Course Overview
Applications are now closed. If you wish to be considered as a late addition to the wait list, please email: Caroline.Grossman@chicagobooth.edu
This lab course centers around several live consulting projects that allow students to consider the role of the firm in society by exploring the domains of Sustainability, corporate social responsibility (CSR), Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG), and more.
The Winter 2026 course will include three projects, sponsored by Owens Corning, ThirdLove, and WM (Waste Management), all focused on elements of sustainability and circularity.
Class time will be about 50% project-based, complemented by cases, discussions, and guest speakers who extend learnings beyond the projects. There will be some attention to how students work as a team and what you learn from that experience.
By application only.
Class sessions are required and will be in-person only with no remote option. Final presentations will be held during Week 9 and exam week. There will be additional required meetings with your client outside of class, including a potential field trip to begin during the lunch hour prior to class and which may extend into the evening.
Attendance at the first class on Tuesday January 6th is mandatory.
Students will be divided into three assigned groups. Students will have an opportunity rank project preference.
Project descriptions will be updated as available.
Owens Corning:
Owens Corning’s glass reinforcements (GR) business is a leading global provider of solutions matching the differentiated needs of the growing composites industry. The 2026 project will focus on identifying opportunities for Sustaina® Loop, a newly launched product made with recycled glass fiber in data center and rebar markets. In addition to its recycled content, Sustaina® Loop has a 50% lower carbon footprint compared to similar products currently available in the U.S. Students will explore decarbonization goals and market opportunities, helping Owens Corning understand how to best leverage the product’s sustainability advantages to create value in its the data center and rebar end markets.
Leveraging a powerful combination of material science, manufacturing excellence, and deep market and customer knowledge, the GR business provides sustainable, customer-centric solutions for the global wind, building and construction, thermoplastic compounding, and composites specialty markets. With annual revenues of approximately $1.2 billion, the business employs 4,000 people at 18 operations in 12 countries.
WM (Waste Management):
Textile Recycling
ThirdLove:
Textile sustainability and circularity
