Linking Ecological and Social Transition: The Commitments of the ESC Clermont BS

A change of Name, a Symbol of Commitment

In April 2023, the Corporate Social Responsibility Department will become the Socio-Ecological Transition Department. Why is this? Because today, all companies, whether committed or not, have a social and societal responsibility (even if it means just paying salaries and providing compulsory mutual insurance) and because the term ‘CSR’, often misinterpreted, is only a weak reflection of the dynamism in which the school wishes to place its approach.

The ESC Clermont BS’s strong commitment to contributing to a better world, is a key objective of the school’s REVEAL 22-27 strategic plan and the CSR and TSE department headed by Robin Jund, is working on a range of projects to achieve a sustainable transition. For several months now, the School has been engaged in a process of continuous improvement of its activities, taking into account clearly identified social and societal aspects.

We have already initiated a transition towards ecological neutrality (reduction of our GHG emissions and our overall environmental impact: biodiversity, food, energy sobriety, etc.) and we are working on the analysis and consideration of the social and societal impacts that this transition will entail modification of working conditions, modification of jobs, consideration of student/staff difficulties, QWL, etc.

The Main Objectives of the School’s Socio-ecological Transition Policy

The long-term objective of the ESC Clermont BS socio-ecological transition policy is clear:

 TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE EMERGENCE OF A SOCIETY THAT RESPECTS ALL LIVING BEINGS AND ADPOT MEASURES TO ENSURE A LIVABLE WORLD FOR THE FUTURE 

To reach this objective, the School will progressively deploy new measures and prioritise its measures according to the results of action plans and audits (DD&RS, Bilan Carbone initially).

Examples of concrete actions:

Since the beginning of 2023, 12 colleagues from the School have been training to carry out the carbon assessment. The objective is to be able to conduct the carbon assessment internally, establish a low-carbon trajectory for the ESC Clermont Business School and then to continue to monitor and readjust these emissions each year in an autonomous and agile way. In the medium term, the school also plans to support its partners in carrying out their own assessment. In April, ESC Clermont BS joined the region’s company climate consortium « Convention des Entreprises pour le Climat (CEC) du Massif Central ». Throughout the coming year, it will work together with 60 companies in the region to establish a concrete action plan by the end of 2024/beginning of 2025 to become, by 2030, a regenerative company (i.e. a company capable of absorbing more GHG than it emits).

Without Social Transition, There Will be No Ecological Transition

Today’s students will be the actors of change for tomorrow. Once they graduate, they will be employees, executives, managers, entrepreneurs, and decision-makers! For the ESC Clermont Business School, it is therefore fundamental to include respect for others, whoever they may be, and respect for all living beings, throughout the school’s curriculum.

One of the missions of ESC Clermont Business School is to develop empathy (caring for others and wanting to protect their future) but also to raise students’ awareness of the social and societal transformations implied by the ecological transformations which are already underway. The final objective is to equip them to identify the right levers for action and to make the most appropriate decisions in tomorrow’s world. For this reason, a working group on “SDRS in education”, made up mainly of teachers from the School, began working on the subject in March.