Caring for the Environment
Each responsible citizen, and in particular managers and organizational leaders, must deploy all the necessary forces, knowledge and creativity in order to preserve and improve the ecological heritage that mankind has been entrusted. It has become a pressing matter to develop business logics where sustainability and the ecological cycles of using for reusing are leitmotivs.
Students and Alumni of the i-MBA regularly participate in events for promoting environmentally friendly initiatives, both as individuals and as representatives for the university of for their companies. Students and alumni are urged to act as role models and ambassadors for sustainable business, eco innovation and a transition towards a cyclical economy.
Undertaking Recycling
Supported by AUEB, an important internal initiative in the MBA Program and the entire University is the organization of recycling process of the consumables used within its walls. Recycling in Greece is still catching up compared to most Western countries, and therefore it is of particularly strong importance not only to encourage recycling activities, but also ensure that effective processes are being developed.
Sustainable and Social Entrepreneurship
From its strong orientation towards entrepreneurship and new business development, several start-ups around sustainable and social entrepreneurship ideas have been launched by students and supported throughout our dedicated entrepreneurship curricula and our collaboration with ACE-in, AUEB’s start-up incubator. Examples include Biocidetec / Sam Loves Betty a company developing natural insecticides, Bloode an online service where anyone can promote and satisfy real time, ongoing calls for blood, in order to save patients who need blood transfusion, and SOFFA, the Social Fashion Factory, which, among other things, offers an open source online and offline sustainable textile marketplace fighting for the protection of the environment.
Spreading the Word about CSR
In terms of relations with the wider community, i-MBA partners with several organizations in order to promote, develop and implement specific actions and spread awareness about responsible and sustainable business conduct. These include the Hellenic Network for Corporate Social Responsibility, the Global Compact Network Hellas, CSE (the Center for Sustainability and Excellence), and Global Sustain. Furthermore, our Alumni Association actively pursues dissemination and support efforts in the companies and organizations where Alumni hold positions. A few examples of recent activities and events follow:
- 4th Annual Sustainability Summit: Sustainability: Innovation for Sustainability – Business leaders discussing how to embed innovative practices into the corporate sustainability strategy, March 20, 2019
- 4th issue of i-MBA Newsletter ‘i-MBA Scope’: Sustainability and Environmental sensitivity of Businesses, October 2018
- 7th Energy and Sustainability Conference: Innovation & Investments towards a Sustainable Energy Transition, April 25, 2018
- 3rd Annual Sustainability Summit: Sustainability: The UN Sustainable Development Goals: Drivers for Corporate Change and Entrepreneurial Growth Now and in the Future, March 21, 2018
- 6th Energy and Sustainability Conference: Energy – Investments – Technology: Seeking a new growth model, April 27, 2017
- 2nd Annual Sustainability Summit: Sustainability: The New Business Enabler, March 15, 2017
- 5th Energy and Sustainability Conference: Energy, Growth and Sustainable Development: Opportunities vs. Country Risk, on Thursday, April 21, 2016
- 1st Annual Sustainability Summit: Τhe Role of the Sustainability Professional in the Current Economic Environment, Challenges & Opportunities, March 17, 2016
- Invited lecture Kelly Vlahakis-Hanks, President & CEO of Earth Friendly Products: From Crete to Chicago to the World: Branding and Marketing Earth Friendly Products in Global Retail Markets, November 26, 2015