Luk Van Wassenhove

Emeritus Professor of Technology and Operations Management
Zipline delivers medical products via unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). With its expansion to Ghana in 2019, Zipline became world’s largest medical drone-delivery service, reaching over 25 million people.

Published 25 May 2023

Reference 6667

Topic Operations

Industry Health, Wellness and Fitness

Region Global

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ORTA Anadolu, a denim manufacturer based in Turkey that produces jeans for major global brands, is seeking to embrace the movement for a circular economy by redesigning its products and processes. How easy is the task facing director Sedef Uncu? What are the barriers to and enablers for ‘circular’ fashion?

Published 18 May 2022

Reference 6695

Topic Responsibility

Industry Apparel and Fashion

Region Europe

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The case describes the story of Sri Lanka-based Dilmah Ceylon Tea. Founded in 1988 by the current CEO’s father, the company pioneered the concept of ‘single-origin tea picked, perfected and packed’ in Sri Lanka, with a brand based on taste, goodness and purpose. Present in over 105 countries, it is one of the most well-known Sri Lankan brands worldwide.

Published 06 Dec 2021

Reference 6685

Topic Marketing

Industry Food and Beverages Production

Region Global

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What does it take to build the infrastructure to recycle plastic bottles that is economically viable? The case looks at the economics of the circular economy, focusing on the development of a business case for a beverage producer to create a closed-loop PET bottle recycling facility on the island of Malta.

Published 06 Jul 2021

Reference 6673

Topic Responsibility

Industry Retail

Region Europe

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As late as 2020, the supply chain of the global chocolate industry was characterized by modern slavery and child labour, poverty, dire living conditions and deforestation. While players in the cocoa industry had launched certification and in-house sustainability programmes, experts claimed that these have had limited impact.

Published 07 Jun 2021

Reference 6616

Topic Responsibility

Region Global

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Since its inception in 2015, the 2030 Agenda for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) has provided a blueprint for shared prosperity in a sustainable world — a world where all people live productive, vibrant, and peaceful lives on a healthy planet. With less than a decade to go, we need to ask if we are laying the right foundation to achieve the SDGs. How “SDG-smart” are we?

Published 27 May 2021

Reference 6604

Topic Responsibility

Industry Consumer Goods Food and Beverages Production

Region Global

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In 2017, the World Food Programme decided to procure six amphibious all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) as a way to achieve ‘last-mile’ delivery to the most remote or disaster-hit areas on the planet. After two successful pilots, it is looking to incorporate ATVs into its disaster response operations as well as its ongoing development operations.

Published 20 May 2021

Reference 6581

Topic Operations

Industry Logistics and Supply Chain

Region Global

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The 2015 Paris Agreement, signed by all 195 UN signatory nations, put a global focus on the impending climate emergency, with a mandate to achieve nationally determined commitments (NDCs) to exit fossil fuels and accelerate financing of global sustainability projects.

Published 23 Apr 2021

Reference 6632

Topic Responsibility

Industry Financial Services Banking

Region Europe

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Praesens Care, a start-up based in Belgium, has developed a mobile laboratory with the aim of safely testing people for a wide range of killer diseases. Its mobile laboratories enable monitoring of infectious diseases and improve diagnostic capabilities in remote areas in Africa.

Published 23 Mar 2021

Reference 6598

Topic Operations

Industry Biotechnology

Region Global

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Tom Hermans, CEO of EMMA Safety Footwear, is excited about the idea of developing the world’s first circular safety shoe – one that adheres to the cradle-to-cradle design principles. This could be a transformational strategy, differentiating EMMA from the crowded safety shoe market in Europe and extending a long tradition of social responsibility since its establishment in 1931.

Published 09 Mar 2021

Reference 6501

Topic Responsibility

Region Europe

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As late as 2020, the supply chain of the global chocolate industry was characterized by modern slavery and child labour, poverty, dire living conditions and deforestation. While players in the cocoa industry had launched certification and in-house sustainability programmes, experts claimed that these have had limited impact.

Published 07 Jun 2021

Reference 6616

Topic Responsibility

Region Global

View case
Since its inception in 2015, the 2030 Agenda for the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) has provided a blueprint for shared prosperity in a sustainable world — a world where all people live productive, vibrant, and peaceful lives on a healthy planet. With less than a decade to go, we need to ask if we are laying the right foundation to achieve the SDGs. How “SDG-smart” are we?

Published 27 May 2021

Reference 6604

Topic Responsibility

Industry Consumer Goods Food and Beverages Production

Region Global

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Tom Hermans, CEO of EMMA Safety Footwear, is excited about the idea of developing the world’s first circular safety shoe – one that adheres to the cradle-to-cradle design principles. This could be a transformational strategy, differentiating EMMA from the crowded safety shoe market in Europe and extending a long tradition of social responsibility since its establishment in 1931.

Published 09 Mar 2021

Reference 6501

Topic Responsibility

Region Europe

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Agility is often mentioned but seldom defined or clearly illustrated. This case discusses UNICEF’s response to the sudden disruption of its aid supply chain to Yemen after the bombing started in 2015. It illustrates how a forwarding hub was quickly established in Djibouti and dhow vessels were used to reach small Yemeni ports from there.

Published 15 Dec 2017

Reference 6315

Topic Operations

Industry Facilities Services Hospital & Health Care Logistics and Supply Chain

Region Middle-East

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Case A describes how a couple who lost a child create a social venture - the Max Foundation - by applying sound business principles to maximize the impact per-euro-spent. Case B discusses the growth challenges facing the organisation today.

Published 31 Aug 2011

Reference 5788

Topic Responsibility

Industry Education Management

Region Asia

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The Fleet Safety project was developed in response to the needs of the members of the Fleet Forum, an informal collaborating body and independent knowledge centre for fleet management in the humanitarian sector.

Published 27 Mar 2009

Reference 5589

Topic Operations

Region Global

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Circular Economy and Closed-loop Supply Chains, Business Models for Sustainable Operations, Humanitarian and Health Supply Chains, Corporate Social Alliances