Overview
NYU Stern’s Center for Sustainable Business (CSB) seeks to integrate sustainability into business strategy by combining applied research, education and stakeholder engagement. Founded in 2016, CSB operates on the principle that sustainability can drive long-term value rather than being a peripheral concern.
Mission and focus areas
CSB aims to help leaders quantify and monetise sustainability, notably via its proprietary Return on Sustainability Investment (ROSI™) framework. Research spans ESG-financial performance, materiality, stakeholder value, consumer behaviour, public-private collaboration, and private equity sustainability. A recent meta-analysis in collaboration with Rockefeller Asset Management shows that firms with stronger ESG profiles tend, over time, to outperform peers — reinforcing CSB’s framing of sustainability as value creation.
Structure and governance
CSB is managed by a compact multidisciplinary team, with oversight from three advisory groups composed of leaders in business, government, academia and non-profit sectors. It awards internal grants and supports faculty and doctoral research aligned with sustainable business.
Programs and offerings
On the education front, CSB supports undergraduate concentrations, MBA electives, and executive certificates (for example in ESG investing and corporate sustainability). It also offers a Sustainability Career Boot Camp to prepare undergraduates for sustainability roles. For practitioners, CSB provides tools, databases and open-source resources for carbon accounting, ESG metric analysis, materiality assessment, and scenario modelling. It has developed interactive tools for private equity decision making and publishes industry-specific reports (for instance in food and agriculture) that connect sustainability strategies to measurable financial outcomes.
Role in sustainable finance
CSB contributes to sustainable finance by furnishing research and frameworks bridging ESG and investment returns. Its ROSI™ Research Database curates hundreds of studies linking sustainability initiatives with financial metrics. Through collaboration with investors, corporations and public bodies, CSB helps embed sustainability in capital allocation, due diligence, and value creation strategies.
At the NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business (CSB), we envision a better world through better business. Our mission is to empower current and future leaders to embed sustainability into core business strategy, achieving breakthroughs in business performance and positive societal impact. In doing so, businesses reduce risk; create competitive advantage; develop innovative services, products, and processes; while improving financial performance and creating value for society. CSB implements its mission through activities in education, research, and engagement.
Innovation in education:
- Prepares Stern students with the knowledge and tools to shape a new sustainable business paradigm through curricular and hands-on experiential learning opportunities
- Incorporates sustainability-focused curriculum into the existing undergraduate, graduate, and executive degree programs
- Provides career development and networking opportunities for students as they navigate career paths related to sustainable business
Cutting-Edge Research:
- Combines academic rigor with the pragmatism of practitioners to bring a clear, actionable focus to sustainable business
- Leverages our ROSI™ methodology to reveal that embedding sustainability into core business strategy benefits all areas of corporate metrics
- Conducts and disseminates original research targeted at improving business management and performance while addressing societal challenges
- Develops the knowledge and tools needed to monetize the financial return on sustainability investments
Influence and Engagement:
- Partners with a growing network of professionals, investors, alumni, media partners and academics on corporate strategy and academic research initiatives
- Publishes research-based and editorial content in business media, academic journals, and mass media
- Hosts regular multi-stakeholder events, conferences, and workshops for students and professionals.
