Aware that sustainable development is an imperative global issue, CentraleSupélec is mobilizing its campuses, students, faculty, staff and partners to work together to meet global challenges.
Faced to the global environmental crisis - global warming, declining biodiversity, scarcity of resources - and its geopolitical and social tensions, engineering graduate schools have a major role to play in shaping the world of tomorrow.
By fostering a renewed vision that seeks to reconcile innovation, ethics and respect for the common good, CentraleSupélec is actively working to build a more responsible and sustainable society for present and future generations.
A strategic commitment to sustainable impact
Since 2019, CentraleSupélec has been sincerely committed to the environmental transition, together with all its stakeholders.
Governance dedicated to sustainable development
- Committed management: Prof. Xuan Mi-Meyer, Executive Vice President, supports CentraleSupélec's strategic vision of sustainable development & environmental and social responsibility (SD&ESR - including issues of diversity, social inclusion and disabilities), guaranteeing regular communication on the overall coherence of commitments made and results achieved.
- Strategic coordination: Prof. Pascal da Costa, sustainable development coordinator: energy, ecological and social transitions, takes a global and forward-looking view of sustainable development. He coordinates and draws up a shared action plan, with the support of Sophie David, Sustainable Development and Heritage Officer, and Juliette Weber, Sustainable Development and Education-Research Officer, in liaison with all stakeholders.
- A Sustainable Development Commission: This body, made up of staff, management and students from our three campuses, steers strategic actions and their implementation, and will mobilize five working groups from 2025 on key themes: education and research foresight, student and staff mobility, responsible digital technology, etc.
- Correspondents in each laboratory: They apply sustainable development objectives to the research activities of their labs and to the CentraleSupélec research center.
- Student delegates: With the support of the GRITEC club and dedicated student associations (Impacts, EcoClub…), these ambassadors raise awareness among their peers and play an active role in promoting the ecological transition in the training and teaching.
Practical guidelines for transformation
The transformations carried out by CentraleSupélec are based on the 2022-2032 strategic plan, in line with the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research's Climate-Biodiversity and Ecological Transition Plans.
These transformations are formalized in a Sustainable Development & Environmental and Social Responsibility (SD&ESR) Plan. They mainly take the form of:
- A CentraleSupélec climate roadmap adopted in 2023: Reducing the School's carbon footprint to meet the climate objectives set by the Paris Agreements.
- Mobility and waste plans on a regular basis: Encouragement of soft mobility and adoption of responsible resource management.
- Awareness-raising and training initiatives: Organization of conferences and training courses, annual events, visits, forums, such as our Responsible Engineers Forum.
- A Climate Labels Guide, launched in 2025: Intended for students and partners of the school, to encourage companies to clarify their strategies and guarantee the reliability of their climate commitments
A Label that recognizes our commitment and strategy
In December 2022, CentraleSupélec was awarded the national French Label DD&RS for four years, a recognition that testifies to the relevance and impact of its approach.
This label is in addition to its involvement in Université Paris-Saclay initiatives, such as the Sustainable Development Charter and its other actions.
Integrating sustainable development goals into all aspects of the school
1. Education:
CentraleSupélec trains engineers capable of meeting major global challenges while reconciling scientific progress, ethics and respect for nature.
2. Research:
The École's laboratories develop interdisciplinary projects on key themes, in collaboration with industrial partners: renewable energies, hydrogen, sustainable mobility, new materials, etc.
3. Student life:
Student associations, with initiatives such as GRITEC and IMPACTS, play a central role in raising awareness and taking concrete action in favor of the ecological transition.
The SD&RS Charter: a compass for action
Initiated in 2020*, adopted in 2022 and updated in 2025, the SD&ESR Charter formalizes a collective ambition and mobilizes all stakeholders: CentraleSupélec staff, trade unions, management, students:
1. Strategy and governance: imbuing all the School’s activities with a sustainable and responsible approach.
2. Education and training: Prepare engineers to meet global challenges with the right tools to act ethically at the right scale in their sectors and professions.
3. Research and innovation: Accelerate and broaden innovation in the societal field to provide society with the means to produce, consume and live sustainably.
4. Social policy and territorial anchorage: Promote equity, inclusiveness, diversity and the attractiveness of science for a wider public, through projects with a positive impact.
5. Environmental and campuses management: Deploy ambitious actions to go beyond regulatory frameworks and reduce the environmental impact of our campuses through the careful management of resources and the preservation of biodiversity.
6. Responsible partnerships: Collaborate with responsible companies and institutions through the launch of our Climate Labels Guide, providing students and partners with tools to assess companies' ESR and climate maturity, and promote practices aligned with climate issues.
*The CentraleSupélec DD&ESR Charter complements the Sustainable Development Charter adopted by the University of Paris-Saclay in 2021. Drawn up by all the institutions, including CentraleSupélec, this charter lays the foundations for the University of Paris-Saclay's policy, particularly with regard to legal aspects.
Clear objectives, shared by all
A central role in CentraleSupélec's 2022-2023 strategic plan
The 2022-2023 strategic plan makes CentraleSupélec an exemplary and committed player in energy, ecological and social transitions.
Annual Performance Project
This operational project, aligned with the School's positioning and voted by its Board of Directors each year, sets out three main priorities:
1. Reduce the environmental impact of its campuses, going beyond regulatory requirements through ambitious actions.
2. Train all students to meet the challenges of sustainable development, by providing them with the tools and knowledge they need to integrate these issues into their careers.
3. Govern and steer the sustainable transition, using appropriate tools and collective mobilization to structure actions.
Student life mobilized for the sustainablility and transition
Our students, particularly through their associations and clubs, are key players in sustainability. Their involvement can be seen in:
• An Events Environmental Charter: Adopted by the student associations and the school, to limit the ecological impact of events.
• Awareness-raising events: Conferences, workshops and exhibitions on a regular basis.
• The Responsible Engineers Forum: An annual event showcasing sustainable partners and solutions.
• Official participation in the UN COP on Climate: A delegation of students and researchers represents CS every year, during both the intersessions and the COPs organized by the UN.
• Dedicated student clubs: GRITEC at CentraleSupélec, and GITE at Groupe Écoles Centrale both reinforce the sustainable development goals undertaken by their French Schools.