Research Centre - #ESCPSTAR
ESCPSTAR
Centre for Sustainability Transformation & Applied Research
We envision a world in which companies can transform sustainably.
At ESCP STAR, we build ecosystems and create bridges between academia and business, bringing academic work to practitioners and vice versa, resulting in a platform for knowledge transfer, continuous learning and community engagement.
Anastasia ShevchenkoDevelopment Director
With ESCP STAR, we aim at a research- and education-based transformation of purpose of organisations. Sustainability is not a tool to solve business challenges. Business is the tool to solve Sustainability challenges.
Prof. Dr. Florian Lüdeke-FreundCo-Founder & Academic Director
ESCPSTAR
Centre for Sustainability Transformation & Applied Research
As we live in a rapidly-changing and dynamic world, where technological progress and cultural shifts present both significant opportunities and serious challenges, organisations find it difficult to keep up. Being at the spotlight of economic and political activity, businesses feel the pressure coming from all sides: complex regulatory environment, proactive social movements, expanding international competition, changing expectations of new generation of workers and consumers.
We at the ESCP STAR understand the difficulty organisations face when trying to navigate these complexities. Building on more than 200 years of leading business education, we find ourselves in a perfect position to offer support, guidance, and provide orientation in this vast and dynamic field of sustainability transformation in business. Knowing that at the core of any cultural transformation are people, we cultivate and empower individuals from a variety of backgrounds and at all levels of organisations to apply their passion, insights, skills and gifts towards solving social and environmental challenges of today. Guided by cutting-edge research, validated scientific work, innovative teaching methods and outstanding examples of initiatives from the field, we design, teach, train, immerse, inspire, connect and collaborate, continuously expanding our global sustainability transformation network.
We cordially invite you to join us in our mission if you share our values and feel the call of our commitment. Get in touch with us right now to see how we can combine our forces in co-creating sustainable business transformation side by side.
Vision & Mission
Vision
A world in which companies can transform sustainably.
Mission
STAR creates an environment in which organisations and individuals get inspired, learn, and exchange about sustainable business model transformations.
Meet the ESCP STAR! from Anastasia Shevchenko on Vimeo.
Keep up with ESCP star news
Featured Programmes
Our Partners
Originally funded by:
Other partners:
Main focus areas
Sustainable transformation is enabled via improved sustainability literacy
By synthesizing and curating available research on sustainability mindsets, sustainability transitions, and sustainable business models, further translating it into digestible formats, the ESCP STAR aims to improve the sustainability literacy of its main target audiences (managers, entrepreneurs, policy-makers, consultants, and students).
These activities include:
- Developing, funding, and sponsoring flagship studies on sustainable business model transformation, such as a study we recently did in partnership with the Bertelsmann Foundation
- Curating and presenting top-notch sustainability research for practitioners and professionals, in the form of videos, infographics, whitepapers, one-pagers, small reports and case studies
- Organising and contributing to conferences and symposiums, joining forces together with other researchers, institutions, collaborators, partners, government bodies, think-tanks and nonprofit organisations
- Setting up fellow and residence programs in collaboration with partner institutions and organisations
Sustainability transformation can only be achieved through proper education
To accelerate sustainability transformation, ESCP STAR focuses on developing holistic learning approaches that empower inspired changemakers with head, heart and hand. We aspire to close the knowledge gap and equip organisations with the right skills and mindsets by training, coaching and mentoring their change captains.
These activities include:
- “Sustainability Transformation Mindsets” course that we hope to deliver by Summer 2025
- Creating and continuously improving Executive Education and Training for Managers
- Developing of engaging and experiential educational formats, where sustainable business ideals and practices are taught in class and in the field
- Organising and contributing to workshops and immersions in which students and professionals dive deeper into highly specialized and customized topics of interest
- Offering student-led Company Consultancy Projects (CCPs) to organisations dedicated to finding solutions to sustainability challenges
Sustainability transformation is driven by people
The ESCP STAR fosters interpersonal connections through recurring events, accelerating knowledge sharing and stimulating co-creative formats with people from business, academia, government and future talent.
These activities include:
- Initiating and partaking in roundtables and discussions with partnering companies and politicians contributing to exchange, dialogue, synergies, and collaborations
- Creating and sponsoring thematic hackathons to solve sustainability challenges of partner companies through students’ creativity and innovative thinking
- Organising annual conferences such as ESCP’s SDG conference or the New Business Models Conference
OUR Past Activities
3rd Symposium
STAR CENTRE EVENT · 01/07/2024
A joint symposium between UNEP and ESCP Business School looked into the newest trends and developments around the topic of teaching and curriculum development in Sustainability Entrepreneurship.
3rd ESCP-UNEP Symposium
Governance and centre management
ESCP STAR Advisory Board Members
Alexis Figeac
Sustainability Investors LLP
Anke Weidling
Egon Zehnder
Axel Bachmann
Ex Coca-Cola
Daniel Perzweig
Gowling WLG
Ioannis Hatzopoulos
Procter & Gamble
Jan Ehlers
Kuehne Logistics University
Joe Miemczyk
ESCP Business School
Klaus Kunz
Ephrin
Maureen Müller
Chamaeleon Reisen
Martin Rebs
Nortal AG
Peter Mockler
Ex Bearing Point
Sven Scheid
ESCP Business School
Thomas Schmitz
ESCP Business School
Student Engagement
Participate in a ESCP STAR development project in small teams
In the frames of the ongoing partnership with the Light House, ESCP students can work on specific ESCP STAR development projects for a durations of a couple of months.
Example of activities:
- Developing a comprehensive market research and marketing strategy for the "Sustainability Transformation Mindsets" course
- Developing an institutional fundraising strategy for ESCP STAR
- Identifying governmental institutions and foundations who could support ESCP STAR's mission or specific projects
- Identifying potential sponsors who could support ESCP STAR's activities
Gain working experience at the ESCP STAR by doing your 6 weeks internship
To take your sustainability commitments to a whole new level while gaining valuable experience, developing new skills, and growing your sustainability network.
Example of activities:
- 6 week internship of ESCP BIM graduate Maria Raviolo
Drive sustainability transformation as a part of your CCP project
As an ESCP Student in a specialised master programme, you have a unique chance to work on a ESCP STAR CCP.
Example of activities:
- In December 2023-January 2024, a group of 5 students from two of ESCP's specialised master programs in Sustainability delivered an ESCP STAR CCP
- In the frames of the CCP, the student group came up with a fundraising strategy and organised an event with ESCP professors, sustainability managers and consultants
- The resulting event named "Catalyst for Sustainability", was a great success and saw 50 participants on ESCP Berlin campus