MBA 04D), co-founder and CEO of BlueMethane, described how her start-up developed technologies to measure, capture and ultimately prevent methane emissions from wastewater. Her journey illustrated the importance of continuously adapting a business model to market realities while remaining focused on solving a significant environmental challenge. One of her strongest messages was that entrepreneurs should not wait for a perfect solution before entering the market: learn, adapt and improve along the way.
Raymond van Eck (MAP'11Sep), CEO of Fairphone, reflected on the company's evolution from an activist movement into a commercially successful technology company. He argued that sustainability alone is not a sufficient value proposition. Customers first need an excellent product. By combining product quality, longevity and ethical supply chains, Fairphone has demonstrated that commercial success and responsible business practices can reinforce one another.
Returning after the previous webinar, François Clément-Grandcourt (EMBA 09D) shared how BIC's circular transformation has evolved from what initially appeared to be a defensive response into a genuine competitive advantage. Looking back on more than a decade of experimentation, he emphasized that persistence, scientific rigor and stable teams were just as important as technological innovation.
Beyond the diversity of industries represented, the discussion revealed striking commonalities. None of the speakers described a straight path to success. Their business models evolved repeatedly, partnerships changed, technologies improved and strategies were refined through experimentation. The common denominator was not perfection but perseverance. Building sustainable businesses requires exceptional teams, long-term commitment and the willingness to adapt continuously as markets, technologies and customer needs evolve.
Looking Ahead
Season 3 demonstrated that sustainability is no longer simply about reducing environmental impact. It is increasingly about building businesses that are more innovative, more competitive and better equipped to thrive in an uncertain world.
Across every webinar, Professor Karel Cool's concept of the triple win proved remarkably resilient. Whether discussing global shipping, circular manufacturing, automotive repair, consumer electronics or climate technology, the speakers consistently showed that the strongest business models create value simultaneously for customers, shareholders and society.
Yet another message also emerged consistently throughout the season: meaningful transformation is rarely linear. It demands vision, perseverance and, above all, exceptional teams. The organizations making the greatest progress are those willing to experiment, learn from setbacks and continuously adapt as technologies, markets and regulations evolve.
As organizations navigate an increasingly uncertain world, the conversation is itself evolving. It is no longer enough to ask how we can build more sustainable businesses. We must also ask how we can make those businesses—and the systems they operate within—more resilient.
That question will be at the heart of Season 4 of the INSEAD Business Sustainability Series, where Professors Karel Cool and Atalay Atasu will explore the relationship between sustainability and resilience, and the opportunities that emerge at their intersection.
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