Vlerick maintains bronze EcoVadis award for third year running

Professor David Veredas, Associate Dean of Sustainability, says: “Our place in the top 35% of organisations is proof that we consistently practise what we teach when it comes to protecting society and our planet. Sustainability is present in everything we do at Vlerick. It’s also something that’s vitally important to our corporate partners – and this award demonstrates how we actively share their ESG commitment.”

A global standard for sustainability

EcoVadis is a globally recognised platform for resilient, sustainable organisations. It rates organisations on four dimensions – labour and human rights, environment, ethical business conduct and sustainable procurement. And it assesses three key business areas – policy, action and measures and reporting on results and evolution.

This year, we’ve improved our score in three of these areas.

“We are particularly proud of our 100% score on ethics-related policies,” says Prof Veredas. “As a business school, we take the security of our clients’ data very seriously. We have robust systems and policies in place, and we’ve strengthened these over the last year.

“And, as in 2024, we’ve scored highly for measures taken – reflecting the action-oriented mindset that constantly drives Vlerick forward.”

Taking the lead on carbon management

Given the increasingly critical aim to reduce carbon emissions worldwide, we were pleased to receive an advanced score on carbon management.

“Over the past year, we’ve continued to work on reducing our carbon footprint,” says Prof Veredas. “We established AERO, a network of European business schools working together promoting and advocating decarbonisation. Scope 3 emissions in particular are challenging for educational institutions to measure – but we believe transparency is essential in working towards a more sustainable future.

“We’ve also refined our travel policy. We want to motivate people to choose more sustainable modes of transport – and give them opportunities to offset their emissions.

“Of course, we have to strike a balance. Our main driver of carbon emissions is mobility – but as an international school, it’s vital our participants experience business around the world. We are constantly striving for ways to offer the best learning experience, but in a more sustainable way.”

Looking to 2026 and beyond

Our EcoVadis label is proof that we’re moving in the right direction. But of course, our work doesn’t stop here. And while the EcoVadis framework is a useful tool to help prioritise our efforts, it is one element of a school-wide approach to making sustainability a key pillar of business as usual, through our education, our research, and our own operations.

Over the coming year, we’ll strengthen the ways we document and report our ESG activity, so we can measure our impact more closely. We’re hosting a workshop on sustainable event delivery – so we can develop guidelines to inform all Vlerick events. And our campus renovations are ongoing – these will play a significant role in reducing our environmental impact.

Prof Veredas says: “There is no end point to sustainability – it’s a constant evolution. What’s important is that we’re consistently making progress – and our latest EcoVadis award is testament to that.”