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The Great Reveal of The Triple Connection!

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Sustainability has a new connection! Our newest business simulation game, The Triple Connection, is finally out. This is a huge milestone for us and we aim to make it also a milestone in the transition towards more sustainable business practices. During the Inchainge Connect Educator Conference 2022, our co-founder Egge Haak revealed the Triple Connection for the first time ever – and we are proud to say that it is ALL ABOUT SUSTAINABILITY!  

Pulling from real-life concepts such as the 3Ps of sustainability, the Triple Connection engages its participants in implementing a sustainable strategy for a virtual chocolate milk manufacturer.  

“The Triple Connection is all about sustainability. The problem of sustainability is probably the greatest challenge for our society and our companies in this century.” – Egge Haak 

A presentation slide that started an introduction to The Triple Connection, a sustainability business game simulation focused on 3Ps (people, planet, and prosperity), was revealed

Egge explained that it is not just a struggle for companies but also for educators in higher education who wonder how they should develop courses and training to help and properly prepare their students for their careers in sustainability.  

“That’s why we have developed this business simulation game. To give people, students and professionals hands-on experience on how to become sustainable as a company.”- Egge Haak

The Triple Connection focuses on learning objectives that have long-lasting impacts. It gives participants a life-like experience of a virtual chocolate milk manufacturer and its value chain. Through this the participants get  

  • an understanding of the importance of internal and external alignment (theory of change),  
  • how the alignment between ambition and realization works, and  
  • how to put sustainable strategies into action.  

The Triple Connection lies in the middle of the Value Chain

The Triple Connection is a manufacturing company that is dealing with suppliers upstream (similar to our other business games). But what is unique here is that the Triple Connection is also dealing with processors of cocoa powder. These processors have cooperation with farmers who are providing them with cocoa. In this way, as Egge says, “The Triple Connection is not only dealing with processors but also with farmers more upstream” enabling them to create a sustainable value chain.  

“We are reaching out more upstream than we are used to and making all kinds of interventions and improvement programs upstream.”- Egge Haak

The value chain is also extended downstream where there are the retailers and the consumers. “We are going to reach out to our consumers which is where the marketing comes to play”, Egge explains. Through marketing, The Triple Connection wants to communicate to the consumers which can be either helpful or go wrong if the company makes any error.  

The Triple Connection and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)  

The goal of the game is to manage 13 out of 17 Sustainable Development Goals, while also having limitations specific to each participant's role, like setting the right priorities in an Operations Role, or sourcing sustainably in a Sustainability Position role

While the Triple Connection is weaved around the roles of Marketing, Operations, Sales, and more newly, Sustainability Manager, the company touches upon 13 out of 17 Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN by making all kinds of decisions.  

The business simulation game also has the added element of budget limitations, which means that participants learn about sustainability trade-offs and priorities.  

Integrating the concept of 3Ps 

A model that shows how to achieve 3Ps internally and externally - In the center there is a circle that contains People, Planet, and Prosperity, that is surrounded by different steps to achieving the 3Ps goals, like slave free labour, or waste reduction

To explain the name of the business simulation game (The Triple Connection), Egge deep-dived into how it came about. The Triple connection is weaved around the concept of 3Ps – People, Planet, and Prosperity which was the starting point.  

“In this business game everything needs to be addressed.” -Egge Haak  

Throughout the business game, participants have to realize their sustainability targets by innovating assortment and channels, optimizing contracts per channel, and developing closer relations with their suppliers.  

Expert Panel After the Product Reveal: Juggling the 3P’s  

Following the reveal of the Triple Connection, we were joined by our expert panelists Dr. Andrea Sordi, Dr. Denyse Julien, and Peter van Grinsven who addressed some of the key concepts and frameworks currently used to capture Sustainability in Value Chain Management in their talk ‘Juggling the 3Ps’. 

Our three panelists shed light upon the complexities involved in a company’s transition to sustainability. Where do they start and how do they go about with it? Our panelists also highlighted how sustainability is yet to be properly applied by most companies to their developmental strategies.  

An Online Expert Panel After the Product Reveal: Juggling the 3P’s

Learn more about The Triple Connection!  

Do you want to know more about our new sustainability business simulation game, The Triple Connection? Be part of our journey as we move towards a more sustainable future. Check it out on our webpage here.