The Greenprint: Sustainability Spotlight at ESCP’s Berlin Campus

As co-leader of the Green Office in Berlin, Jessica Breaugh supports initiatives across the Berlin campus and helps guide the ideas and projects developed by fellow Green Office members. Balancing her faculty role as Senior Lecturer in CSR and Business Ethics with her work across campus, she brings perspectives, expertise, and networks from throughout the ESCP community. Her goal is to bring people and departments together to strengthen collaboration and build on the energy, ideas, and commitment to sustainability that already exist across the community, leveraging both the knowledge and passion at ESCP.

The Local Lens

The sustainability identity of ESCP Berlin Campus is closely connected to the city around it. Climate technology, social entrepreneurship and impact-driven organisations form part of Berlin’s local ecosystem, giving students opportunities to explore sustainability beyond the classroom through start-ups, NGOs and companies across the city.

At ESCP Berlin Campus, sustainability is one of three academic key areas, alongside entrepreneurship and digitalisation. It is explored through courses including Sustainable Finance and CSR and Business Ethics, and forms the focus of the MSc in International Sustainability Management, taught between Berlin and Paris. Research is led by the Chairs of Corporate Sustainability and Environment and Economics.

The campus also has its own Sustainability Advisory Board, which helps grow the sustainable business community at ESCP Berlin and advance the field in Europe. The campus’ annual Impact Fair also connects students with organisations working at the intersection of business, sustainability and social impact. ESCP Berlin was also among the early business-school members of HOCHN, a German network of universities working with the Sustainable Development Goals.

Sustainability is also reflected in how the campus operates. The Green Office has worked on calculating the carbon footprint of staff travel and developing guidelines for sustainable events and catering. The campus published its first Sustainability Report in 2022. Smaller changes, including clearer waste separation and initiatives to improve air quality, also make sustainability visible in everyday campus life.

Engaging with the ESCP Community

Students, faculty, and staff contribute to sustainability in different ways across the Berlin Campus.

Faculty integrate sustainability into coursework, while the Green Office has run workshops with Bachelor in Management students and professors to bring social and environmental topics into existing courses. Students participate in events and initiatives and increasingly explore sustainability-focused employers and career paths.

One of the most active student contributors is GEA. Its members promote sustainability throughout the year and helped organise the campus’ first Green Hackathon. More than 50 students took part, working in teams to develop ideas for more sustainable supply chains, with a focus on the circular economy.

Supported by industry mentors and entrepreneurs, the teams presented their ideas to a jury of sustainability experts. The winning team received tickets to ChangeNOW. Other student groups, including oikos Berlin, are also advocating for a stronger role for sustainability in higher education across the city.