Sustainability is at the core of HSG’s strategy, vision, and mission as well as all its activities. Sustainability principles and topics have played an important role at HSG for a very long time and are broadly anchored into its governance structures.
We envision a University of St. Gallen where sustainability is deeply embedded in all aspects of university life. In doing so, we aim to contribute to solving grand sustainability challenges of our time, such as climate change, biodiversity loss and social inequality. This mission guides our actions in transforming HSG towards sustainability.
Integrative thought and responsible action are key elements of the University’s vision. Sustainability is also a core component and overarching area of the HSG Strategy 2025. With its sustainability strategy, HSG aims to embed sustainability in all its core areas of activity, namely teaching (all degree levels), research, as well as campus & outreach. We regularly reflect and discuss the impacts and directions of our goals with internal and external stakeholders allowing us to pursue ambitious goals and drive future initiatives in each area.
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provide a framework that outline political, economic, social and ecological dimensions of sustainable development, to be achieved globally by 2030 by all UN member states. In addition, non-governmental actors, like academia, NGOs, and business actively contribute to achieving these goals. Together, states and organizations seek to find shared solutions to the world’s most urgent grand challenges.
The University of St.Gallen focuses on the following SDGs that are most relevant to our setting.
Interview with Andreas Bisig, student at the University of St.Gallen
The fourth UN Sustainable Development Goal focuses on the quality of education. HSG student Andreas Bisig talks about the role of sustainability and responsibility in his business education:
In business, you often encounter the classical view that maximizing profits is the only goal that companies have to pursue in order to be successful. Is that really true? I chose the University of St.Gallen so that I could better understand how companies can make a positive contribution towards solving societal problems, whilst being economically successful at the same time. HSG offers me the opportunity to examine such sustainability challenges in my master’s degree and my contextual studies. I want to contribute to a more sustainable economy in my professional life.
When I first started at HSG, I understood the economy and ecology as being in opposition to one another. In the course of my studies, however, I have realised that responsibility for social challenges must be an integral part of the economy. I believe that the challenges surrounding global sustainability can only be resolved if companies make their contribution, and it is up to business leaders to take on this corporate responsibility.
Responsibility and sustainability as topics are widely disseminated at HSG. For example, I have engaged with the question of what moral rights animals should have in our society. One topic in the field of sustainability management was the question of what sets true corporate sustainability apart from mere “greenwashing”. The idea of sustainability was also reflected in my Bachelor’s Thesis: I researched whether the promotion of electromobility in Norway could be a model for Switzerland. In my Master’s Thesis, I will again deal with a topic from this area: For example, I would find it exciting to see to what extent brands can act as the drivers of sustainability.
Watch the video of Prof. Rolf Wüstenhagen about the SDGs 7 at the University of St.Gallen:
We empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all university members including students and aim to ensure equal opportunities in all of university life. We implement policies to achieve greater equality and conduct research to contribute to better knowledge on how to reduce inequality within and among countries.
Watch the video of Prof. Rolf Wüstenhagen about the urgency for climate actions:
Having an intact nature is a fundamental prerequisite for social and economic well-being. Therefore, we have increased the biodiversity on campus and developed courses on business and biodiversity. Furthermore, we participate in the Blue Community initiative and conduct research on biodiversity topics.
Having an intact nature is a fundamental prerequisite for social and economic well-being. Therefore, we have increased the biodiversity on campus and developed courses on business and biodiversity. Furthermore, we participate in the Blue Community initiative and conduct research on biodiversity topics.
Interview with Andreas Bisig, student at the University of St.Gallen
In business, you often encounter the classical view that maximizing profits is the only goal that companies have to pursue in order to be successful. Is that really true? I chose the University of St.Gallen so that I could better understand how companies can make a positive contribution towards solving societal problems, whilst being economically successful at the same time. HSG offers me the opportunity to examine such sustainability challenges in my master’s degree and my contextual studies. I want to contribute to a more sustainable economy in my professional life.
When I first started at HSG, I understood the economy and ecology as being in opposition to one another. In the course of my studies, however, I have realised that responsibility for social challenges must be an integral part of the economy. I believe that the challenges surrounding global sustainability can only be resolved if companies make their contribution, and it is up to business leaders to take on this corporate responsibility.
Responsibility and sustainability as topics are widely disseminated at HSG. For example, I have engaged with the question of what moral rights animals should have in our society. One topic in the field of sustainability management was the question of what sets true corporate sustainability apart from mere “greenwashing”. The idea of sustainability was also reflected in my Bachelor’s Thesis: I researched whether the promotion of electromobility in Norway could be a model for Switzerland. In my Master’s Thesis, I will again deal with a topic from this area: For example, I would find it exciting to see to what extent brands can act as the drivers of sustainability.
Highlights: New Certificate Programme on Managing Climate Solutions
Watch the video of Prof. Christa Binswanger about the SDG 5 at the University of St.Gallen
Watch the video of Prof. Rolf Wüstenhagen about the SDGs 7 and 13 at the University of St.Gallen:
Watch the video about Diversity & Inclusion at the University of St.Gallen:
Watch the video of Helena Fierz about the SDG 12 at the University of St.Gallen:
Watch the video of Prof. Rolf Wüstenhagen about the urgency for climate actions:
Watch the video of Kuno Schedler about the SDG 16 at the University of St.Gallen:
The team of the Delegate for Responsibility & Sustainability (R&S) sets the overarching sustainability strategy and direction for the University and coordinates the sustainability measure of the HSG.
Prof. Dr.
Judith Walls
Delegate Responsibility and Sustainability and Co-Head Climate Solutions Taskforce
Dr.
Tabea Bereuther
Manager Responsibility and Sustainability
Julian Bömelburg
Assistant Manager Responsibility and Sustainability
Dr.
Jost Hamschmidt
Project Manager Co-Curriculum Development
Lasse van Look
Assistant Manager, Co-Curriculum Development
Clémentine Robert
Project Manager Curriculum Development
Dr.
Fabian Takacs
Project Manager Curriculum Development
Gift Dembetembe
Research Assistant
Apart from the R&S team, further specialized units deal with topics related to responsibility and sustainability. The Climate Solutions Taskforce (CST) focuses specifically on meeting HSG’s climate goals to achieve net zero emissions by 2030. Created in 2022, the Working Group on Social and Economic Sustainability has been focusing on the social and economic dimensions of the HSG’s comprehensive and integrated sustainability strategy.
In 2022, the President’s Board created the role of a Delegate for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (Prof. Dr. Isabelle Wildhaber), who is responsible for setting and implementing the EDI strategy in collaboration with several internal units. As part of the Vice President’s Board for External Relations, the Diversity & Inclusion service unit offers support and advice in the fields of equality and special needs.
More detailed information on the respective teams is available in the latest PRME report on pages 8 – 12.
The University of St.Gallen has a long history of integrating responsibility and sustainability into its research, study programmes, on-campus activities, and public engagement.
Systemic Approach and Contextual Studies
Hans Ulrich’s Systemic Approach (St. Gallen Management Model) has influenced the direction of HSG’s business management education for many decades. It calls for corporations and their leaders to be open to environmental and societal concerns, and integrate managerial tasks from an early stage.Along with core subjects such as Business Administration, Economics, Law and International Relations, the university has firmly established interdisciplinary topics over many decades. What used to be Cultural Studies has become Contextual Studies, due to the Bologna reform in 2001. This area comprises 25 percent of the curriculum at the Bachelor and Master levels of all courses offered by HSG, and provides wide-ranging leadership skills, critical thinking and cultural awareness.
This unique and unprecedented integration of professional studies within a cross-discipline framework of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences is second to none among business schools. It also ensures that HSG graduates are given the opportunity to extend their knowledge beyond the subjects of Business Administration, Economics and Law.
IWE and IWOE Foundation
The university has a long history of incorporating ethical issues in its business education, and this was in evidence when it established a Chair for Business and Corporate Ethics, as well as the Institute for Business Ethics (IWE-HSG) in 1989. We also integrated ecology into the curriculum with the foundation of the Institute for Economy and the Environment (IWOE-HSG) in 1992. Both institutes were among the first of their kind at a European university, and reflect the university’s history of progressive-minded academics. The contributions of outstanding St. Gallen scientists, including Hans Ulrich (Business Administration), Hans-Christoph Binswanger (Economics), Peter Ulrich (Business Ethics) and Rolf-Peter Sieferle (Environmental History) are closely linked to these developments, and many graduates and up-and-coming scientists have benefited from their tenure at the HSG.
IWE & IWOE Expansion and CLVS & CDI Foundation
One of the HSG’s most noteworthy developments recently is the expansion of the School for Humanities and Social Science. The university established a second Chair for Business and Corporate Ethics, and also founded the Center for Leadership and Values in Society (2005), which is focused on the public responsibility and added value of corporations and organizations. Similarly, HSG established the Center for Disability and Integration (2009), which conducts research on workforce opportunities and prospects for people with disabilities. Finally, we created a privately sponsored Chair for Management of Renewable Energies. In all of these areas, the university maintains a strong presence both in science and in public.
oikos
HSG’s legacy of incorporating corporate responsibility and sustainability into its academic programs is largely due to the significant contributions of the student initiative oikos. oikos was founded at the university in 1978 as a student association, but originally emerged from the Student Committee for Environmental Economics (SCO), which launched in 1972. This group was founded by committed St. Gallen students in response to alarming messages conveyed in a Club of Rome report entitled “The Limits to Growth.” More information on oikos’ wide-ranging activities can be found in the “Student Engagement” section.In 1989, oikos played a major role in founding the Swiss Association for Environmentally Conscious Management (öbu), now called “Network for Sustainable Business Practices”, a vibrant corporate association featuring about 400 Swiss companies as members. It also contributed significantly to HSG’s founding the Institute for Economy and the Environment and the creation of a Chair for Environmental Sustainability Management.
