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Case Study

Nokia Siemens networks: Connecting business growth and emissions reductions

By Corey A. Billington, Darren Willman and Aileen Ionescu-Somers

9 pages

December 2009

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Reference: IMD-2-0155

The case details an example of how addressing the climate change issue makes business sense. It introduces explaining the partnership between Nokia Siemens Networks and WWF International’s Climate Savers program. Climate Savers is a program that supports companies in reducing their carbon dioxide emissions. Nokia Siemens Networks chose to focus on its products and improve the energy efficiency of its base station products. It explains R&D’s assignment and how the project came to creation, including the Design for Environment process. It discusses the benefits and characteristics of the base station, especially in environmental criteria such as energy efficiency. It addresses some challenges in selling the product. It shows how the product is making a positive impact in developing markets. Finally, the company gives their biggest lessons on business, climate change and innovation.

Learning Objective

1) Encourage business to address the climate change issue as it makes business sense and creates opportunities. 2)Inspire business leaders to adopt transformational change in product innovation. 3)Show how to create, develop and market environmentally friendly products. 4)Profile an example of how products can meet important development needs.

Keywords

Innovation, Climate Change, Communications, Emissions, Corporate Responsibility, Energy Efficiency, Partnership, Corporate Sustainability Management, Sustainability

Settings

World/global
2005-2009

Type

Field Research

Available Languages

English

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Case reference: IMD-7-2639 ©2025

Summary

The case examines the entrepreneur-led carve out and buyout of dss+, DuPont’s safety and sustainability consulting division, by Gyrus Capital and dss+ management team. dss+ (formerly “DuPont Sustainable Solutions”) played a pivotal role in high-risk industries such as oil, gas, and chemicals, providing critical consulting services at a time when global regulatory pressure on operational safety and sustainability was intensifying. Gyrus Capital, a mid-market private equity specialist, came together with the management team to engineer the buyout, based on the firm’s strong and predictable revenue streams, long-term client relationships and specialized expertise in safety and sustainability consulting. What emerged out of the 2019 transaction was an independent sustainability consulting powerhouse with over 1,500 consultants around the world. By 2024, dss+ was still expanding rapidly in terms of staff and domains of expertise, not to mention geography, and had to respond to quickly evolving external and internal demands, with clients increasingly expected to be served globally on a full range of sustainability-related services. With a strong sense of purpose (saving lives and creating a sustainable future), a potent pitch line (Protect. Transform. Sustain), over 750 clients on 1,800 projects across 41 countries, a global team of 1,500 people and plenty of organic growth across 7 core industries, the company was clearly heading for the stars. Yet, new questions loomed: Was it time to start managing that wild growth, deepening competitive advantages and building functional moats? How would dss+ remain competitive? Was it time to put a few new initiatives on high octane fuel: Leadership? Digital transformation? Global growth? Some totally new ideas?

Reference IMD-7-2639

Organization dss+, Gyrus Capital, Inflexion

Industry Services, Environmental Services;Healthcare, Health and Medical Services;Services, Public Safety;Business Management Services, Consultancy

Available Languages English

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