SUSTAINABILITY
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he Social Class Project (SCP) is a core experiential element embedded across the Mannheim Business School’s flagship MBA, executive MBA and portfolio of master’s programmes. Designed to strengthen participants’ sense of social responsibility
of trees planted annually was around 300. However, this figure reached 1,000 for the first time in 2025 – an achievement that was greatly aided by a Mannheim Business School Social Class Project and the efforts of the school’s full-time MBA class of 2023. As part of the 1,000 Trees Project, students identified 1,443 new tree locations across Mannheim. Given the challenges that arise in relation to urban planning and construction in public spaces, this was a substantial contribution. “When identifying suitable locations, the greatest challenge is the dense urban development,” explains Tobias Gauer from the City of Mannheim’s Stadtraumservice (urban space service), who served as the students’ main contact during the project. One of the SCP’s most time-consuming tasks, therefore, was preparing the digital data to identify suitable locations. Fortunately, however, participating students came from a wide range of professional backgrounds and several possessed strong IT skills. “The most significant conflicts typically arise from existing underground utilities. While those can often be rerouted, this comes at a significant cost. In addition, numerous municipal departments need to be involved in the planning process,” Gauer adds, highlighting the importance of regular dialogue. A process of analysis & consultation Mannheim MBA graduate Sonja Wessels was part of the team responsible for overseeing the project. “To achieve our objectives, we stayed closely aligned with the planning and construction department of the City of Mannheim and conducted regular meetings with key stakeholders,” she advises. From this, the team learned that the city had already reached the planning phase in four of its 17 districts, enabling the cohort to focus their attention on six districts from the remaining 13. In the project’s first phase, students developed a set of guidelines for analysing areas and identifying suitable tree locations. They then created an initial overview of the six districts selected by combining data from street maps and other sources, such as infrastructure relating to electricity, gas, telecommunications and water pipes. Based on this overview, potential tree locations were identified in each district. Small teams of students then visited each site in person, where they conducted an onsite assessment, measured the area and documented the surroundings to complete a standardised template. They also indicated how many trees – and of which variety – could be planted at each location.
while fostering meaningful community engagement, the SCP has been integral to the school’s educational philosophy since 2007. These non-graded projects also encourage participants to collaborate, design and implement impactful humanitarian, social educational and environmental initiatives within the Rhein Neckar region and beyond. In addition, managing real projects from concept to execution enables students to develop practical project management skills and cultivates class cohesion. Contributing to the community, meanwhile, allows them to experience the impact of giving back, with more than half a million Euros raised across approximately 170 projects as of March 2026. These include supporting the operational needs of a food bank, raising awareness around the challenges faced by people with special needs, or providing solar energy for low-income families and small businesses in Lebanon. Each project also includes hands-on volunteering work, such as organising and taking part in a charity run, helping to modernise a specialised residential facility by painting walls or planting flower beds, or collecting litter on the banks of Mannheim’s rivers. “Students always take the lead in our Social Class Projects, while we provide support,” shares Mannheim Business School programme assistant Luis Herrmann. “What I find particularly inspiring is the wide range of creative ideas that emerge during the project ideation phase.” Herrmann further elaborates on a recent SCP that achieved international recognition when it was shortlisted for this year’s AMBA & BGA Excellence Awards. “I was delighted when the full-time MBA class of 2023 shared their first proposal for the 1,000 Trees Project, because I immediately felt that this initiative could create substantial value for our city.” The 1,000 Trees Project To make the city more attractive to residents, while also taking action against climate change and urban overheating, the City of Mannheim is planting hundreds of trees each year. Until 2019, the number
Business Impact • ISSUE 3 • 2026
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