| Course | SUS-7000 Designing a Business Case for Sustainability |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 2 |
| Paper type | Midterm assignment: first two sections of the business case |
| Length | About 560 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Thomas Edison State University |
| Program | Master of Business Administration |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for SUS 7000 Module 2
Section One, Section Two: The Opportunity and the Value of a Sustainability Program at a Printer
Student Name
Master of Business Administration, Thomas Edison State University
SUS-7000: Designing a Business Case for Sustainability
Mentor Name
Month Day, Year
Section One, Section Two: The Opportunity and the Value of a Sustainability Program at a Printer
Section 1: The Problem and the Opportunity
The Situation
Our printer earns $48 million a year, 62 percent of it from retail packaging, catalogs and signs for two clients: a national home goods retailer and a regional grocery chain. Both now score their suppliers on sustainability. The home goods retailer's scorecard rates suppliers on greenhouse gas emissions, recycled content, waste and transparency, and it has told us that its next packaging contract, worth about $11 million a year, will go only to suppliers with a credible plan to cut emissions 30 percent within five years. Our score last year placed us in the bottom third of its suppliers.
Why This Is an Opportunity, Not Only a Threat
Losing the contract would cost about $2.6 million in annual margin. But the same pressure creates an opening. Few regional printers have credible plans, and both clients are moving toward recyclable, mono-material packaging that most competitors cannot yet produce at scale. Nidumolu et al. (2009) argued that sustainability is a driver of innovation, and that companies treating it as a goal rather than a constraint develop capabilities competitors find hard to copy. A printer that can offer lower-carbon production and recyclable designs could gain share from slower rivals.
What We Propose
A three-year sustainability program: cut spoilage and energy use, replace solvent-based press washes, add recyclable packaging capabilities, install rooftop solar and report our performance openly to clients each quarter, including where we fall short.
Section 2: How Sustainability Creates Value
Value from sustainability comes through several channels. Bansal and Roth (2000) found that firms adopt ecological practices for three main reasons, competitiveness, legitimacy and ecological responsibility, and our case touches all three. The program would create value in four ways.
Lower Costs
Federal tax credits for solar could reduce its net cost by about 30 percent. Even without them, the program's savings repay its cost in under three years.
| Initiative | Annual saving | One-time cost |
|---|---|---|
| Spoilage reduction through press data monitoring and make-ready training | $420,000 (30 percent less spoiled paper) | $180,000 |
| LED lighting and compressed air leak repair | $160,000 | $240,000 |
| Rooftop solar, 1.1 megawatts | $190,000 in purchased electricity | $1,650,000 before tax credits |
| Solvent-free press wash | $40,000 in hazardous waste fees | $60,000 |
| Total | $810,000 | $2,130,000 |
Lower Risk
Replacing solvent washes cuts volatile organic compound emissions and hazardous waste, reducing the chance that tighter rules force expensive emission controls. Lower energy use reduces exposure to electricity price increases.
New Revenue
The grocery chain has asked for recyclable paper-based trays to replace plastic. Adding a coating line for water-based barrier coatings, estimated at $900,000, would let us bid on that business, estimated at $3 million a year.
Stronger Client Position
The most important value is keeping the home goods contract and improving our scorecard rating. Eccles et al. (2014) matched early adopters of sustainability policies with comparable firms that had not adopted them and found that the adopters did better over the long run, both on stock returns and on accounting results, and had distinct governance and stakeholder engagement processes.
Feedback Requested
For the final paper, I would welcome feedback on whether the revenue estimate for recyclable trays needs more support, and whether the value section should include employee engagement, which our human resources director believes the program would improve.
References
Bansal, P., & Roth, K. (2000). Why companies go green: A model of ecological responsiveness. Academy of Management Journal, 43(4), 717-736. https://doi.org/10.5465/1556363
Eccles, R. G., Ioannou, I., & Serafeim, G. (2014). The impact of corporate sustainability on organizational processes and performance. Management Science, 60(11), 2835-2857. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2014.1984
Nidumolu, R., Prahalad, C. K., & Rangaswami, M. R. (2009). Why sustainability is now the key driver of innovation. Harvard Business Review, 87(9), 56-64.
SUS 7000 Module 2 instructions, in plain terms
The SUS-7000 midterm, written assignment 4 and worth 20 percent of the grade, is the first two sections of your final project's business case. Expect to define the problem or opportunity your organization faces and show how sustainability can create value, with estimates where possible. Directions are in the module, and the full project description is in the course's Final Project section. Use your own organization if you can, since the course asks for examples from your own experience, and treat the midterm as a draft you will improve with feedback. Include a short note asking for the specific feedback you want, since the midterm exists to improve the final paper.
How the SUS 7000 Module 2 example is put together
Section one sets out the situation with revenue figures and a client's scorecard requirement, explains why the pressure is also an opportunity, with research on sustainability and innovation, and proposes a program. Section two explains four channels of value, citing research on why firms go green, with a table of cost savings, paragraphs on risk and revenue and research on long-term performance. A short closing asks for specific feedback. Figures for each initiative, including one-time costs and savings, let a reader judge the payback, and a short closing note asks for specific feedback. Risk and revenue are treated as separate sources of value. Federal solar credits are noted as reducing net cost.
SUS 7000 Module 2 rubric: what earns full marks
Mentors grade the midterm on a clear statement of the problem or opportunity, a convincing account of how sustainability creates value, use of course concepts and research, supporting figures and organized writing. Midterms that quantify savings and revenue show the business case is more than an appeal. Framing a threat as an opportunity demonstrates strategic thinking. Asking for specific feedback shows the student is using the midterm as intended. A cost table with savings and one-time costs gives the value section a factual base. A specific request for feedback shows the midterm is being used to strengthen the final case. Research on long-term performance gives the value case academic support. Honest notes on what still needs support build trust with the reader.
Common SUS 7000 Module 2 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Students lose points by describing environmental problems without connecting them to the organization's value, by offering benefits without figures or by writing the whole case at once instead of the first two sections. Others ignore risk and revenue. State the opportunity in business terms. Show value through cost, risk, revenue and position. Estimate figures. Ask for feedback you can use. Estimate costs and savings for each initiative, and ask your mentor for the feedback you need before the final draft. Treat a client's demand as both a threat and an opening. A free first sample on your own SUS-7000 midterm is available on request.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Thomas Edison State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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SUS 7000 Module 2 questions, answered
Where can I find a free SUS 7000 Module 2 sample paper?
The first two sections of a printer's business case for sustainability are the midterm above.
What does the SUS-7000 midterm include?
The first two sections of the final business case, the problem or opportunity and how sustainability creates value.
How does sustainability create business value?
Through lower costs, reduced risk, new revenue and a stronger position with customers and other stakeholders.
Why do companies adopt ecological practices?
Research identifies competitiveness, legitimacy and ecological responsibility as the main motives.
How much is the SUS-7000 midterm worth?
Twenty percent of the course grade.