Sustainability

Tackling the climate emergency  

Business schools, through their teaching and research, are making an important contribution to tackling the climate emergency.

Sustainability is a central value for many business schools. 85% of the schools which responded to our latest Annual Membership Survey include references to sustainability in their publicly articulated values or mission statement. 100% of responding schools embedded some degree of sustainability within their core activity and ideas.

Teaching is the area in which sustainability is most embedded, with 32% reporting that it is completely embedded. For research, the proportion stating that it is completely embedded is lower (19%). For internal operations, a small minority of schools reported that sustainability is completely embedded.

The 2022 and 2023 editions of our Annual Membership Survey found that a business school's sustainability strategy is usually set by its university, with 23% reporting that the strategy is set by the school itself. 83% of respondents to our 2023 Annual Membership Survey reported that their school has a sustainability strategy in place, and 54% reported they have sustainability policies relating to staff travel.

Chartered ABS analysis on the REF 2021 impact case studies submitted by business schools found that 27 case studies were on the theme of sustainability as a theme. These case studies impacted a broad range of stakeholders, including those in business and political spheres.

Business schools and the public good 

Our Taskforce report on 'Business schools and the public good' highlighted that the sector has a responsibility to recognise that education, society, the environment, and organisations of all kinds, including businesses, are inextricably linked; and that business schools must continue to support companies and others in progressing debate about sustainability in practice.