Sustainability

Louvain-La-Neuve, Mons

Ethics, responsibility and sustainability (ERS) are at the core of the School’s mission and strategy, and are reflected in all aspects of its activities.

  • LSM is deeply committed to integrating ethics, social responsibility and sustainability in all its activities. This is a core value which we live, teach and promote, with a very much research-based approach, aiming to drive change in academia, the corporate world, and society.

  • Our ambition is to develop responsible, competent and inspiring entrepreneurial leaders – people who are free, talented and respectful of the talents of others, profoundly honest and tolerant, and also clear-sighted and dynamic personalities. We aim to train entrepreneurs willing to launch innovative projects, solve complex problems by adopting a systemic perspective, and change business norms; ethical leaders who care about people and broader society, willing to undertake cultural change for more ethical and sustainable developments; and statesmen, willing to participate in the design of a new political governance and to contribute to the common good.

  • ERS issues are at the heart of much of our faculty members’ R&D work and of many LSM PhD and master’s theses. We are seeking even more resources for teaching, research, partnerships, and service in this area through fundraising for the new multi-company Philippe de Woot Chair in Corporate Sustainable Management. Our members strongly believe that they cannot succeed in isolation; they must collaborate, with one another and with proactive companies, to develop and participate in the most advanced networks with respect to CSR, entrepreneurship, globally responsible leadership, and sustainable development. LSM is working in partnership with the CEMS network, the signatories of the UN-inspired Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), for which we were part of the launch in November 2017 of the France-Benelux PRME Chapter and report on progress every 2 years, with Globally Responsible Leadership Initiative (GRLI), Mind & Market, Openhub, Yncubator, and The Shift (the Belgian meeting point for sustainability), among other networks.

  • The School participates actively in UCLouvain’s strategy to live the principles of CSR and sustainability in the RIO+20 pledge. We also led Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Barometer for Belgium studies.

  • All master students (Louvain-la-Neuve and Mons campuses) must complete a course on Corporate Social Responsibility.

    • Since 2017, students registered in the CSR class in Louvain-la-Neuve are invited to participate to the Sustainability Literacy Test (Sulitest), an international set of questions and specialized modules of local questions about sustainability and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). With the Sulitest, we can convey an understanding of the role of the SDG as a business enabler. We can open their appetite for the complexity and the huge business opportunities lying ahead of them in that area.
      Sulitest to enhance Sustainable Literacy

    • In 2019-2020, students contributed on the B Corp Live Experience, in collaboration with 17 start-ups and SMEs from diverse industries considering the B Corp certification and willing to have an objective overview of their impacts. In this context, students worked on the B Impact Assessment (BIA) in cooperation with the company, identified areas for improvement, developed concrete and practical recommendations and critically analysed the BIA and B Corp certification. Not only students, but also companies benefit from this action-oriented, experiential CSR learning.
      Successful "B Corp Live Experience”

  • In 2017 we launched the Philippe de Woot Major in Corporate Sustainable Management (brochure and video). It is a multidisciplinary option of 6 courses in our MMS and MBE programmes which aims to develop competent and responsible leaders with a transversal view of the different management fields and offers a solid understanding of the complex dilemmas and the tools to develop agile and responsible organizational cultures and to implement effective compliance, business ethics and corporate sustainable management programmes. It is named in honour of LSM Professor Philippe de Woot, who during 40 years at the School was a precursor of today’s commitment to CSR among the best enterprises and management educators. The major is very popular, including among international students.

  • Through the inter-university Philippe De Woot Award with related corporate partnerships and events, UCLouvain continues work with other universities “to reinforce cooperation between the corporate and the academic world in the CSR field, to enhance an inter-university approach on these matters, and to raise this undertaking to an international level.”

  • The regenerative economy course defines the concept of regenerative economy (as a circular, local, collaborative, functional and bio inspired economy) and based on real-life challenges entrepreneurs are facing, students are asked to "hack" a business model and to propose innovative and sustainable solutions.

  • The specialization in Sourcing and Procurement devotes part of the International Supply Chain Management course to ethical considerations, including a case involving the distribution policy for vaccines.

  • We've developed our courses offer on-line by launching two Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC), “Discovering Corporate Social Responsibility” and “CSR reporting and communication”. By presenting insights from CSR experts, from both academia and practice, these MOOCs provide managers, consumers, and citizens with in-depth insights and critical perspectives on companies’ CSR activities and communications. On average over 3.000 participants from 130 different countries have registered for each of its editions to-date.

  • To help the next generation of leaders develop ethical and sustainable leadership skills, LSM realizes intellectual approaches are insufficient. Emotion and spirituality must be part of the learning process, achieved through discussion and exchanges of experiences that engage the whole person. Experiential, presentational, propositional, and practical ways of learning must be integrated into globally responsible leaders’ curricula. For example, students might confront a disorienting dilemma that combines both global and individual challenges, making the integration of multiple perspectives paramount and multiple stakeholders are part of the process. In such situations, students react not only with their rational abilities but with all of their senses and skills (practical, affective, conceptual, imagination), in a whole person learning approach.

  • The annual LSM Cup, initiated and organized by a student enterprise, continues growing as the biggest CSR business game in Europe. One example of active involvement by the School’s students and faculty in socially positive initiatives also outside the classroom. Among other student-led initiatives, Academics for Development does entrepreneurship projects with social impact, and our students are regularly awarded for or involved into CSR projects (HERA Awards, LSM Conseil can help you become a B Corp).

Sustainability / Focus

SDG Barometer 2020

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) were launched in 2015. In 2018, the Antwerp Management School, the University of Antwerp and UCLouvain took the initiative to develop the first SDG...

Sulitest / Tracking students' sustainability awareness...

For the past 5 years, more than 500 of our students took the Sulitest per year. They say Sulitest impacted positively their knowledge on Sustainable Development and their ability to talk...

"The Solar inspiration to Change" by Dean Per J. Agrell

We witness a growing tendency of polarizing the views of the world into extreme opinions and ideological camps. Where there was a respectful disagreement upon choices and priorities, there is now...

Conference for LSM Alumni / "B-Corp", Sonia Bonus

Aujourd’hui, aucune organisation ne peut raisonnablement espérer grandir sans avoir des objectifs de développement durable (ODD). Faire intervenir toutes les parties prenantes dans la gestion...

"Sustainable innovation and co-creation" by Dean Per J....

Two fallacies often occur after a long crisis like COVID-19. The first is “back to where we started” like nothing happened. The other is the “to continue the new normal” as if the state of...

LSM students and staff teamed-up to raise 5K€ and...

During 6 weeks, LSM students and staff teamed-up to raise 5K€ and support students in difficulty through the TEAMINGUP2021 challenge. Organised with atlasGO, the Student Council...

"The Blue Economy" / A Keynote from Gunter Pauli

Last Spring 2020, our Advisory Council had the chance to welcome Gunter Pauli as a guest speaker to talk about the "The Blue Economy" and ZERI's zero emissions initiatives. Here are few...

The Three Gifts of LSM and the Seeds of Gunter Pauli

The current period is dark, not only due to the season, but to the pandemia and international events that we live. Still, as the author Robert McKee writes: “True character is revealed in the...

Philippe de Woot Award 2020 and Rob Hopkins Keynote

The “Philippe de Woot Award” has been held on 10.11.20, online. It's an initiative of the Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL) supported by many academic partners. It aims to promote...

Philippe de Woot Award 2022 is open for application

You already finished your master thesis or you are about to complete it on a subject related to Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainability in business? Here is a chance for you...

HERA Awards 2021 / Interviews of Sibylle Halloy (jury)...

From 21 to 29.04.21, the Foundation for Future Generations, in partnership with UCLouvain, has been hosting the 9th edition of the HERA Awards for Future Generations online. During a celebration...

Noosa, a sustainable textile brand founded by CEMS...

"Since its inception, Noosa has been marketing maize fibres and yarn for the clothing sector. Quality, vegetable origin and biodegradability are the common threads in their story, in addition to...

Sustainability Business Unit (SBU), a new department in...

LSM Conseil is committed to both the Junior Entreprise and its external environment through a CSR dimension. Already present for a long time, it is taking a new turn with the creation of a new...

Ethics & Compliance / Guest intervention with NewB and...

As part of the Business Ethics and Compliance Management course, more than 100 students from LSM participated on 24.11.20 to an interactive guest lecture with Charles van Doorslaer,...

Assessing sustainability knowledge of our students /...

The course of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) given to Master 1 LSM students came to an end early November. Throughout the course, students have learned about various aspects of CSR...

"L’importance de la formation aux ODD" / Un entretien...

"Les objectifs liés au développement durable rendent indispensable une bonne formation en matière de Responsabilité Sociétale de l’Entreprise (RSE). Valérie Swaen, Professeure en RSE à la Louvain...

Dean Agrell obtains 300,000 grant for energy research

Our Dean, Prof. Per Agrell, is also an avid researcher and permanent member of the Center of Operations Research and Econometrics (CORE) in LIDAM. Frequently publishing on energy network...

B Corp for multinational companies / Entering the debate...

In September, 1st year Master students from LSM learned about the B Corp certification during the Corporate Social Responsibility course. B Corporation is a movement of companies...

Assessing sustainability knowledge of our students /...

In September, 1st year Master students took part to the Sulitest as part of the Corporate Social Responsibility course. The Sulitest provides global and locally relevant tools assessing the...

Prof. Carlos Desmet, jury member of the Awards for Best...

The Institute of Registered Auditors organizes currently the Awards for Best Belgian Sustainability Reports 2020.  During the early days, those Awards were focusing on the best...

Émilie Dekimpe awarded for her Master’s thesis by the...

On 19.10.20, the 27th Social Economy Prize delivered its verdict, rewarding 4 companies from Wallonia and Brussels. This proves that even during a health crisis, it is possible to create...

Optimisation du lavage des gobelets réutilisables de...

L’UCLouvain souhaitait changer le lieu de lavage de ses gobelets pour des raisons économiques et écologiques. L’université a donc fait appel aux services de LSM Conseil en 2019 afin d’analyser...

28-29.10.20 / SDG Forum - Presentation of the SDG...

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) were launched in 2015. In 2018, the Antwerp Management School, the University of Antwerp and UCLouvain took the initiative to develop the first SDG...

Students' commitment to social responsibility becomes...

LSM is deeply committed to integrating ethics, social responsibility and sustainability in all its activities. Students' commitment to nonprofit organisations becomes mandatory for...

"Join the people using management as a force for good!"...

Dear students, partners, colleagues and friends, In your wildest dreams last year, could you have imagined the situation the world has been through this Spring? The delayed reaction of our...

HERA awards / UCLouvain and LSM students rewarded for...

Every year, the Foundation for Future Generations grants the HERA Awards, meant to highlight the excellence of Master’s and PhD theses linked with sustainability issues. This year, 8 works from...

LSM Conseil can help you become a B Corp

Being a B Corp means much more than just being a company that cares about its social and environmental impact. Being a B Corp also means going the extra mile: going further and working actively...

08.05.20 / Corentin Hericher - Thesis defense on...

The Rector of UCLouvain and the Doctoral Commission in Economics and Management Sciences announce that Mr Corentin Hericher will publicly support his dissertation, for the...

Sulitest to enhance Sustainable Literacy

In the frame of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) course, 1st year Master's students took part to the Sulitest at the beginning and at the end of the course during the first semester. The...

Successful "B Corp Live Experience"

In the frame of the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) course, 1st year Master's students in Business Engineering and Management Sciences had the opportunity to learn about the B...

CEMS Magazine / "Pointing the way to a greener economy"

"The CEMS community explores the impact of the UN sustainable development goals (SDGs) on business leadership and the creation of radical new business models. (...) CEMS Social Partner,...

Festival Maintenant! / “B Corp Live Experience”

More than 500 students from the Louvain School of Management took part to the first day of the Festival Maintenant! at the Aula Magna. This event provided the opportunity to launch the “B Corp...

23-25.09.19 / Maintenant! - The festival of...

Maintenant! is the festival of social-ecological transition initiatives. Organised by Terre Ouverte, a collective of citizens and associations, it's the place to contribute to the change of...

LSM Cup 2019 / The biggest CSR business game in Europe

The 8th edition of the LSM Cup took place on 02.03.19. It is the biggest Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Business Game in Europe, organised by LSM Conseil in cooperation...

Philippe de Woot Award 2020

The inter-university “Philippe de Woot Award” is given every two years to promote Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility Master's theses which constitute an original contribution...

Global Strike For Future 15.03.19

This Friday, 15.03.19, climate strikes are being organized all over the world! Join the Fridays For Future movement... ... worldwide ... in Belgium ... in Louvain-la-Neuve Sign the...

Dr. Gunter Pauli speaks on the Blue Economy

LSM and Academics for Development LLN are honoured to invite you to its free conference (in French) by the inventor of the the revolutionary concept "the Blue Economy", Dr Gunter Pauli. Dr Pauli...