August 2, 2010—Net Impact recently announced the winner for a case competition with International Paper and Staples. After a competitive application process, three finalist teams created strategic plans for recovering more paper and packaging from underserved markets, including large, multi-tenant locations, company campuses and universities.
Students from Blekinge Institute of Technology, located in Karlskrona, Sweden, submitted the winning strategic plan. The other finalist teams included Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, and University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business and its School of Natural Resources and Environment.
Since February, the three finalist teams have been working with key leaders at International Paper and Staples to answer questions and review the progress of their strategic plans. The Blekinge team proposed solutions for increasing the efficiency of paper recovery, branding the program, and communicating real-time recovery rates for the companies.
The competition provided a way for the students to practically apply the theories, frameworks, and methodologies of Blekinge’s Master’s program in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability.
International Paper and Staples says the students’ proposal identified creative tools to track, monitor, and promote a successful program. Staples and International Paper are currently considering ways to integrate elements of the Blekinge team’s plan into their existing program to recover more renewable paper products and put them back to use.
