emlyon business school is 3rd in the first ranking of the schools addressing ecological issues, published by Les Echos START and ChangeNOw on October 25th, 2021. This new indicator aims at putting forth world-changing schools and universities delivering Masters' degrees, to help students in choosing their training in their search for meaningful careers.

The Les Echos START - ChangeNOW ranking is designed to assess the capacity of each institution to prepare students on how to address the great environmental, social and human issues of our century. It values both the excellence of the teachings and the integration of the transition's issues, two of the backbones of emlyon's strategic plan “2025 Confluences”.

The numerous actions emlyon and its community undertook to train responsible leaders, able to address social and environmental issues, were assessed by Les Echos START and ChangeNOW and were found to be efficient and pertinent.

Amongst which:

  • emlyon initiated an overall review of all courses against the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and with respect to the referential of CSR competences. 100% of MBA courses have already been revised and the SDGs inside strategy applied aims at labeling 100% of the training offer by 2025.
  • The course “Act for climate” was made compulsory to all new students of the Grande Ecole Program.
  • For the past 15 years, the School has developed 2 sets of actions in favor of diversity and equal opportunities in high schools, colleges and preparatory classes, labeled “Cordées de la Réussite” by the Ministry of Education, to avoid students' self-censorship. On the whole, 4,000 college students and 800 students from preparatory classes thus had the opportunity to attend such programs. More than 180 students entered top-8 business schools, including 80 of them, in emlyon.
  • The School has implemented since 2016, the Responsible Commitment track as part of the Grande Ecole Program. As part of their graduation requirements, students must get involved in field missions with social and/or environmental impact. In 2020, over 500 responsible commitments were carried out.
  • More than 40 student associations are involved in impactful projects, and each has a CSR manager on its board.
  • As a Société à Mission, emlyon signed off the Grenoble agreement in May 2021 in favor of the ecological transition of the French institutions in Higher Education and Research.
  • The School renewed its commitment towards the UNs in March 2021, as part of the Global Compact and of the PRME (Principles for Responsible Management Education) as proof of its determination and future orientation (a signatory since 2006).

The ranking of schools and universities for changing the world published by Les Echos START - ChangeNOW comes out just a few days after the results of the Financial Times Executive MBA ranking, in which emlyon is number 1 of the French business schools, and number 4 worldwide on ESG criteria (Environment, Social and Governance).

Isabelle Huault, President of the Executive Board and Dean of emlyon business school

Our commitment unfolds in all dimensions of the School, from programs to research; but also via a policy of social awareness, one of equal opportunities, and in the environmental management of our campuses. It is an honor for us to receive such acknowledgement about our achievements. It reinforces our conviction that it is necessary to train informed professionals able to transform organizations for a society with more solidarity, and respectful of the Planet.

Methodology of the Les Echos START - ChangeNOW ranking

The ranking is based on a questionnaire each institution needs to complete using open-source information from the Great Barometer called Pour un Réveil Ecologique (for an environmental awakening) and Parcours Sup.

The questionnaire aims at evaluating the efforts and approaches carried out by the schools and universities over 6 criteria:

  • Integrating impactful subjects within programs
  • The force of the alumni network in impact-related sectors
  • The strategy and exemplarity of the institution
  • Diversity and equal opportunities
  • The implication of student associations in impactful subjects
  • Academic excellence and employability

48 institutions were surveyed, and questionnaire results were audited by an independent third party, Deloitte Sustainability France.

Press release

About emlyon business school:

Founded in 1872 by the Lyon CCI, emlyon business school has an enrollment of 8,900 students of 121 nationalities over 7 campuses worldwide (Lyon, Shanghai, Saint-Etienne, Casablanca, Paris, Bhubaneswar and Mumbai). emlyon draws on a Faculty of 170 international professors and researchers, and a network of 190 global academic partners, to provide learning tracks of excellence and open to the world. emlyon runs a community of 37,500 alumni spread out in 130 countries. As a Société à Mission since July 2021, emlyon's raison d'être consists in: “providing life-long training and support to meaningful individuals able to transform organizations, for a fairer society, with more solidarity and respect for the planet.” In its early makers pedagogy, action and reflection are closely intertwined. Skill hybridization and social responsibility are at the heart of its training programs, where the best of both socio-economic and academic worlds meet.
www.em-lyon.com

Press contacts:

emlyon business school : Julie Guillot – guillot@em-lyon.com – 06 45 23 23 04

Bluesky PR: Peter Remon - peter@bluesky-pr.com