Environmental commitment
emlyon business school's status as a Mission-driven company demonstrates its commitment to placing environmental responsibility at the core of its priorities. The school makes concrete commitments on these issues by aligning with international climate agreements.
Climate Plan for 2030
emlyon conducted its first carbon assessment across all three scopes in 2021, followed by a second in 2022. The School identified its main emission sources: energy, travel, purchases, and digital technology, and accordingly prioritized actions to reduce its carbon footprint.
The School was audited and supported by Greenly to conduct its carbon assessments and define an ambitious climate action plan, which was rewarded with the Net Zero Contributor certification. Details of emlyon's carbon assessment are available on the ADEME website.
In order to align with the Paris Agreement and combat global warming, emlyon aims to contribute to Net Zero by 2030, by maximizing the reduction of its own emissions and offsetting those that cannot be eliminated. All of the School's stakeholders are engaged in this strategic trajectory.
emlyon has also committed to the European Program "Lyon Carbon Neutral City by 2030" alongside the city of Lyon. This collaboration seals the realization of three major commitments made by emlyon:
strengthen the education and awareness of each student about the challenges of the climate emergency
promote sustainable mobility for students' academic exchanges
enhance the employer's sustainable mobility plan
Energy performance is a major challenge for emlyon business school. All renovations and constructions comply with demanding energy efficiency standards to reduce the School's consumption.
Obtained HQE Excellent and BREEAM Very Good certifications for the Lyon campus, highlighting the environmental quality of its construction.
Abandonment of gas in favor of the urban heating network on the Lyon campus (decarbonized energy)
Installation of 600m² of solar panels on the roof of the Lyon campus
Replacement of air conditioning with a natural cooling system
Energy efficiency and conservation measures for buildings and equipment: automatic shutdown of screens and lights, 100% LED relamping, reduction of heating by 2°C (19°C instead of 21°C), etc.
Campaign to raise awareness about eco-friendly habits
Signing energy performance plans with our service providers, monitored by an energy manager.
Primary energy consumption decreased by 40% between 2022 and 2024.
Through its responsible purchasing policy, the School engages its entire value chain to reduce environmental and social impacts, while promoting ethical practices and respect for human rights.
Signed the "Supplier Relations and Responsible Purchasing" Charter in 2022 and launched a multi-year plan to obtain the label.
20 to 30% of the final score in calls for tenders is attributed to CSR criteria depending on the purchase category.
Supplier scoring survey on their climate and social commitments
Training for all purchase requesters on responsible practices.
Regulation of the purchase of promotional items and goodies, requiring products with high added value, eco-designed and manufactured in France or Europe, from ethical and eco-responsible suppliers.
Increase in the proportion of plant-based food (40% in 2024 with a target of 80% by 2030)
Since internationalization is essential in the journey of students from major management schools, emlyon aims to remain competitive while evolving its practices. Additionally, the School implements initiatives to reduce the carbon footprint of its employees' travel.
Implementation of the sustainable mobility cheques, financial aid for students who choose an environmentally friendly mode of transportation to travel to their academic exchange country.
Strengthening of the travel policy, notably prohibiting air travel and taxis in urban areas when a rail alternative is available under 6 hours.
Launch of the Pro-Cycling Employer Goal Program encouraging employees to use bicycles for their home-to-work journeys through workshops and safety kits.
Three secure bicycle parking areas on the Lyon campus and no parking for cars, with the exception of four spaces for people with reduced mobility.
Digital technology is a sector that is growing exponentially, with high greenhouse gas emissions. It is important for the School to pay particular attention to this by rationalizing its equipment and data storage.
Increased PC lifecycle (minimum 5 years)
Purchase of refurbished IT equipment
Reduction of equipment inventory with donation campaigns to associations
Organization of an annual digital clean-up day to reduce data storage
Awareness-raising for the Digital Department with the Responsible Digital Fresque workshop.
A sustainable learning environment
Green areas and waste management
emlyon business school is committed to preserving biodiversity and reducing its ecological impact. By establishing itself on the former Nexans industrial site in Lyon, the School conducted a vast decontamination and re-greening operation in the neighborhood. Today, one-third of the total surface area of the Lyon campus is dedicated to landscaped spaces, with the planting of 152 trees and the installation of bird shelters. The beehives from the former Écully campus have also been reinstalled on the roof of the Lyon campus.
Furthermore, selective sorting is encouraged with dedicated collection points for batteries, cigarette butts, glass, and toner cartridges. Since the start of the 2024 academic year, disposable cups have been replaced with reusable ones.
In partnership with the startup Cy-Clope, born in its incubator, a cigarette butt recycling system has been implemented.
Awareness days are organized to mobilize students, staff, and service providers around best practices in waste management.
