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Audencia, a Leading School and Pioneer in Sustainability
Founded in 1900 in Nantes, Audencia - formerly ESC Nantes, whose name derives from the Latin "audientia" meaning "to listen" and "audacia" meaning "audacity" - has established itself as one of Europe's leading management schools with its first EQUIS accreditation in 1998. The School has developed a strong expertise in CSR, integrating it into its research, teaching and internal management.
2004
Audencia joins the United Nations initiative
Audencia joins the United Nations initiative that brings together companies, labor and civil society around ten universal principles related to human rights, labor standards and the environment.
The school becomes the 1st management school in France to join the Global Compact.
Since then, Audencia has continued to develop and apply its CSR expertise, integrating it into its research, teaching and internal management.
2007
The only business school in France to participate in the definition of the Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME), a UN-sponsored platform to develop responsible leaders of tomorrow and promote sustainable development.
Today, Audencia is the only French PRME champion recognized by the United Nations.
In 2007, Audencia participated in the definition of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Management (PRME), the equivalent of the Global Compact for business schools. Since then, our school has been committed to respecting these 6 principles in research, teaching and dialogue with stakeholders. In 2013, Audencia became a PRME Champion, committing to work with 30 other business schools around the world to integrate the Sustainable Development Goals at the heart of our research and teaching. Our school is also involved in the France-Benelux chapter of PRME.
2010
Audencia has signed a strategic partnership with WWF France. WWF France supports the school in two ways: by helping it integrate sustainable development into its courses and by improving its environmental policy on campus. This partnership was renewed in 2013 and 2016.
2016
In 2016, Audencia was the first Business School to receive the DD&RS (Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility) label from the Conférence des Grandes Écoles and the Conférence des Présidents d'Université.
2021-2022
The Shift Project and Audencia join forces to improve the integration of ecological issues into management courses!
As part of the "Climatsup Business Project - Training the Stakeholders of Tomorrow's Economy", The Shift Project offers an operational methodology for integrating environmental issues into management courses, developed in partnership with our school and several other institutions. A report to be published in early November 2022 is the result of this collective effort.
2022
Audencia launches Gaïa, the first school in social and ecological transition directly attached to a business school. With the support of Audencia, the Gaïa School offers a radical approach to accelerate the ecological and social transition for individuals, organizations and society.
To meet the challenges we face, Gaïa will:
- Provide training on environmental and social issues that is accessible to the general public
- Offer specialized courses to students in Audencia's initial training programs
- Assist individuals and organizations reinvent the way they produce, work, consume, and live together