UNITAR & IBU: A Global Partnership for Sustainable Business Education
Shaping the Future of Sustainable Business
Where extensive research meets real-world action, authorizing organizations and leaders to build a greener, fairer, and more resilient world.
Shaping the Future of Sustainable Business
Empowering organizations and leaders to create a greener, fairer, and more resilient world.
About IBU Centre for
Sustainable Business (CSB)
Our Purpose
At IBU, we believe sustainability is a business advantage. The Centre for Sustainable Business (CSB), founded and directed by Prof. Artie Ng, prepares future-ready leaders to integrate social, environmental, and economic responsibility into strategy and operations.
CSB serves as a hub for:
Research
Education
Industry Collaboration
What we focus on
- Integrating sustainability into business education and research
- Aligning curriculum with recognized global sustainability frameworks, including the UN SDGs
- Developing practical competencies in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practice
- Supporting organizations in applying sustainable business models
Our Impact
- Collaboration: Partnerships with academic institutions, industry, and policy organizations
- Research: Scholarship and applied analysis informing sustainable business practice
- Professional Development: Applied learning that strengthens organizational decision-making
We are committed to
- Incorporating sustainability into academic programs and executive education
- Advancing SDG-aligned and circular economy business approaches
- Supporting applied research and cross-sector dialogue
- Preparing professionals to operate within evolving regulatory and environmental standards
The Centre provides a platform to share knowledge that catalyzes sustainable organizational growth while addressing social, environmental, and economic challenges. Our goal is to advance sustainability education and build competence for future business leaders, ultimately driving business models that thrive in the emerging circular economy.
— Prof. Artie Ng
Founding Dean & Director, Centre for Sustainable Business
Board of Advisors
Professor Charles Cho
Erivan K. Haub Chair in Business & Sustainability, Schulich School of Business, York University, Canada
Professor Walter Leal
Head of Research and Transfer Centre: Sustainable Development and Climate Change Management, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Germany
Professor Emeritus Jatin Nathwani
Founding Executive Director, Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy (WISE), University of Waterloo, Canada
Research Focus Areas
- UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Green finance and sustainable investment
- Sustainable supply chains
- Financial and technological innovation
- ESG reporting and global sustainability
- Corporate responsibility and ethics
- Decarbonization and business transformation
- Indigenous entrepreneurship
Selected Research Outputs
Books & Chapters
- Accounting for Strategic Transition into Decarbonisation (Edward Elgar, 2025)
- SDGs in the Asia and Pacific Books & Chapters Region (Springer, 2024)
- Financial and Technological Innovation for Sustainability (Routledge, 2023)
- Indigenous Tourism and Climate Change Mitigation (Handbook, 2024)
- Social Bonds as a Financial Instrument for ESG Initiatives (Routledge, 2023)
Journal Papers
- The Emergence of the Robotics Industry with AI (Circular Economy and Sustainability, 2025)
- Requirements for Decarbonisation in Developing Countries (Science of the Total Environment, 2025)
- Disparities in ESG Reporting by Chinese Enterprises (Sustainability Accounting Journal, 2023)
- Deploying AI for Climate Change Adaptation (Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 2022)
Education Integrated
with IBU Programs
Sustainability is incorporated directly into IBU’s academic programs through coursework, applied projects, and research-informed instruction.
Learning Integration
- Courses addressing ESG, governance, sustainable finance, and regulatory frameworks
- Curriculum informed by the Centre’s research activity
- Capstone and consulting projects with organizational partners
- Case analysis grounded in Canadian and international markets
- Guest lectures and executive briefings
IBU Digital Cases
Selected cases developed for classroom use include:
- Platform strategy and AI integration in e-commerce
- Electric vehicle market strategy in North America
- Market entry analysis in Asia
- Diversity, equity, and innovation strategy
- Cross-border product and market design challenges
MBA Integration
MBA students engage with sustainability through:
- Consulting and applied research projects
- Coursework in ESG, finance, and responsible governance
- Structured interaction with industry and policy practitioners
BCOM (Honours) Integration
BCOM students encounter sustainability concepts through:
- Core business courses incorporating sustainability themes
- Study of supply chain governance and ethics
- Applied projects with organizational partners
Global Partnerships
The IBU Centre for Sustainable Business collaborates with international organizations engaged in sustainability research, education, and policy. These partnerships support joint programming, research exchange, and professional engagement.
Organizations interested in collaboration with the IBU Centre for Sustainable Business may contact the Centre to discuss potential areas of engagement.
Events
The Centre organizes symposia, panels, and workshops addressing current developments in sustainable business. Participation includes academic, industry, and policy perspectives.
Spotlight Event: 3rd Transatlantic Symposium (2025)
IBU hosted the 3rd Transatlantic Symposium on Sustainable Development in Higher Education in Toronto.
Themes included:
- ESG in higher education
- Green finance and social entrepreneurship
- Indigenous entrepreneurship
- AI for sustainability
Resources
The Centre maintains a collection of research outputs, policy references, and practical tools focused on sustainability in business. Materials are organized to support academic study and professional application.
Global Sustainability Knowledge Nexus
- Centre for Social and Environmental Accounting Research (CSEAR)
- ESG Case Studies & ESG Integration Framework
- International Sustainability Standards Board
- Sustainable Development Goals Report – United Nations Sustainable Development
- UN Principles for Responsible Investment
Green and Sustainable Practices in Canada
- City of Toronto’s Environmental, Social, and Governance Performance
- Live Green Toronto
- Made-in-Ontario Environment Plan
- Renewable Energy in Canada
- Sustainable Tourism in Ontario
Sustainable Business Ventures in Canada
- FLO (EV Charging)
- Genecis Bioindustries
- Greenlane Renewables
- Mara Renewables
- Waste Robotics
Selected Publications by IBU Faculty
The publications below highlight recent scholarly work by IBU faculty in sustainable business and related fields.
Although our MBA programme with a focus on Sustainable Business is primarily practice-oriented, there are some important pieces of knowledge that will help you as you participate in the programme even more successful. We encourage you to read them!
● Leal Filho, W., Ng, A.W., Sharifi, A. et al. (2022) Global tourism, climate change, and energy sustainability: assessing carbon reduction mitigating measures from the aviation industry. Sustainability Science (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-022-01207-x
● Nobanee, H., Dilshad, M.N., Abu Lamdi, O., Ballool, B., Al Dhaheri, S., AlMheiri, N., Alyammahi, A. and Alhemeiri, S.S. (2022), “Insurance for climate change and environmental risk: a bibliometric review”, International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management, Vol. 14 No. 5, pp. 440-461. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCCSM-08-2021-0097
● Ng, AW. (2022) Emerging green finance hubs in Asia: regulatory initiatives for ESG investing and green bond development by the Four Tigers, Handbook of Banking and Finance in Emerging Markets, 539-552. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781800880900.00039
● Ng AW, Yorke SM, Nathwani J. (2022) Enforcing Double Materiality in Global Sustainability Reporting for Developing Economies: Reflection on Ghana’s Oil Exploration and Mining Sectors. Sustainability. 14(16):9988. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14169988
● Leal Filho, W. and Wall, T. and Rui Mucova, S.A. and Nagy, G.J. and Balogun, A.-L. and Luetz, J.M., and Ng, A.W. and Kovaleva, M. and Safiul Azam, F.M. and Alves, F. and Guevara, Z. and Matandirotya, N.R. and Skouloudis, A. and Tzachor, A. and Malakar, K. and Gandhi, O. (2022) Deploying artificial intelligence for climate change adaptation. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 180. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121662
● Ng, A. (2021). Green Investing and Financial Services: ESG Investing for a Sustainable World. In: The Palgrave Handbook of Global Sustainability. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-38948-2_104-1
● Ng, A., Fong, B. and Man Fung Lo (2021) Dynamic knowledge management in response to the pandemic outbreak: an interinstitutional risk-based approach to sustainability, Knowledge Management Research & Practice, 19:4, 536-544, https://doi.org/10.1080/14778238.2021.1919574
● Wu, Yang Andrew, Ng, Artie W., Yu, Zichao, Huang, Jie, Meng, Ke and Dong, Z.Y., (2021), A review of evolutionary policy incentives for sustainable development of electric vehicles in China: Strategic implications, Energy Policy, 148, issue PB, number S0301421520306947. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2020.111983
● Ng, A.W. (2019). Socially Responsible Investing in Sustainable Development. In: Leal Filho, W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sustainability in Higher Education. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11352-0_301
● Leal Filho, W, Salvia, AL, Paço, AD, Anholon, R, Gonçalves Quelhas, OL, Rampasso, IS, Ng, A, Balogun, AL, Kondev, B and Brandli, LL (2019) A comparative study of approaches towards energy efficiency and renewable energy use at higher education institutions. Journal of Cleaner Production, 237. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.117728
● Fu, J., & Ng, A. W. (Eds.). (2020). Sustainable Energy and Green Finance for a Low-carbon Economy, Springer Nature. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-35411-4
● Ng, A.W. (2018). From sustainability accounting to a green financing system: Institutional legitimacy and market heterogeneity in a global financial centre. Journal of Cleaner Production, 195, 585-592. doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.05.250
Get InvolvedJoin the Sustainable Business Movement
The IBU Centre for Sustainable Business works with students, organizations, and researchers on academic, applied, and collaborative initiatives. Opportunities for engagement are outlined below.
Students
Participate in Centre-affiliated courses, research projects, events, and case initiatives focused on sustainability in business.
Employers & Partners
Collaborate on research projects, case development, internships, and applied sustainability initiatives with faculty and students.
Researchers & Practitioners
Engage with Centre faculty on joint research, events, and knowledge exchange activities related to sustainable business.