Raz Godelnik
Associate Professor of Strategic Design and Management
Email
godelnir@newschool.edu
Office Location
Parsons Faculty Hotseat
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Profile
Raz is an Associate Professor of Strategic Design and Management at the School of Design Strategies, where he explores sustainable business models, design for 1.5C lifestyles, and how companies can respond effectively to the climate crisis. His book “Rethinking Corporate Sustainability in the Era of Climate Crisis - A Strategic Design Approach” was published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2021. Currently, Raz serves as the Director of the BBA Strategic Design and Management Program.
Raz teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in innovation, leadership, sustainable design, business models, and strategic design. He is involved in research projects focusing on developing sustainable business models, desiging low-carbon lifestyles, and how companies can move beyond sustainability-as-usual. He also led a collaboration between Parsons students and refugees in Berlin, working together on entrepreneurial initiatives to address refugee needs in cities and refugee camps. Between 2015 and 2018 Raz served as the Co-Director of the graduate program in Strategic Design and Management.
Raz is the co-founder of two green startups (Hemper Jeans and Eco-Libris) and has been writing regularly on issues related to sustainable business, climate change and strategic design. He holds an MBA from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Communication and Economics from the Hebrew University.
Recent Publications
Book (July 2021): Godelnik, R. "Rethinking Corporate Sustainability in the Era of Climate Crisis - A Strategic Design Approach". Palgrave Macmillan.
Book chapter: Raz Godelnik and Jen van der Meer, “Sustainable Business Models in an Entrepreneurial Environment” in Sustainable Business Models: Innovation, Implementation and Success, ed. Annabeth Aagaard (Plagrave MacMillan, 2019), 239–76.
Papers:
Godelnik, R. 2021. "Designers and the Fight against Climate Change: A Design Knowledge Framework for the Age of Climate Crisis." The International Journal of Design Management and Professional Practice 15 (1): 21-42. doi:10.18848/2325-162X/CGP/v15i01/21-42.
Godelnik, R. (2020, May/Aug.). The sharing economy dilemma: the response of incumbent firms to the rise of the sharing economy. International Journal of Innovation - IJI, São Paulo, 8(2), 176-203. https://doi.org/10.5585/iji.v8i2.17391.
Selected articles:
The task we cannot avoid anymore: Design for 1.5C lifestyles, Bootcamp, May 2023
The future of sustainability: Populism or slow demise, Medium, January 2023
The myth of the regenerative business model, Medium, November 2022
Shein is the best thing that happened to the sustainability movement, Medium, September 2022
The biggest sustainability challenge: Creating successful degrowth business models, Medium, August 2022
Performances and Appearances
Latest media appearances/interviews:
Participated in a panel shared on Sustainable Fashion Forum's podcast ("Balancing Profitability and Responsibilit: Navigating the Complexities of Sustainable Fashion"), June 2023.
Interviewed for a New York Times' article on Copenhagen Fashion Week ("Can Fashion Week's Trash Problem Be Solved”), January 2023.
Interviewed for an episode of PwC’s Experience Consulting’s PreWork Walk (“What’s Wrong With Corporate Sustainability”), June 2022.
Interviewed for 42courses podcast (“Raz Godelnik – The Circular Economy”), February 2022.
Interviewed for Climify podcast (“Let’s Write A New Story About Sustainability“), November 2021.
Interviewed for NPR Marketplace on corporate climate plans (“‘Look For Actions’ From Companies, Not Just Green Pledges, Experts Say”), October 2021.
Interviewed on Environmentenlist podcast (“New Narratives For Corporate Sustainability”), October 2021.
Interviewed The Deep Dive podcast (“Sustainability as Usual is Dead”), September 2021.
Interviewed for Fortune on Salesforce’s sustainability efforts (“How Salesforce Wants To Make Its Supply Chain More Sustainable”), June 2021.
Interviewed for Glossy on sustainability in fashion brands (“‘Secret Sustainability’: Fashion Brands are Learning to Master Initiatives Before Marketing Them“), January 2021.
Research Interests
corporate sustainability, climate change, business models, strategic design, circular economy, sharing economy, platform coops, design for low-carbon lifestyles (1.5C lifestyles), degrowth-baseed business models, ESG.