Sustainable development aims to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. It seeks to strike a balance between three essential pillars: economic growth, environmental protection, and social well-being. In today's world, this balance is more vital than ever, as we face pressing challenges such as climate change, resource depletion, and the need for long-term prosperity. Rooted in principles of equity, resource efficiency, and resilience, sustainable development offers a path toward a more just and viable future for all.

Sustainability encompasses three key dimensions:

• Environmental sustainability, which focuses on preserving natural resources and combating climate change;
• Economic sustainability, which promotes responsible growth and reduces inequalities;
• Social sustainability, which ensures human rights, social inclusion, and access to essential services like education and healthcare.  

The United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a global framework to address these challenges, covering areas such as poverty, clean energy, responsible consumption, and climate action. By integrating these dimensions, sustainable development fosters a more just, inclusive, and resilient society. 

For that reason, integrating sustainability into business education is essential. However, this process requires more than theoretical knowledge. It demands real-world exposure and hands-on experience. 

In this edition, we showcase initiatives that equip our students to become agents of change. Through concrete examples, we explore how sustainability challenges can be effectively integrated into teaching practices, empowering future leaders to drive meaningful impact.

At PSB, we bridge this gap through the Junior Consulting Sustainability and CSR trans-disciplinary course, which connects students with corporate partners such as BUT, Datacraft, and the Sustainability & CSR department of PSB. Within this program, students tackle real-world sustainability challenges, from ESG criteria implementation to circular economy strategies and violence and sexual harassment prevention (VSS) policies.   

Through a coaching-based approach spanning six sessions, students work in teams to develop innovative solutions, benefiting from direct interactions with corporate representatives who provide feedback on their initial ideas. The course culminates in a final pitch session, where students present their solutions to a jury of industry professionals and faculty members. By combining experiential learning with professional engagement, this initiative equips future business leaders with the tools to drive meaningful change in sustainability and CSR.

Beyond learning essential sustainability concepts, this experience has significantly enhanced students' awareness of corporate sustainability initiatives. Moreover, this program introduced our students to the fundamental skills of a junior consultants, bridging the gap between academic learning and professional practice. This initiative underscores the importance of experiential learning in fostering future business leaders equipped to drive meaningful change in sustainability and CSR. 

Since its launch 13 years ago, the aim of this module has been to take a contrarian approach to conventional business, enabling students to study business opportunities while putting people and society at the heart of their thinking. They explore the field of Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE), including specific economic models such as the circular economy and the collaborative economy. 

Entrepreneurship is thus used as a pedagogical lever to enhance students' learning experience. 

By placing students in the role of apprentice entrepreneurs, in search of information and training, this module encourages them to have a 360° vision in order to create a coherent and realistic business plan. They work in project mode, and to a large extent using flipped classroom methods,  develop their autonomy and entrepreneurial mindset.

This generation — often described as being in search of meaning —resonates with this form of entrepreneurship, which seeks to positively transform business practices and create value for all stakeholders.

Paris School of Business is pleased to share a selection of useful digital tools that can be incorporated in your lessons. These ressources can help learners grasp the complexity of our world’s ecological and societal transitions, while encouraging them to imagine desirable futures.

 ECOSPHERE VR - IMMERSIVE CLIMATE LEARNING

Ecosphere VR is an interactive virtual reality experience that explores real-world sustainability challenges. In 360° episodes, we can discover how UN-supported communities in Fiji and Colombia build resilience for future generations. Available at the XR Lab PSB, this tool can enrich courses that cover sustainability issues.

 POST-R: A LEARNING JOURNEY TO UNDERSTAND SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGES

Post-R is a multimedia educational platform developed by the Institut des Futurs Souhaitables in collaboration with an international scientific committee and data storytelling experts. It explores today’s most pressing global sustainability issues; including climate change, biodiversity loss, food security, and the depletion of natural resources. It includes 12 thematic narratives and one overarching meta-narrative. They are presented in scenarios and offered in 20-minute, 45-minute, or in-depth formats. It is an ideal resource for courses such as Business Ethics, Leadership, Sustainability, and related subjects.

 THE SUSTAINABILITY COMPASS

At PSB, all programs are designated to help students understand social, environmental and economic challenges. Whether through courses or hands-on projects, students are encouraged to give meaning to their actions and reflect on their impact. In total, 40 courses are dedicated to sustainable development, representing 1,130 hours of face-to-face instruction.

These courses raise students’ awareness of sustainability issues and encourage them to assess the societal and environmental implications of their decisions. Most of these courses are offered as part of specialization tracks. In expert programs, these courses are offered in the third year of Bachelor or in Masters, while in the Programme Grande École they start at the Master level.

Here are some examples of course titles:

Management and Ethical Behavior / Responsible Communication / CSR, Ethics & Sustainable Finance / Societal Evolution of Marketing / Social Responsibility in International Business / Data Management with Business Ethics & Sustainability / Corporate Social Responsibility and Cultural Management / Hospitality and Tourism Law and Ethics / CSR, Health and QWL / CSR in Luxury Industry / Performance Management and CSR.

On February 13, 2025, the Commission for Pedagogical Innovation  organized a training session dedicated to the key question: how can we integrate transition issues into our teaching? 

Hosted by Marine Lejeune, this session helped us to explore the connections between environmental and social transitions and pedagogy. The goal was to equip participants with concrete tools to enhance their courses by developing essential skills in students, such as cooperation, ethics, and systems thinking. 

Through rich exchanges between colleagues, shared experiences and the discovery of practical resources, we reflected on our teaching practices and outlined initial actions to test in the classroom.

Several guiding questions shaped Marine Lejeune's reflection:

• How can we spark students' interest in these issues and help them take ownership?
• How can we support them in overcoming feelings of powerlessness or mistrust toward corporate commitments? 
• How can we create spaces for dialogue and debate around these sensitive topics?
• How can we foster change without provoking resistance?
• And how can we demonstrate, through concrete examples, that economic performance and ecological transition can go hand in hand? 

On March 6, we gathered at the Learning Lab for an engaging, hands-on session focused on implementing the flipped classroom model. This workshop explored key questions that many educators encounter when rethinking their teaching approach:

• How can we better motivate students to take ownership of their learning?
• What tools and strategies make the asynchronous phase more dynamic and engaging?
• How do we structure and monitor student work outside of class?

Organised by the Paris School of Business on March 28, the event brought together teachers, researchers and professionals to discuss intercultural issues in higher education. 

The highlight of the morning was a talk by Michel Sauquet and Philippe Pierre, authors of the Abécédaire de l'interculturel. Through their sensitive and committed approach, they emphasized the importance of identities shift, imaginary worlds and cross-fertilization in the construction of both individual and collective trajectories. Their dynamic presentation invited participants to reflect on the differing perspectives and the tensions between diversity, universalism and contemporary social challenges. 

The afternoon was dedicated to collaborative workshops exploring innovative teaching methods that introduced arts, narratives and stories of international mobility.

The diversity of the participants — from across France and from Belgium and Morocco — enriched the exchanges and demonstrated the growing interest within the educational community in addressing intercultural issues. 

On April 3, the Commission for Pedagogical Innovation held a training session dedicated to designing engaging courses and fostering student involvement.

Led by Sylvain Vacaresse, Founder of Learning Salad, this workshop enabled participants to co-construct a course based on a typical student profile. The session was both creative and practical, equipping our teachers with immediately applicable tools to enhance their teaching practices and design more dynamic, student-centered learning experiences.