The University of Worcester’s Business School is one of only a handful globally to be recognised this year by the United Nations (UN) for excellence in reporting its sustainability practices and achievements.
Worcester is one of only five business and management schools from a global network of more than 800 to be awarded a Recognition for Excellence in SIP (Sharing Information on Progress) Reporting award under the UN’s Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) banner. It was the only recipient of such an award in the UK in this year’s awards.
Head of the Business School, Dr Scott Andrews, said: “The University’s Business School is utterly committed to promoting ethical and sustainable business across the breadth of its activities and in all its practices. We were keen to ensure this was showcased in our second SIP Report to the United Nations and we are delighted that we have been rewarded by the UN with this recognition of excellence.”
As part of the Business School’s commitment to promoting ethical and sustainable business, it has for some time been a signatory to the UN’s PRME initiative. Signatories to the UN’s PRME initiative commit to promoting and advancing sustainability and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals through equipping today’s students with the understanding and ability to deliver change both now and in their future careers, and through its work with local organisations.
Every two years the Business School must submit a report evaluating its progress in promoting sustainable and ethical business, what worked well and what was not successful, its contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals, and future plans. A panel of 30 judges deemed the latest SIP Report to be one of five they would recognise as excellent.
The Business School’s recent work to promote sustainability includes a student-led consultancy programme in which students complete environmental audits on businesses, assessing and advising on how they could take action to become more sustainable. The Business School has also undertaken Green Impact Projects in which students collaborate with staff on sustainability projects, including the development of biodiversity on the University’s City Campus, a campus sustainability treasure hunt, and the development of games to teach sustainability.
In 2022, the Business School launched the annual Business Opportunity Sponsorship and Support (BOSS) Competition. This saw students compete to devise an ethical and sustainable product or service that benefits the local community economically. They had to develop a business plan and present it to a panel of local businesses and representatives from the Institute of Leadership and Management.
Further details about the PRME initiative can be obtained from the Business School’s Sustainability Champion, Dr Kay Emblen-Perry (k.emblenperry@worc.ac.uk).
For information on courses at the University of Worcester visit www.worcester.ac.uk or for application enquiries telephone 01905 855111 or email admissions@worc.ac.uk