Net Zero

Simulation Overview

In this single-player asynchronous simulation, the participants learn corporate sustainability strategy and how to manage corporate emissions while optimizing the business performance.

This simulation is available in English and Spanish.

Time Requirement

• Introduction - 15 minutes
• Game Play - 60 minutes
• Debrief - 30 to 60 minutes

The Story

Making large cuts in greenhouse gas emissions is challenging for companies, but it is possible. Reducing corporate emissions does not need to go at the expense of business performance and can help to reduce costs and increase revenues. How do you make strides towards a greener future? How do we maintain profits? What steps must be taken to inform employees as well as customers?

The challenge for Learners in Net Zero is to play the role of 500-room, 4-star city center hotel General Manager with the goal of reaching “net-zero” greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and reducing emissions by 50% over a 7-year period while at the same time optimizing financial performance.

Choosing the right emission reduction strategies requires managers to think through all the consequences of their decisions and prioritize as not all initiatives that look “green” have a significant impact on emissions.

Each year, learners must prioritize and select up to 3 initiatives from a wide-ranging and evolving list including energy, purchasing, and management initiatives that impact the hotel’s emissions and business performance.

After each round of decisions players are provided feedback in terms of the hotel emissions as well as performance indicators such as energy and water consumption, waste generation, and financial performance.

Altogether, the hotel’s emissions are reduced through a combination of technical solutions and behavioral changes by staff, customers and suppliers.

Business performance is impacted through investments in initiatives, changes in operational costs, and potential improvements in revenue per available room (REVPAR).

Instructors can customize the simulation based on recent technological developments, local conditions, the efficiency of solar panels, electricity consumption, and other features.

Learning Focus

• The challenging task of cutting greenhouse gas emissions significantly is actually possible.
• Reducing corporate emissions does not necessarily impair business performance. On the contrary, it can help reduce costs.
• Managers should think through all possible strategies and their consequences to choose and prioritize emission reduction strategies. Some strategies that sound promising may have negligible impact on greenhouse emissions.
• Being successful requires involving a large group of stakeholders: employees, customers and suppliers.
• Sustainability performance measurement and analysis is critical for deciding where to direct efforts and achieving results.

Topics Covered

• Decision Making and Prioritization
• Societal Impact and Corporate Responsibility
• Cost-Benefit Analysis
• Strategy and Innovation
• Sustainability Performance Measurement and Analysis

Each simulation comes with a Teaching Guidebook for the facilitator along with 1:1 facilitator training and free trials.

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This simulation is by Tim Rogmans