IMD is a leading global business school based in Lausanne, Switzerland. For over 60 years, IMD has worked with leading global companies to develop and retain management talent. IMD is the “global meeting place”: the most international of business schools worldwide. It offers learning based on innovative and highly relevant research that can be applied to business challenges immediately. This is IMD's "Real World. Real Learning" approach (www.imd.org).

IMD is ranked number one worldwide in executive education (Financial Times, 2008). IMD’s MBA is ranked first worldwide (Economist, 2008).

23 January 2007 - Lausanne, Switzerland

IMD, International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland initiates new green initiatives including a carbon offsetting program. 

With its Forum for Corporate Sustainability Management (CSM) IMD has a long history of supporting ecologically and socially sustainable initiatives among partners in its Learning Network. According to Peter Lorange, President, IMD itself should however take the lead in ecologically sound behavior on its own campus too.

In 2007, IMD will invest Sfr.3 million in a more sustainable cooling system which will reduce the school’s use of fossil fuels and thus its carbon emissions. In addition, IMD will “offset” its carbon emissions - primarily from travel and use of electricity and natural gas on campus - by an annual donation to the Carbonfund.org Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports climate-friendly projects. Carbonfund.org promotes climate change education, carbon offsets and green power, and it supports efforts by individuals and businesses to reduce the threat of climate change. In 2007, it will spend IMD’s donation on a reforestation project in India and Nepal. Over 8000 trees will be planted, which will offset the 2700 tons of CO2 that IMD generates. In addition to reforestation, future targets for IMD’s donations may include renewable energy and energy efficiency projects.

Peter Lorange, IMD President, comments: ”The environment is of great importance to IMD’s learning partners, as it is for IMD itself. We want to demonstrate our commitment to reducing greenhouse gases by joining the carbon offset program run by Carbonfund.org. As far as we are aware, we are the first business school to take the decision to offset all of our carbon emissions. However, we know offsetting is not enough. We aim to further reduce our consumption of fossil fuels too. In 2007 we will be installing a cooling system that uses cold water from Lake Geneva (from a depth of 40 meters, where the temperature of the water is constant at 7°C all year long) to cool the buildings on our campus. This new system replaces a traditional system that operates on gas and CFCs. In addition, IMD’s CSM forum will of course continue its research into corporate social responsibility, which includes supporting our partner companies in developing strategies and products that take the environment into account.”

Michael Yaziji, IMD Professor of Strategy, adds: “It is simply our responsibility to do all we can to reduce and neutralize our carbon footprint. Our clients look to us as a role model of organizations and good corporate governance. I hope our example will inspire our learning partners to follow suit.”

About CSM – The Forum for Corporate Sustainability Management

The Forum for Corporate Sustainability Management (CSM) is IMD’s corporate sustainability research initiative. Corporations participate in the forum to build a sustainable business advantage through social and environmental strategic action. (www.imd.org/csm)

About the Carbonfund.org Foundation

Carbonfund.org is a nonprofit organization that educates the public about the dangers of climate change and makes it easy and affordable for individuals, businesses and organizations to reduce their climate impact. It works on reducing the threat of climate change by promoting low-cost carbon reductions and supporting renewable energy, energy efficiency and reforestation projects that reduce and offset carbon dioxide emissions. (www.carbonfund.org)