Sustainability At USC Darla Moore School Of Business: Innovating Beyond The Classroom

In the wake of increasingly frequent and severe climate disasters worldwide, from devastating wildfires to catastrophic floods, businesses are confronting a stark reality: sustainability is no longer optional; it’s imperative. The unprecedented impact of these events on communities, supply chains, and economies underscores the urgent need for companies to integrate sustainable growth practices that mitigate climate risks, ensure long-term resilience, and safeguard their bottom line in an increasingly unpredictable environment.

The Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina has established robust academic programs focused on sustainability that extend beyond traditional classroom learning.

The innovative approach to sustainability education prepares students at the undergraduate and graduate levels to address the pressing environmental and social challenges of today and the future.

A Comprehensive Approach to Sustainability Education

Students can pursue a Sustainability in Business undergraduate concentration and the newly introduced Sustainability in Business graduate certificate, conveniently offered as a standalone certificate and an embedded option within the MBA program. The graduate certificate is designed to foster a wide-ranging, cross-disciplinary dialogue on improving comprehension and stewardship of the complex environmental, economic, and social ecosystems that will determine the shared prosperity of current and future generations. These programs equip students with the knowledge and competitive skills to integrate sustainability practices into various business sectors.

Innovative Learning Experiences

Two-Day Sustainability Bootcamp

One of the unique offerings at the Moore School is the two-day sustainability boot camp being launched to all new MBA students during orientation. This intensive program provides a solid foundation in the business case for sustainability and sets the tone for integrating sustainable practices throughout the MBA curriculum.

ClimateCAP Partnership

As a supporting partner of ClimateCAP, a leading learning resource for MBA students interested in sustainability, the Moore School partnership provides access to the MBA Academy, additional speakers, and the identification of best practices in climate-related business strategies. Two Moore School MBA students are preparing to participate in the upcoming ClimateCAP annual summit at Berkeley, demonstrating the school’s commitment to providing real-world sustainability experiences.

Net Impact and Student Success

The combined undergrad/grad Net Impact chapter provides additional opportunities for Moore School students to explore the interaction between business and sustainability. Net Impact is a global organization of over 100,000 student and professional leaders from over 300 volunteer-led chapters across the globe working for a sustainable future. A Moore School graduate, Drew Gatch, won the 2022 Net Impact Wildfire Resilience Competition, showcasing the practical application of sustainability concepts learned at the school by proposing a model using a sawmill, bioenergy, and an integrated wood campus to create a positive environmental and economic impact for resilient towns impacted by wildfire.

Cutting-edge Research and Real-World Applications

The Center for Sustainable Growth

The Center for Sustainable Growth at the Darla Moore School of Business is a dynamic hub for sustainability initiatives, serving as a nexus of academic research, scholarship, and business applications. Its core activities encompass curriculum development, student engagement programs, rigorous research, and partner value creation. Through these efforts, the Center aims to develop practical solutions that simultaneously generate economic value and advance environmental and social objectives. Follow the Center’s activities on LinkedIn.

A photo of our USC faculty and a business partner from a recent and re-occurring Roundtable series, which brings together business leaders, local and state agencies, and faculty around  sustainability topics impacting the world of business:

Case Studies and Business Projects

The Moore School offers unique opportunities for students to engage with real-world sustainability challenges. For instance, students in the core course for the graduate Sustainability in Business certificate spent the semester exploring approaches to conduct an Impact-Risk-Opportunity Assessment for Milliken, a textile and chemical company. The project involved designing ways to think about data collection, initiative prioritization, and the ability to leverage AI while identifying and quantifying sustainability impacts and risks. This hands-on experience allowed students to apply theoretical knowledge to practical business situations.

Wal-Mart Case Project

The Wal-Mart Case project aims to guide students through analyzing Wal-Mart’s efforts to develop and implement a robust corporate sustainability strategy. Professors at the Moore School and the Sam M. Walton College of Business at the University of Arkansas worked together to write a series of cases that explore Wal-Mart’s sustainability journey from varying perspectives. This allows students to see how sustainability practices and preparedness produce tangible, concrete business impacts. These cases are publicly available for others to integrate into their courses.

Sustain SC

In August 2024, the Moore School entered into a strategic partnership with Sustain SC, an organization focused on connecting the sustainability goals of businesses in South Carolina with local solutions. This collaboration provides students valuable career exposure, internship and mentoring opportunities, and specialized training.

Highly Ranked Programs & A Multi-Disciplinary Approach

The Moore School’s Supply Chain & Operations program is highly ranked, providing students with a strong foundation and academic opportunities within this critical business function. Integrating sustainability principles into this renowned program offers a unique value proposition.

Additionally, the Sustainability in Business Graduate Certificate is taught by faculty from the Darla Moore School of Business, College of Arts and Sciences, and School of Earth, Ocean, and Environment, enabling students to understand sustainability from multiple perspectives comprehensively.

In another nod to “beyond the classroom” learning, the Moore School’s Peace Corps Partnership bridges the gap between global service and MBA education, exemplifying the transformative power of international experience in shaping future business leaders.  

This multi-disciplinary approach between supply chain, sustainability, and international business enabled two international business grads to apply this lens in their professional life and to achieve successful outcomes:

• In her ten years since graduating with an International MBA from the Moore School, Renée Paris, currently a Global Sustainable Sourcing Lead at W.R. Grace, worked as a sustainability manager for food preservation in North America at Electrolux in Anderson, South Carolina. In her prior role, Paris focused on implementing sustainability goals for refrigerators and freezers, working on projects that include increasing recycled content in appliances, promoting sustainable eating, and developing sustainable packaging initiatives. Paris’s career path has been shaped by her civic-mindedness and experiences, including her time in the Peace Corps and her work in sustainable packaging amid the global plastic crisis. She emphasizes that corporate social responsibility has become a crucial expectation for consumers, with many willing to switch brands if ethical standards are unmet.
• Mihai Scrobotovici (’19 IMBA) has been advancing his sustainability career since graduating from the Moore School. He is now Head of North America Supply Chain Data Analytics at Henkel, a German chemical and consumer goods company committed to key social responsibility performance indicators and supply chain audit comprehensiveness. He attributes much of his success to the skills acquired during his International MBA. His promotion to finance manager after a 16-month leadership development program highlights the practical value of the Moore School’s education. Beyond his professional role, Mihai actively engages in Henkel’s corporate social responsibility efforts through employee-led resource groups, participating in climate sustainability fairs, community outreach, and volunteer work.

Preparing Tomorrow’s Business Leaders

The Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina has positioned itself as a leader in sustainability and a destination for tomorrow’s business leaders. By integrating sustainability throughout its curriculum, fostering partnerships with industry, and providing innovative learning experiences, the school is preparing the next generation of business leaders to address complex environmental and social challenges.

The school’s approach goes beyond traditional classroom learning, embracing experiential education, research, and community engagement. Through initiatives like the Sustain SC partnership, the ClimateCAP collaboration, and hands-on projects with companies like Milliken, the Moore School is creating a rich ecosystem for sustainability education that connects students with real-world challenges and opportunities.

Whether through the new graduate certificate in sustainability and business, the Sustainability Bootcamp offered to all incoming MBA students, the undergraduate concentration, or the integration of sustainability principles across all programs, Moore School students are equipped to become leaders in the rapidly evolving field of sustainable business.

As sustainability challenges become increasingly complex, the Darla Moore School of Business is dynamically expanding its approach to prepare students for an unpredictable global business landscape. In this landscape, students will be captains of industry, stewarding sustainable business practices and contributing to economic development that benefits communities and the environment. The school’s commitment to innovation, interdisciplinary learning, and real-world application makes it an ideal destination for students seeking to make a meaningful impact in sustainable business, which is more important now than ever.

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The Darla Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina is among the highest-ranked schools in the world for international business and supply chain education and research. Known worldwide for top-ranked programs, including the No. 1 undergraduate and MBA program for international business, No. 3 and No. 5 ranked programs for undergraduate and MBA supply chain. The school is home to a world-class faculty and 13 major research centers.