03 Aug 2025
The Geneva-based company Benjie, which specialises in children’s footwear, is the subject of an educational case study written by two researchers from the School of Management Fribourg. The case study was published in the International Journal of Case Studies in Management (IJCSM) by HEC Montréal.
The Geneva-based company Benjie specialises in children’s footwear and focuses on sustainable materials and processes to support the feet of young children and teenagers. The company faces a wide range of challenges in balancing environmental commitments, orthopaedic requirements, comfort and post-COVID logistics.
The use of recycled materials in shoe soles is what caught the attention of the authors, Magali Dubosson, Professor of Marketing, and Laurence Casagrande, Scientific Associate. Their educational case study explores the transition towards a circular economy approach in a complex context shaped by logistical challenges and the post-pandemic economic crisis.
Through this case study, students can explore the challenges involved in developing an SME strategy based on the principles of the circular economy. They can examine supply chain management, which in Benjie’s case includes the return of used footwear — a process that requires the active participation of customers.
Read the Benjie case study
There is a charge for ordering teaching cases. The Benjie case is available in French.