To further underline its commitment to sustainable development, one of its three core values, at the end of 2023 EM Strasbourg signed the CANIE agreement, which addresses the urgency of climate action in international higher education. It is the first French business school to sign the agreement.
A concrete commitment to climate protection
CANIE is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2020 by higher education professionals from around the world who recognize the need for commitment and action on climate. One of the founding members of the CANIE organization is Kevin Mac Gabhann, Director of International Relations at EM Strasbourg. He spearheaded the project to sign the agreement in November 2023, making EM Strasbourg the first French business school to sign, demonstrating its commitment to the climate emergency. He shares, “We are proud to be one of the founding members of this organization. Through the signing of the CANIE agreement, EM Strasbourg Business School benefits from a comprehensive framework and a guide to best practices, which constitute an excellent guideline for our school. This is totally in line with our core values: to continue to make progress in taking climate action into account in international higher education.”
First actions to reduce CO2 emissions
Among its 18 commitments, EM Strasbourg has already implemented concrete actions for the year 2024:
- Creation of a travel policy within the research centers, with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2050, in particular by prohibiting the use of planes for alternative train journeys of less than six hours and by not allowing multiple researcher to attend the same conference for the same contribution.
- Introduction of the Green Mobility contest, which promotes low-carbon mobility for study-related purposes by encouraging students to document their train/bus journeys in order to inspire others to do likewise. €2,500 is awarded to each contest winner, with the aim of promoting low-carbon student mobility and changing travel attitudes, all while reducing budgetary barriers to mobility.