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HEC Paris Sustainability & Organizations Center

Established in 2009 as a pioneering entity within HEC Paris, the Sustainability & Organizations (S&O) Center advances a just and sustainable transition. Its mission is to empower leaders and future leaders to shape a new economy that benefits the planet and the social cohesion of our societies.

The Sustainability & Organizations Center (S&O) is an interdisciplinary hub that explores how organizations can drive a fair, low-carbon and purpose-led economy. Bringing together researchers, practitioners, students and partners, S&O produces science-based insights to rethink the role of business in society and to foster models where economic value is responsibly created and shared.

Its thematic laboratories and exploratory initiatives address interrelated issues such as: climate adaptation and resilience, social cohesion and trust, geopolitics and international law, climate change and migration, as well as issues related to longevity, aging well and silver economy.

They all combine cutting-edge research, critical inquiry and multi-stakeholder dialogue to understand systemic risks, measure what is often considered “unmeasurable,” and design actionable solutions at scale. Alongside our flagship Master in Sustainability and Social Innovation (SASI), more than 200 hours of sustainability courses are integrated into the Grande École program, and over 2,400 students have completed the experiential Parcours Engagement.

The Center also drives experimentation through the Impact Lab, launched with the support of Schneider Electric, where academics and organizations jointly test innovations that align business decisions with social and planetary well-being. By uniting rigorous research, transformative pedagogy and practical action, S&O advances the reinvention of business for a more inclusive and sustainable world.

Read S&O Activity report

Last Articles

Are Today’s Leaders Suffering an Imagination Deficit?

Rob Hopkins challenges the mindset of modern governance, urging leaders to treat imagination not as luxury, but as a public good. 

7 minutes
HEC Paris Sustainability & Organizations Center

Pascal Jauffret: "We Want to Augment People with AI, Not Replace Them"

1 minute
HEC Paris Sustainability & Organizations Center

Barbara Martin Coppola: When Purpose Becomes Business Strategy

1 minute
HEC Paris Sustainability & Organizations Center

Gwenaëlle Avice Huet: Six Lessons for Building a Meaningful Career

1 minute
HEC Paris Sustainability & Organizations Center

Why Must Economics Rethink the Firm Around Purpose?

At HEC Paris Purpose Day, LSE professor Tim Besley proposes a new framework for understanding firms beyond profit, efficiency, and productivity, one that could deliver both business and societal gains. 
 

4 minutes
HEC Paris Sustainability & Organizations Center

“Exceptional” floods: what if the real scandal was our lack of preparedness?

Recent floods in France reveal a double reality: a climate that is intensifying storms, and a society that continues to behave as if all this were still accidental.

3 minutes
HEC Paris Sustainability & Organizations Center

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