Duration
Life Cycle Assessment & Ecodesign : 18h Th
Sustainable Business Models : a Serious Game : 12h Th
Number of credits
Lecturer
Life Cycle Assessment & Ecodesign : Andrea Di Maria, Angélique Léonard
Sustainable Business Models : a Serious Game : Virginie Xhauflair
Coordinator
Language(s) of instruction
English language
Organisation and examination
Teaching in the second semester
Schedule
Units courses prerequisite and corequisite
Prerequisite or corequisite units are presented within each program
Learning unit contents
Life Cycle Assessment & Ecodesign
This course is part of the new competency development pathway in sustainability organized by HEC Liège. It is integrated with the course "Sustainable Business Models: A Serious Game.
For the first block of the master's program, students are required to select and complete only one of the following three thematic courses, all of which are taught concurrently:
- Sustainable Finance
- Reporting and Metrics for Sustainability
- Life Cycle Management
The thematic knowledge is assessed at the end of the chosen thematic course.
This course, given in English, presents the Life Cycle Assessment methodology (LCA), allowing to evaluate the environmental impact of a process, product, service, following a 'cradle to grave' approach. The LCA related environmental communication is also considered (Environmental Product Declarations, ecolabels, ...).
It combines theoretical courses, case studies, software demonstrations and the participation to the serious game.
The course is structured as follows:
Introduction to environmental impacts and LCA
- Description of environmental indicators
- Presentation of standards related to the realisation of an ACV
- Environmental communication
- LCA and ecodesign
- Social LCA and Life Cycle Costing
- Case studies
- Introduction to one LCA software
Sustainable Business Models : a Serious Game
The ChocoMission V2 serious game offers students an immersive, systemic, and reflective learning experience centered on the sustainable transformation of business models.
Based on a scenario inspired by a real-world case, it engages participants in a collaborative simulation involving strategic, ethical, and operational dilemmas faced by a Belgian SME in the cocoa sector committed to sustainability.
The pedagogical objectives are to:
- Stimulate experiential learning: enable students to explore real sustainability challenges through decision-making, resource exploration, and team discussions
- Expose the complexity of global value chains: integrate North-South tensions, climate crises, governance issues, and social justice concerns
- Raise awareness of systemic trade-offs: every decision impacts both the dynamic Donut (representing planetary boundaries and social foundations) and the company's cash flow (costs, risks, profitability)
- Experiment with alternative governance and financing models: allow students to embody different roles (guardian, observer, strategist) and assess the consequences of decisions from each perspective
- Leverage immersive tools : field testimonies, animated avatars, and 360° videos in regenerative cocoa plantations, to deepen emotional engagement and critical thinking
- Strengthen collaborative skills: work in cross-functional teams, use double materiality matrices, receive dynamic feedback, and track performance via a score based on impact, cash flow, and cooperation
Learning outcomes of the learning unit
Life Cycle Assessment & Ecodesign
At the end of the course, the student will be able to
- understand and explain most of environmental indicators usually assessed;
- show his/her understanding of GHG accounting methods, including the meaning of the so-called scope 1, scope 2, scope 3;
- show his/her understanding and his/her knowledge of the LCA methodology and related standards;
- to explain the advantages, potential applications, and limitations of this methodology;
- to understand and interpret the results of an LCA study;
- to explain the environmental communication concept, in particular EPDs;
- to understand the life cycle costing approach as well as social LCA approach;
- to explain the ecodesign approach;
- to realize a basic LCA study on the basis on data available in demo cases.
Sustainable Business Models : a Serious Game
Understanding of Sustainability Concepts
- Acquire a robust understanding of sustainability principles across planetary boundaries and social foundations
- Explore how these principles guide strategic choices and reshape business models in the context of global value chains
Strategic and Systemic Decision-Making
- Develop the ability to navigate trade-offs between People, Planet, and Profit under real-world constraints
- Learn to make decisions that are ethically robust, financially viable, and environmentally responsible
Practical Application of Thematic Knowledge
- Apply learnings from courses (e.g. Sustainable Finance, Life Cycle Management, ESG Reporting) to a complex simulation
- Translate theoretical sustainability frameworks into concrete business strategies and multi-stakeholder decisions
Complex Problem-Solving and Ethical Thinking
- Address wicked problems and crisis scenarios using systemic thinking
- Confront ethical dilemmas such as greenwashing, inequality, or environmental degradation with evidence-based reasoning
Stakeholder Integration and Governance Innovation
- Deepen your understanding of stakeholder expectations and power dynamics in sustainability transitions
- Experiment with governance models (cooperative, sociocratic, multi-stakeholder, etc.) and assess their impact
Impact Analysis and Financial Stewardship
- Assess the double impact of business decisions: both on the Donut (ecological/social indicators) and on cash flow
- Understand how to manage for positive financial balance without maximizing surplus-aligning purpose and performance
Teamwork, Role Play and Communication
- Strengthen collaborative decision-making through role-based gameplay (strategist, observer, guardian)
- Improve your capacity to defend and communicate decisions under time pressure and uncertainty
Adaptability and Resilience under Disruption
- Learn to adapt strategies in response to external shocks (flooding, climate risk, reputational crises)
- Develop resilience capabilities by iterating and rebalancing decisions throughout the simulation
Prerequisite knowledge and skills
Life Cycle Assessment & Ecodesign
Bachelor level scientific background.
Sustainable Business Models : a Serious Game
This course is part of the competency development pathway in sustainability organized by HEC Liège. It follows the completion of a thematic course and provides a space to apply acquired knowledge in a practical, immersive setting.
During the first block of the master's program, students are required to choose and complete one of the following thematic courses, all of which are taught concurrently:
- Sustainable Finance - Ethics and Sustainability in Finance
- Reporting and Metrics for Sustainability - Sustainability Reporting and Strategy
- Life Cycle Management - Life Cycle Assessment and Ecodesign
Planned learning activities and teaching methods
Life Cycle Assessment & Ecodesign
The course is based on 'ex-cathedra' lectures, software demo sessions, personal searches.
Sustainable Business Models : a Serious Game
The course includes a serious game designed to simulate the challenges of transforming a company's business model toward sustainability. The simulation is played live, in teams of 3 students, over a single 3 to 4-hour session.
Each student plays a distinct role (e.g., controller, observer, guardian) and accesses role-specific resources via an interactive digital interface.
Throughout the game, students are invited to:
- Explore multimedia content (videos, avatars, documents)
- Complete individual and team-based quizzes
- Make decisions individually and collectively across a series of missions and crisis scenarios
Mode of delivery (face to face, distance learning, hybrid learning)
Life Cycle Assessment & Ecodesign
Face-to-face course
Further information:
Face-to-face lectures. Some lessons will be recorded if needed.
Sustainable Business Models : a Serious Game
Blended learning
Further information:
The serious game is currently (september 25) in version 2 (V2) development.
It is played live, in person, during a single 3 to 4-hour session, using a dedicated digital interface.
Students participate in teams of 3, each with a specific role.
The game unfolds in real time, blending interactive decision-making, resource exploration, and team collaboration, all supported by a dynamic and gamified interface.
Course materials and recommended or required readings
Life Cycle Assessment & Ecodesign
Platform(s) used for course materials:
- eCampus
- LOL@
Further information:
Slides used during the lectures may be downloaded from eCampus and Lol@.
Life Cycle Assessment & Ecodesign
Exam(s) in session
Any session
- In-person
written exam ( multiple-choice questionnaire )
Further information:
Based on multiple choice questions (choice between 4 answers, +1 if correct answer, 0 if omission, -0.33 if wrong answer).
Sustainable Business Models : a Serious Game
Other : Simulation integrated assessment
Further information:
Assessment for this course is based on multiple components linked to the serious game experience:
- Active engagement during the simulation
- Completion of missions and individual/team activities
- Sustainability performance, measured through team results (Donut positioning, financial balance)
- Teamwork and collaboration, including a peer evaluation
- Part A (15 points): the thematic course selected in block 1 (e.g., Sustainable Finance, Reporting, or Life Cycle Management)
- Part B (5 points): the serious game "Sustainable Business Models"
Work placement(s)
Organisational remarks and main changes to the course
Life Cycle Assessment & Ecodesign
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Sustainable Business Models : a Serious Game
Students will be informed of the detailed arrangements a few weeks before the serious game takes place.
A remote information session is scheduled to explain the practicalities of the simulation: March 30, 2026 18:00-19:00 (online)
The serious game itself will be played in-person, during one of three available 3-hour sessions:
- April 15, 2026
- April 17, 2026
- May 6, 2026
Students must choose and register for ONE of the three simulation sessions.
Contacts
Life Cycle Assessment & Ecodesign
Prof. Angélique LEONARD
A.Leonard@uliege.be
Dpt of Chemical Engineering
PEPs - Products, Environment, Processes
Quartier Agora
Institut de Physique, B5a, Room 1/51 and 1/53
Dr. Andrea Di Maria
Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech - Université de Liège
TERRA Teaching and Research Centre : Biosystems Dynamics and Exchanges
Avenue de la Faculté d'Agronomie 8
5030 Gembloux, Belgium
andrea.dimaria@uliege.be
Sustainable Business Models : a Serious Game
Professor Virginie Xhauflair, v.xhauflair@uliege.be
Teaching Assistant : Youssra El Midaoui, Youssra.ElMidaoui@uliege.be
For any organizational or practical questions related to the serious game, please contact Youssra El Midaoui and include "ChocoMission" in the subject line of your email.