UNITAR & IBU Forge
Strategic Partnership
Empowering socially conscious, globally competent leaders through
sustainability-driven education and training.
Shaping the Future of
Sustainable Business
Empowering organizations and leaders to create 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
- Catalyzing positive changes in organizations for sustainability
- Integrating sustainability into business education
- Empowering leaders with practical competencies
- Advancing models aligned with the UN SDGs and the circular economy
Our Impact
- Collaboration: Partnerships with universities, industries, and communities.
- Contribution: Research and insights that shape policy, practice, and education.
- Competency: Real-world learning that equips leaders to thrive in a sustainable economy.
We are committed to
- Catalyzing change in organizations
- Embedding sustainability into education
- Building sustainability competence in professionals
- Advancing Sustainable Development Goals (SDs)-aligned business models
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
- Corporate responsibility and ethics
- Decarbonization and business transformation
- Financial and technological innovation
- ESG reporting and global sustainability
- Indigenous entrepreneurship
Selected Research Outputs
Books & Chapters
- Accounting for Strategic Transition into Decarbonisation (Edward Elgar, 2025)
- SDGs in the Asia and Pacific Books & ChaptersRegion (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
Through IBU’s programs, students connect theory with real-world sustainability practice.
Learning Opportunities
- Courses covering ESG, green finance, governance, and ethics
- Curriculum informed by CBS research
- Industry-based capstone projects
- Global case studies with Canadian context
- Events featuring international experts
IBU Digital Cases
- Shopify’s AI and e-commerce strategy
- Honda’s EV market initiatives in North America
- Tim Hortons’ market entry in Asia
- Manulife’s DEI and innovation
- Cross-cultural product design challenges
MBA Integration
IBU’s MBA students gain:
- Real-world consulting projects with industry partners
- Networking with global experts
- Deep focus on ESG, finance, and responsible leadership
BCom (Honours) Integration
IBU BCom students learn sustainability fundamentals through:
- Core courses with sustainability themes
- Supply chain ethics
- Project-based learning with industry partners
Global Partnerships
We collaborate with leading organizations to advance global sustainability:
Events
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
Below we have collected some of the resources where you can find up-to-date, reliable information on these topics.
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
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
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