SDG Month feature
How can retailers maintain the flow of goods during climate change-driven disruptions such as flooding, wildfires and severe storms?
Three Schulich School of Business MBA students earned top place at this year’s Sustainable Supply Chain Case Challenge for their practical, tech‑driven strategy to address this challenge.
The question was at the core of the competition, which brings together graduate students from business schools across Canada to tackle a real-world sustainability case involving retail logistics.
Hosted by the George Weston Ltd. Centre for Sustainable Supply Chains at Schulich, the event requires teams to submit a written proposal and deliver a final live presentation to industry judges for cash prizes and recognition.
When Schulich student Abdel Rahman Elakrat heard about the challenge, he was eager to participate and learn more about the impact of climate and weather in real-life scenarios. He formed a group with friends and fellow MBA students Rabie Tarakji and Harinder Kumar, and they got to work on the case study, which asked participants to propose solutions for a hypothetical $30-billion grocery retailer seeking to strengthen its resilience during severe weather events.
The team – called Chain Reaction – began by examining how climate disruptions affect Canadian supply chains. They were surprised by what they discovered.
“The amount of money lost in the Canadian market every year due to extreme weather conditions was eye-opening,” says Elakrat, noting that 2024 was the most expensive year in Canadian history for weather-related damages, at more than $8 billion. “I had no idea it was that bad.”
That insight helped the three students understand that climate volatility is no longer occasional – it is constant.
“It’s not just a temporary or once-in-a-while operating condition,” says Tarakji. “We realized that companies need to be predictive so they can accommodate unexpected turns.”
Drawing on technologies already being piloted or used by companies such as Costco and Walmart, Chain Reaction developed a three-pronged resilience strategy that uses advanced digital tools to anticipate disruptions before they happen.
The first element was inspired by the way wildfires increasingly shut down highways and rail lines, leaving trucks stranded and store shelves empty. To address such scenarios, the team proposed a logistics “control tower” system driven by AI that connects truck GPS data with live weather monitoring. The system would allow dispatchers to reroute shipments up to 48 hours before storms or fires block major transportation routes.
Their second strategy involved installing wireless IoT (Internet of Things) temperature sensors inside refrigerated trucks and cold-storage facilities. These sensors would constantly monitor conditions and immediately alert managers if temperatures rise, helping prevent food waste while reducing energy costs. The approach addresses the growing risk of extreme heat, which can cause refrigeration systems on delivery trucks to fail thereby spoiling meat and dairy before they reach stores.
Finally, recognizing that many disruptions originate deeper in the supply chain – such as droughts affecting farms supplying key ingredients – the students proposed a supplier-risk mapping software. The tool would track where products originate and flag climate risks early, allowing companies to secure alternative suppliers to get ahead of potential supply shortatges.
A key philosophy behind the team's proposal was practicality. Although the hypothetical case study company was a multibillion-dollar enterprise, the team wanted their approach to remain realistic, cost-effective and scalable.
“Instead of pitching really expensive physical infrastructure that would require billions of dollars and years to build, we went with something easy to implement and cost-effective,” says Elakrat. “Our solution was estimated at about $1.5 million – which is minuscule for a $30-billion business.”
Chain Reaction submitted their proposal for the competition's first round and was selected to advance to the final round, where they presented their strategy to a panel of industry judges.
On the day of the finals, the team watching the other presentations while waiting for their turn. They were impressed by the quality of the competition but, aside from a few nerves, remained confident in their pitch. “We have nothing to lose, so let’s just enjoy it,” Elakrat recalls thinking.
Over the course of the project, the three students had independently tackled different parts of the project – market research, solutions and implementation – each of them becoming experts in their assigned area. They made time every day to meet for at least 30 minutes, forming a collaborative chemistry.
By the time they reached the finals, their presentation was polished and they were feeling confident.
Tarakji says that during the presentation, they "realized quickly that we were doing well and that we had a good flow.”
Despite feeling positive after taking the stage, the students weren't expecting to take the top-place finish. When the second- and third-place teams were announced – and Chain Reaction’s name had not yet been called – they began to refelct on what a valuable experience the competition had been.
Then, Chain Reaction was announced as overall winner.
Afterwards, members of the judging panel offered feedback, and said their work stood out for being both innovative and practical – and as a solution that could be applied immediately to help companies navigate climate risks.
Beyond the recognition, the three students walked away with a valuable experience. The process of designing a strategy rooted in SDG‑focused practices showcased what is possible today, and how they can contribute to sustainability efforts in the workplace moving forward.
“The problems we were solving in these cases are the same challenges companies face today, and in the future, when we’re working in those companies, the solutions we developed now can help shift the dynamic there too,” says Tarakji. “That’s exciting.”