CSR at ESCI-UPF

ESCI-UPF has always been firmly committed to sustainability and has followed a process of continuous improvement and progress from day one. The results of this approach can be seen in the school’s organisation, its education, training and research programmes and its endeavour to forge ties, raise awareness and transfer knowledge to society.

Article 1c of its statutes defines one of its main purposes to be international training and research in the field of sustainability and environmental management.

The team

ESCI-UPF set up a CSR Department in October 2016 to work with management to define policies and take measures in the necessary areas inside the institution itself and in its other spheres of activity, both internally and externally.

The Corporate Social Responsibility Department is made up of:

Sustainability Reports

Starting in the 2015/2016 academic year, ESCI-UPF has regularly drawn up a series of Sustainability Reports, in accordance with a number of initiatives ESCI-UPF has signed up to:

• Principles for Responsible Management Education (PRME)
  By signing up to this initiative, ESCI-UPF undertakes to disclose its policies, actions and implemented principles and publish them in a Sharing Information on Progress (SIP) report.
• Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
  GRI standards represent global best practice for publicly reporting on an organisation’s economic, environmental and social impact. By using these standards, an organisation can draw up sustainability reports disclosing information on its positive and negative impacts and its progress in the field of sustainable development.
• United Nations Global Compact
  As a member of the Spanish network of the UN Global Compact, ESCI-UPF follows the guidelines set out in A Practical Guide to the United Nations Global Compact for Higher Education Institutions to draw up its sustainability reports.
• Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
  ESCI-UPF has committed itself to the SDGs set out in the Catalan Government’s Agenda 2030. Its next sustainability report will be based on Agenda 2030 goals and commitments to help ensure that ESCI-UPF plays a direct role in meeting the SDGs.

Sustainability Reports

• ESCI-UPF Sustainability Report 2019-2021 (Catalan version)
• ESCI-UPF Sustainability Report 2018-2019 (Catalan version)
• ESCI-UPF Sustainability Report 2016-2017 (Catalan version)
• ESCI-UPF Sustainability Report 2015-2016 (Catalan version)

Commitments in the Field of CSR

• With reference to the institution itself, management, actions and operations at the school are carried out within an ethical framework. This scope encompasses all aspects related to human, workplace and environmental rights and good governance at the school.
• With reference to fostering and passing on CSR values to all students, both personally and in terms of organisational management, the school’s curriculum includes subjects and activities covering all these aspects, which are updated to take account of new international environments and challenges.
• With reference to research, all aspects of research in the field of sustainability are worked on and promoted by means of specialist Chairs, research groups and Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree Final Projects.

• With reference to collaborating with and transferring knowledge to society, both locally and internationally, research findings and expertise are shared at meetings, events and conferences. Further action in this area is carried out by taking part in and supporting CSR-related initiatives in keeping with ESCI-UPF’s activity and objectives.
• With reference to disclosing CSR, ESCI-UPF sets out its policies, objectives and actions in the field of CSR in the form of clear, simple and rigorous Sustainability Reports compiled in accordance with set models and containing all relevant points and aspects.

Code of Ethics

ESCI-UPF carries out all its activities in accordance with, and is bound by, the principles set out in the Universitat Pompeu Fabra Code of Ethics, which came into force on 8 July 2020. These principles include integrity, academic freedom, responsibility, honesty, equality, privacy, confidentiality, respect and sustainability.

Work Areas

Courses

We carry out an extensive programme of courses throughout the year, focused on the following programmes:

• Postgraduate CSR programme in conjunction with the Barcelona School of Management
• Focused programmes
• In-company programmes

Research

Our main lines of research are in the following areas:

• Organisations’ social responsibility in an international context
• Equal opportunities in organisations

Within these lines of work, we offer expert assistance to help carry out any actions our partners may require.