Lecturer in charge of the module Prof. Alessandra Colombelli (Politecnico di Torino) alessandra.colombelli@polito.it

Please insert here the a descriptive summary of the module content as well as the course goals and learning objectives.

Objective of the course is to equip students with the principles, frameworks and methods of environmental economics and economics of innovation to answer the basic question “does it pay to be green?”. The module consists in two parts. The first part allows students understanding how businesses can achieve cost savings and improve performance by reducing their environmental impacts. The drivers and barriers to green innovation generation and adoption, the strategic management of eco-innovation as well as the effects of environmental regulation are explored. The second part focuses on the role of new firms in the process of technological change and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The aim is to make students understand the relevance and the dynamics of social and green start-ups formation and learn the basic tools for defining a business model.

During the course students will work in teams on real case studies. They will be required to apply the tools and the concepts learned during the lectures and place themselves in the role of decision makers. A green start-up will be involved to provide a real example of value proposition, business model development and social impact.

The final grade is the result of an individual and a team evaluation. Each students will be evaluated on the base of their participation to class discussion. Each team will be evaluated on the result of their team work.