This book is an introduction to support on how to analyze and optimize sustainability problems and on how to create sustainable business solutions. A growing number of business and societal practitioners are confronted with the sustainability transition in their domain of interest. Hereby modelling can be an helpful tool. We provide a step-by-step approach to optimize business and societal sustainably problems using multiple objective optimization and system dynamics.  Next to introducing the theoretical background many real-life examples are discussed to demonstrate how the modelling techniques can be applied. Next to the mathematical optimization approach, we discuss how to create sustainable business value and how to deal with sustainability risks and opportunities in supply chains. After reading this book you will be able to start analyzing and optimizing problems related to sustainable development in business and society.

Dr. Ir. Dirk Inghels is an Associate Professor at the School of Business and Economics (department of Operations Analytics) at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the Netherlands, since 2016. He obtained his PhD on the thesis entitled “Policy Modelling for Sustainable Waste Management” in the same year.

In 2006 he received his MSc degree of Industrial Engineering and Management Science at the TU Eindhoven, The Netherlands; in 2000 he received his MSc degree in Industrial Management of the University of Ghent, Belgium and in 1990 he received his MSc degree in Industrial Sciences (Electro-Mechanical Engineering) at currently the University of Antwerp, Belgium. 

Besides his academic work, he has more than 35 years of experience in industry in the fields of Engineering, Quality, Safety Management, Sustainability, Operations Research and R&D in roles as engineer, manager and director. He is actively involved in industry associations both as member and chair.

Dirk Inghels has an academic experience for more than 15 years in the domain of sustainable supply chain management and sustainable business process optimization.  He is engaged in the sustainability debate as speaker on conferences, member and chair of associations, in teaching for university students and in Executive teaching programs.