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Product cover image for From Local Roots to Global Reach – Navigating Sustainability and Cultural Integrity with Last Forest Enterprises

From Local Roots to Global Reach – Navigating Sustainability and Cultural Integrity with Last Forest Enterprises

Neha Mittal, Theodore L. Hill, Mathew John, Vyas Sreenivas

Product #:W43600
Supplier:Ivey/Temple
Discipline:Entrepreneurship, Sustainability
Setting:India, 2024
Details:Case (PDF) • 14 pages • 2025-09-04

Subjects:

Social entrepreneurshipLeadership and managing peopleEntrepreneurshipManagement

Industries:

Public administration and nonprofits

Geography:

IndiaAsia
Your Price:$9.71

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In January 2024, the co-founder of Keystone Foundation and managing director of Last Forest Enterprises Pvt. Ltd. (LFE), faced a challenge—scaling sustainably while preserving Indigenous traditions and biodiversity. Based in Kotagiri, Tamil Nadu, LFE empowered local communities through eco-friendly livelihoods. As demand for ethical products grew, the leadership aimed to expand while maintaining local control, cultural integrity, and environmental responsibility. Transitioning LFE from a non-profit to a for-profit required balancing financial sustainability with its core mission of providing community support.

Learning Objectives

This case is applicable across undergraduate, graduate, and executive-education level courses, particularly in strategy, social entrepreneurship, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and sustainable business practices classes that explore how businesses can integrate social impact, environmental sustainability, and economic viability. Students can gain the following from this case discussion:
  • Understand regulatory and market barriers affecting Indigenous businesses.
  • Explore cultural identity and biodiversity as business advantages.
  • Examine social enterprise expansion while maintaining sustainability and local control.
  • Apply frameworks like triple bottom line (TBL) and environmental, social, and governance (ESG) to balance profit and social impact.
  • Assess alternative business models for empowering Indigenous communities.
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Case Study: From Local Roots to Global Reach – Navigating Sustainability and Cultural Integrity with Last Forest Enterprises (English version) | Ivey Publishing