sustainability projects need to have a positive NPV but should still be considered to be a worthwhile
Question:
sustainability projects need to have a positive NPV but should still be considered to be a worthwhile investment compared to more profitable alternatives but are not sustainability-focused. The value of sustainability and reducing negative impacts on the environment are not readily quantifiable, but are extremely valuable. This can include consideration of increased sales due to consumers' willingness to pay for green products. Providing "co-benefits", benefits in addition to the original objective or project, can increase the value and price of a product (Lou et al. 2022). Carbon projects have other positive effects and objectives as co-benefits that can help the communities they are in. Sustainable projects can also attract more investors, as investors have a higher willingness to pay for projects with more co-benefits (Lou 2022). Also, being able to advertise investment in a sustainable project can improve the reputation for the entire company, as well as demonstrating social responsibility to consumers. Do you think identifying co-benefits of your chosen sustainability project may be useful when determining NPV, even if they are difficult to quantify?