Centrale Nantes' commitments to sustainable development

Centrale Nantes' sustainable development and social responsibility action plan

Centrale Nantes' sustainable development action plan sets out objectives in terms of governance, teaching and training, research, environmental management, social impact and local communities in the 3 areas of sustainable development and CSR: environmental, social and societal.

This action plan is the result of a co-construction process initiated at the beginning of the year with the Sustainable Development representatives - staff, students and alumni - and with the Sustainable Development Department. Broken down into 5 priorities, 15 objectives and 38 actions, the action plan was unanimously approved by the Board of Governors on 1 July 2021 and concerns all of the institution's stakeholders: students, departments, staff, teachers, researchers, student associations as well as our partners.

• Download Centrale Nantes' 2021 - 2025 sustainable development action plan
• Download the summary of the Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility action plan

Centrale Nantes' Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility Master Plan

The action plan (above) serves as the institution's sustainable development and social responsibility master plan, as required by the French Ministry of Higher Education and Research in 2023.
In 2025, the Horizons 2030 project will invite stakeholders to think collectively about their sustainable development aspirations for the next 5 years. Between now and the summer, the new 2025-2030 Master Plan for Sustainable Development and Social Responsibility will be put to the Board of Governors for a vote. Staff, students and partners are invited to contribute to the development of this project, which will involve all departments.

Teaching and Training

Grenoble Accord - Centrale Nantes commits to raising awareness or training 100% of its students and staff

By signing this agreement, initiated by the COP2 Student Forum to step up socio-ecological transition in higher education and research, Centrale Nantes has committed itself to:

• as a school: to raise awareness among 100% of its students in their first year and to include in their curriculum a course on understanding the issues with a systemic approach; to evaluate the curriculum and to make changes with regard to the specialisations taught, during the next revision of the curriculum
• as an employer: provide training to 100% of its staff.

Download the Grenoble Accord signed by Centrale Nantes in July 2021

Awareness-raising workshops on sustainable development

Centrale Nantes is committed to offering 100% of staff (including teachers) and students awareness workshops on the challenges of ecological and societal transition by 1 July 2023: climate, digital, ocean, diversity, 2tonnes, biodiversity, sexism, circular economy etc., in the form of fresk-type workshops, based on scientific research. 350 staff had been trained by the end of 2024. Ecological Transition Mornings are conferences held 4 to 6 times a year. Staff and the general public are invited to join the students and to watch the replays to learn more about the issues.

6 commitments of the Ecoles Centrale Group for the engineering programme

The Ecoles Centrale Group (GEC) and the Groupe InterCentrales pour la Transition Ecologique (GITE) worked on the issue of training which led the management and the Academic Affairs Departments of the Ecoles Centrales to adopted 6 joint commitments:

1. Include training activities on socio-environmental issues in the core curriculum of the engineering programme
2. Offer a list of elective courses in line with the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
3. Introduce mandatory lectures on sustainable development and social responsibility issues into the curriculum
4. Tag projects within the curriculum according to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals
5. Recognise civic engagement or community involvement in relation to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (through certificates, course units, ECTS credits, etc.)
6. Co-sign the biodiversity charter on campus

Promote the advancement of knowledge and the dissemination of scientific culture

Centrale Nantes is committed to promoting the advancement of knowledge and the dissemination of scientific culture by disseminating knowledge and raising awareness of research topics amongst the general public. This public service is reflected in a number of communication initiatives targeting the general public and the Nantes ecosystem (institutions, businesses, associations, citizens, etc.):

• As part of student training and its role in disseminating knowledge, Centrale Nantes hosts and broadcasts lectures by leading figures on campus and by faculty, particularly on topics related to sustainable development. Learn more
• Every year, the school opens its doors twice to the general public for an Open Day and as part of the National Science Fair to showcase its campus and its research and experimentation facilities.
• Meet Our Researchers: Centrale Nantes offers a series of videos to meet the school's researchers and learn more about their work

Research - Ethics and Professional Conduct

The Ethics and Professional Conduct Committee, made up of 3 people, can be consulted or can act on its own initiative in any situation that gives rise to questions of ethics, deontology or scientific integrity, such as issues relating to plagiarism and open science, in partnership with the media library.

Centrale Nantes is committed to the HRS4R Human Resources Strategy for researchers, which aims to make research careers more attractive and improve recruitment and working conditions for researchers throughout Europe.

Social Policy - Commitment to diversity and equality, inclusion and non-discrimination

The Equality and Diversity Committee is addressing five main themes: gender equality, disability, international, secularism, LGBTQI+.

As part of its commitment to gender equality, the school adopted a Gender Equality Action Plan in 2021 (an updated version is underway in 2024) which focuses on four main areas:

• Preventing and addressing pay and career gaps
• Ensuring equal access to jobs and responsibilities
• Promoting work-life balance
• Combating sexist and sexual violence, harassment and gender-based discrimination

The LS2N Laboratory has set up an Equality and Diversity task force to carry out specific actions within the laboratory and to encourage more women to pursue scientific and digital careers.

As a mark of its commitment to CSR and its desire to promote diversity and prevent discrimination, Centrale Nantes signed, in 2021, Autre Cercle Charter of Commitment. Autre Cercle is a French association that works for LGBT+ rights.

In January 2022, Centrale Nantes committed to taking action against everyday sexism in the workplace and signed up to #StOpE. Signatory organisations are committed to making a lasting reduction in everyday sexism in the workplace by deploying the actions of the eight priority commitments over time. Over 150 organisations gave joined the #StOpE initiative.

In September 2022, Centrale Nantes renewed its commitment by signing the cpas1option Charter by the school's Management team and the BDE, with 8 principles for safe enjoyment in order to detect and prevent - by training those involved -, identify and respond to combat discrimination and violence in the context of events organised by student associations.

In addition, Centrale Nantes has set up a support and reporting service (restricted access), for all students who are victims of or witnesses to harassment, sexist and/or sexual violence or instances of discrimination, racism, etc.

The school has signed the Erasmus+ Charter and is committed to ‘fully respecting the principles of non-discrimination, transparency and inclusion established in the Erasmus+ programme and guaranteeing equal and fair access to current and future participants from all backgrounds, paying particular attention to the inclusion of people with fewer opportunities.’

Social impact and local communities

Centrale Nantes supports eco-responsible industry and in 2020 signed the manifesto "For an eco-responsible industry" proposed by the EMC2 competitiveness cluster. The EMC2 cluster is a ‘European competitiveness cluster for manufacturing technologies’. It supports start-ups, SMEs, ETIs, major groups and academics on the path to clean production.

The manifesto sets out a commitment to "sober and ecologically respectful industry (...) which will place the human being at the heart of its considerations in order to tackle health and societal issues." This industry will have to be "efficient and innovative to meet the challenges of competitiveness and competition; resolutely collaborative and supportive to accompany the regions and sectors and strategic to meet the challenges of sovereignty" alongside the industrial companies in the west of France.

Download the manifesto

Environment

Centrale Nantes is committed to responsible environmental management on campus:

• Biodiversity Charter
• Energy conservation plan (in French)
• Responsible communication charter

Centrale Nantes's commitments since 2006

Centrale Nantes has been incorporating sustainable development into its strategy and projects since 2006.
In 2020, the appointment of a Director of Sustainable Development, the creation of a network of Sustainable Development representatives and the creation of the Sustainable Development Department have boosted the implementation of this strategy and support for student, staff and partner projects.


 

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History of Sustainable Development at Centrale Nantes

• 2006: Sustainable development included in the Board of Governors' four-year plan
• 2008: Sustainable development initiative created 
• 2010: Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative launched
• 2011: 1st Green Plan 2011-2015
• 2020: Director of Sustainable Development appointed
  • Manifesto for an eco-responsible industry signed
• 2021: Sustainable Development Action Plan approved by the Board of Governors
  • Gender Equality Action Plan adopted
  • Grenoble Accord signed
  • Autre Cercle Charter of Commitment signed