IMD Sustainability Report

17

“We are committed to incorporating the values of sustainability across all of our programs, research, operations and activities.”

In-house expertise To drive the further adoption of sustainable practices across the full spectrum of IMD’s operations and activities, IMD in 2018 created a new role, the Head of Sustainability, reporting to the IMD executive team. In collaboration with sustainability champions across the organization, the head of sustainability develops and implements the sustainability strategy; collaborates with faculty on sustainability-related research; programs and publications; engages with sustainability-related organizations; and reports on the organization’s progress.

Our ambition IMD has formalized a strong point of view on the role of business in society.

There is no doubt that over the last decades, our economic system based on increasingly globalized economic activity has contributed to lifting hundreds of millions of human beings out of poverty. Medical advances have also contributed to a remarkable increase in human life expectancy and quality of life. But there is also no doubt that the model on which these developments have been built is no longer sustainable for the planet, and the consequences of this situation for human beings are already becoming increasingly clear. The COVID-19 crisis we are experiencing in the first half of 2020 is another reminder that the world has probably pushed the globalized model just a bit too far. Therefore, in line with IMD’s purpose, policy, and materiality framework, we are committed to incorporating the values of sustainability across all of our programs, research, operations and activities. For example, IMD is institutionalizing and embedding sustainability in its executive education structures through the creation of dedicated research centers, senior faculty positions, and partnerships. This approach is being repeated across the organization’s facilities, operations and culture.

Our ambition, in the years ahead, is to set the standard for business schools in the area of sustainable development, from energy use to diversity and responsible leadership.

IMD marked the anniversary of the adoption of the UN SDGs in 2019, emphasizing the commitment of IMD faculty, staff and participants to contributing to the SDGs.