Sustainability highlights

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.

ERS vision:

• At LSM, the faculty is deeply committed to integrating ERS across all its activities. This core value is not only something we teach and promote but also something we live and embody. With a strong research-driven approach, we strive to drive meaningful change in academia, the corporate world, and society at large.  
• The faculty’s ambition is to develop responsible, competent, and inspiring entrepreneurial leaders—individuals who are free-thinking, talented, and respectful of others’ abilities; who embody honesty, tolerance, and integrity; and who possess the vision and drive to launch innovative projects, tackle complex challenges with a systemic perspective, and reshape business norms. 
• In 2021, UCLouvain adopted a Sustainability Transition Plan, with LSM playing an active role. This plan aims to embed sustainable development and social responsibility into all programs, foster and support impactful research, and set concrete objectives in areas such as energy, mobility, consumption, investments, food, and biodiversity. UCLouvain has been monitoring and reporting its progress annually to ensure continuous improvement.  

Teaching ERS issues: 

• LSM was one of the first faculties at UCLouvain to integrate the Transition Wheel into its program design and review processes.  
• Pedagogical innovations were made including experiential learning (e.g., helping startups progress towards B Corp certification), narrative learning methodologies, and digital (MOOCs) and hybrid (Circle U. Sustainable Change-makers Programme) content.
• LSM continuously invests in building a faculty with cutting-edge ERS expertise. Between 2022 and 2024, several new professors specializing in sustainability management, energy management, sustainable finance, ERS leadership, green accounting, and corporate governance joined the School, strengthening its capacity to drive meaningful and lasting change.
• Alongside the mandatory CSR course offered in French, English, or Dutch, the main master programmes have incorporated numerous ERS-related enhancements, including new core courses addressing contemporary challenges (uncertainty, the green transition, and digital transformation).
• Back to 2017, the 5 courses Philippe de Woot Major in Corporate Sustainable Management were introduced aiming to develop competent and responsible leaders with a transversal view of the different management fields. Since then, two other ERS-related majors were introduced in 2023-2024 (Energy Management and Finance & Transition).  
• Back to 2022, Professor Amélie Jacquemin plays a key role in the Circle U. “Sustainable Change-makers Programme,” which equips multidisciplinary and international teams of students to become sustainable change-makers. 
• LSM’s life-long learning programs though onsite programs or MOOCs  address societal or market gaps, in various areas such as Human Management, Innovation Management, or still CSR strategy, reporting and communication.  
• Master theses on ERS issues have significantly increased across all majors, with students’ theses regularly earning special recognition such as HERA Awards or Philippe de Woot Award.  

• The annual LSM Cup, initiated and organized by a LSM student enterprise, continues growing as the biggest CSR business game in Europe.