Sustainable Business Foundations

Sustainability is transforming the way businesses operate, as climate change, regulatory shifts, and evolving stakeholder expectations create both challenges and opportunities. This course provides a comprehensive introduction to sustainability in a business context. It explores the global economic, social, and environmental pressures shaping industries today and examines how businesses can respond effectively. Learners will gain insight into the systemic forces driving change, the risks of inaction, and the opportunities sustainability presents for innovation, resilience, and long-term value creation.

The course applies a systems-thinking approach to help participants assess how sustainability can be embedded into strategy, operations, and supply chains. It examines the financial case for sustainable business, while also addressing the practical challenges of implementation. Through real-world case studies and best-practice examples, learners will see how businesses are successfully integrating sustainability into their decision-making processes. The course also highlights the role of business in rethinking economic models and driving systemic change, equipping participants with the knowledge to navigate this evolving landscape.

Designed to be both insightful and action-oriented, learners will develop a personal action plan detailing the steps they will take in their work to embed their learning and drive sustainable change. With a focus on both foundational knowledge and practical application, this course empowers professionals to take a leading role in shaping a more sustainable and resilient future for their organisations.

This course equals 8 hours of the CPD Certification Service(Opens in a new window) time.

This course is structured around six key modules that build a comprehensive picture of the business landscape as it relates to sustainability, equipping professionals with the insights and strategies needed to drive impactful change in their organisation:

• Sustainability Challenges: Systems Pressures and Trends – Explore the key global sustainability challenges, their underlying drivers, and how business activity contributes to and is affected by these pressures.

• The Impact on Business: Risks, Opportunities, and the Business Case – Examine how sustainability influences business by analysing the financial case for the transition, materiality and integration of sustainability within organisations.

• The Role of Business in Rethinking and Rewiring Economies – Harness CISL’s Rewiring the Economy framework to identify ways and actions to drive meaningful sustainability initiatives within your organisation.

• What ‘Good’ Looks Like: Examples of Best Practice – Explore real-world case studies and proven frameworks showing sustainable business transformation to understand how to integrate sustainable practices into organisational decision-making.

• Your Personal Action Plan: Driving Sustainability in Your Organisation – Develop a personal action plan to implement change and drive impact within your workplace.

By completing this course, you'll gain a deep understanding of sustainability challenges and how to address them within your business. You'll develop practical skills to integrate sustainability into strategy, create a lasting impact through leadership, and leave with an action plan to drive change in your organisation.

• Understand the impact of current global economic, social, and environmental pressures on your business sector.

• Apply systems thinking to determine the ways in which systems shape societal outcomes.

• Appraise the value of integrating sustainability across your organisation, operations and supply chains.

• Evaluate how best to manage the risks and opportunities relating to your organisation's impacts on, and dependencies on, society and the environment.

• Create a personal action plan to contribute to the necessary change in your organisation or sphere of influence.

This course is designed for professionals across all industries and organizations of any size who want to develop a strong foundation in global sustainability trends and the strategies needed to address them. It’s ideal for organizations aiming to build sustainability skills at both the individual and team levels, empowering them to innovate, collaborate, and lead toward a sustainable future. Individuals seeking to start their sustainability journey, refresh their knowledge, or enhance their ability to drive impact will also benefit from the course.

This course offers a flexible and engaging learning experience, allowing you to complete 6-8 hours of content at your own pace over a 12-month period. You’ll progress through a series of modules featuring a mix of videos, case studies, interactive graphics, and self-assessments designed to make learning both practical and immersive. With a focus on multi-format content, the course ensures that each concept is reinforced in ways that suit different learning styles.

As you navigate the course, you’ll engage with real-world examples of sustainable business practices, helping you connect theory to practice. Regular quizzes and assessments provide ongoing opportunities to test your understanding, while supplementary reading and optional content deepen your knowledge.

At the end of the course, you’ll develop a personal action plan, equipping you with concrete steps to integrate sustainability strategies into your role within your organisation. Upon successful completion, you’ll receive a digital badge from the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, marking your achievement.

Course licences are valid for 12 months giving you and your team the flexibility to revisit the content as needed even after completing it. For organisations, the admin portal allows you to distribute licences easily and to track your team’s progress and gain aggregated feedback, supporting future learning strategies.

This course is certified by the United Kingdom CPD Certification Service, and may be applicable for CPD points, with individuals responsible for claiming or validating their hours.

This course is open to professionals across all industries and organizations, regardless of size or sector. No prior knowledge of sustainability is required - just a commitment to learning and a drive to create meaningful change. Whether you are beginning your sustainability journey or looking to stay updated on the latest sustainable business practices, this course provides the foundational knowledge needed to integrate sustainability into your work and drive impact within and beyond your organisation.