Since the establishment of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals, Warwick Business School (WBS) has been actively engaged in this area, not only producing practical insights that can help organisations of all sizes transition towards sustainability, but also looking to ‘walk the talk’ through the systematic integration of sustainability within the teaching, research, and operations of the school.

Teaching

WBS adopts a holistic approach to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). While sustainability modules began in 2010, a Working Group on Social & Environmental Sustainability was formed in 2021 to coordinate and accelerate the School’s efforts. Directed by two members of academic staff with appropriate workload buy-out and supported by 45 staff volunteers as well as student representatives, this group has led a programme to build sustainability Link opens in a new windowinto everything the School does, through groups dedicated to teaching, research, and operations.

In WBS, academic teaching staff need to record the number of hours dedicated towards ESD through the internal module approval process, as well as document content included in the module. This encourages all module leaders to consider social and environmental outcomes of the business activities they teach. It also informs course reviews- an internal process to ensure that every course teaches students what they need to know in order to manage businesses sustainably. Following this review, some courses are introducing new core modules dedicated to sustainability, such as Succeeding in a Sustainable Future on the 200-student MSc in Marketing & StrategyLink opens in a new window, and the flagship Masters in ManagementLink opens in a new window’s Profit, Impact & Purpose, which examines how to synergise sustainability goals with financial outcomes. Others are focusing on deeper integration of sustainability into all core modules, embedded with learning objectives, and signalled where appropriate by revised titles, such as the undergraduate programme’s module on Global Business Strategy and Sustainability taken by around 600 students on different degrees.

WBS’s MBA programmes adopt the latter approach, integrating sustainability into each core module from strategy and finance to operations and marketing, taking an average of 20% of the module time. Electives then enable a deeper dive, with an expanded portfolio including Business & Sustainability, Managing Sustainable Energy Transitions, and Creating Sustainable Organisations, as well as modules on diversity, wellbeing and social innovation. Though most students take at least one of these, students can gain a specialism in Social & Environmental Sustainability if they wish. These efforts are recognised by the ranking bodies: for example, the Global Online MBALink opens in a new window is ranked 1^st in the UK by QS University Ranking, and 3^rd in the world by the Financial Times, which increasingly incorporates sustainability criteria into its assessment.

WBS is also dedicated to help students fulfil themselves in purpose-driven careers through teaching, careers provision, and engagement with employers. WBS expose students to employers that value sustainability, ethical behaviour, and equality and diversity through dedicated speaker series such as ‘Embracing Diversity’, a new Sustainability Network connecting alumni and current students, employability events in School, and employer visits.

Student Support and Operations

WBS is acutely aware of the need to ‘walk the talk’ and ensure that its own operations are sustainable. An immediate priority is minimizing the carbon footprint associated with student and staff mobility. This initiative aligns with WBS’s broader objectives, including internationalization and managing staff workloads. For instance, the School has introduced UK-based alternatives to overseas modules, enabling students to access the same curriculum they would receive abroad but locally at The ShardLink opens in a new window or through videolink, with some teaching provided by academic staff from other institutions. WBS is exploring other strategies to reduce long-distance travel, and has developed a carbon model of the flights associated with every course in the school to inform course design decisions, revealing the largest contributors and inspiring brainstorming on how the footprint can be reduced. The School is committed to enhancing transparency about emissions, empowering students to make well-informed decisions.

WBS has actively involved students in various aspects of the School's plans for sustainability, such as reducing opening hours during the week to conserve energy and lower emissions. Through a comprehensive set of measures, WBS is targeting a reduction in their building’s carbon footprint by approximately 17-20% in the upcoming year.

Moving forward, WBS continues to uphold its commitment as a pioneer in sustainability, both within the University of Warwick and the global academic community. The institution acknowledges that the path to sustainability is a continuous one, embracing ongoing improvement, establishing ambitious future objectives, and evaluating its advancements. With a united effort and a common purpose, and by integrating sustainability principles into all aspects of its curriculum, research, and operations, WBS is dedicated to nurturing future leaders who are well-equipped to address the pressing challenges of our time and drive forward the global agenda for a sustainable future.