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Case Study

Sustainable agribusiness investment (C): Landolt’s challenge

By Ulrich Steger, Paul Strebel and Aileen Ionescu-Somers

7 pages

June 2006

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Reference: IMD-2-0114

Pierre Landolt is a farmer with a difference. He not only manages a ‘model’ organic farm in the toughest and most arid zone of Brazil, but he sits on the boards of several companies. He has experienced farming from both macro and micro angles. A passionate supporter of social and environmental sustainability, he is in a very exceptional position both by personal experience and by the fact that he can choose his own investments and causes while steering the world towards change. But has he fully capitalised on his position? Participants will get an opportunity to explore the world of this individual and discuss how moving in such widely diverse yet related sectors can provide learning for the future. The question is how to apply such learning effectively such that it can make a difference in either world?

Learning Objective

Understand how an exceptional individual with a foot firmly in two worlds; the macro business environment of global agribusiness and the more micro business environment of sustainable start-ups in a developing country, can capitalise on a singularly privileged position to stimulate groundbreaking change and new perspectives in agribusiness as a whole. The case should show various different angles to the corporate sustainability debate.

Keywords

Organic Farming, Corporate Responsibility, Sustainable Development, Agribusiness, Corporate Sustainability Management

Settings

Europe, Brazil
1973-2006

Type

Field Research

Available Languages

English

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This case study is part of a series

Sustainable agribusiness investment (A): Breaking new ground at AxialPar
Sustainable agribusiness investment (B): Syngenta’s challenge
Sustainable agribusiness investment (C): Landolt’s challenge

This case study is part of a series

Sustainable agribusiness investment (A): Breaking new ground at AxialPar
Sustainable agribusiness investment (B): Syngenta’s challenge
Sustainable agribusiness investment (C): Landolt’s challenge

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Case reference: IMD-2661 ©2025

Summary

Shenzhen Power-Solution (SPS), founded in 2009 in China as an entrepreneurial venture, disrupted traditional lighting markets in African villages with its flagship product, Candles Killer. This solar lamp, priced under $5, replaces hazardous kerosene lamps and has an optimized design (9 components, water-bottle stands). The candles killer solar lamp addresses the critical need for affordable, safe and sustainable lighting for people at the bottom of the pyramid (BOP), a huge market that multinationals struggle to reach. By achieving both low cost and differentiation, SPS created a blue ocean market. The company has made remarkable progress in its mission to provide solar lighting to underserved communities: by 2023, it illuminated over 55 million people across 7.8 million households in 66 countries. Beyond social impact, SPS achieved environmental sustainability at scale, reducing cumulative carbon emissions by 6.7 million tons, the equivalent of planting 368 million evergreen trees. Candles Killer's success led SPS to expand its product line into a solar home system for phone charging and multi-bulb lighting. SPS also introduced Solar Media, a platform with pre-loaded content (medical tips, farming methods, education) to share vital knowledge in remote regions.

Reference IMD-2661

Organization Shenzhen Power-Solution

Industry Energy;Utilities, Electricity Supply;Consumer Goods, Consumer Electronics

Available Languages English

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