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Before I joined Leeds, I was a high school teacher. Whenever I told people my profession, they looked at me like I was missing some brain cells 鈥� you willingly hang out with teenagers!? Yep! I have always loved spending time with young people. I鈥檝e led ski trips, adventure camps, even a just-as-the-world-was-shutting-down trip to NYC in March 2020. So, when the opportunity came to chaperone a First Year Global Experience (FGX) trip my hand was immediately up. International travel with 28 first-year students? Yes, please!听听
CESR has given me a lot of great opportunities since I joined last August.听 I鈥檝e met fascinating business leaders and worked with some of the best student minds at Leeds through our Social Responsibility and Ethics Certificate and our MBA Pathways.听 CESR hosts skills workshops, sources consulting projects for courses, and helps students make connections between their business acumen and their values regarding social impact and sustainability. It is a unique and wonderful place to work at Leeds, but traveling on an FGX trip isn鈥檛 part of the job description. However, since a third of Leeds first-year students participate in FGX and it is one of the best experiential offerings at Leeds, my team gave me the green light to apply. Lucky for me I got a spot on a trip to Paris.听
Off I went in May with one faculty, two staff, and a few dozen students to learn about global business in one of the most global cities in the world. Of course, I wanted to use the opportunity to connect with students about how important it is to understand sustainability in the context of the business world. What I did not realize was that Paris was going to do the talking for me. Our FGX class had been on entrepreneurship in France, but almost all of the businesses we visited in France spoke about climate change first and foremost and how sustainability was integral to their business model.听听
Little known to most people, Europe is warming much faster than the global average. Drought, short freezing periods, and heat have had destructive impacts. In 2003, nearly during a brutal two-week heat wave and since 2020, Europe has recorded the three hottest summers on record.听 Europe has always taken climate change seriously in comparison to America, but they are scrambling to find solutions and adaptations now. People鈥檚 lives and livelihoods depend on it.听听
We learned about this most clearly from , the largest producer of frozen foods in Europe. Imagine if Trader Joe鈥檚 only sold frozen food and they had a storefront every few blocks in New York City. That would be Picard in Paris. The company markets to working people on a budget looking for a convenient and relatively healthy meal. (I would add quality taste to that list as well. I had more than a few Picard croissants and they were good!) The company was started in 1906 and operates globally. However, the whole business plan falters under the weight of climate change. Mitigating their climate impact and pursuing adaptative methods is the company鈥檚 most pressing imperative. The Director of International Business Development and Partnerships, Anabel Soares, reminded students that these efforts were not just niceties鈥� drought can impose crop failure or a few rolling blackouts from extreme heat can take out a season鈥檚 worth of frozen food.听
Next, we went , a sustainable fashion brand with a store in the very upscale shopping district of le Marais. I cringe at the words sustainable and fashion together given a suggesting that the industry is responsible for 10% of total global carbon emissions. But let鈥檚 be honest, I love a good piece of clothing as much as anyone, so I was eager to hear their story. One of EcoAlf鈥檚 programs, , works with fishers to recycle marine plastics and reuse it in products like polyester yarn. EcoAlf clothes and shoes are made from pineapple leaves, used tires, and fishing nets, amongst other items. Small potatoes but I was happy to see high fashion giving a nod to the circular economy.听
, an impressive rooftop farm in the middle of Paris, was another business we visited where the victories feel small but still quite notable. The farm employs vertical farming and hydroponic techniques to produce an abundant harvest for local restaurants at only a fraction of the space and water usage of traditional farming. Additionally, green roofs reduce solar gain during heat waves and to deploy more in Paris, a city with surprisingly low tree cover.听
On our final business day in Paris, we visited , a sustainability ratings startup. Launched in 2007, EcoVadis assesses companies all over the world on metrics such as resource conservation and emission reductions, fair trade and fair wage practices, and instances of corruption or inept governance.听 , a CU alum, is their Chief Impact Officer and was our guide for the day, helping students understand the impact of a rating and why a company may take this on even in a voluntary market. The EU has strong requirements on ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) disclosures and EcoVadis has worked hard to implement standards for the industry. Many of the students were struck by how successful the company has been too鈥攔ecently receiving a unicorn valuation in their last round of funding.听
In France, companies were aware that there is no sunlight between the bottom line and sustainability, something I鈥檝e always known to be true, but it was great to be there when a bunch of young minds had that 鈥榓ha鈥� moment. As one student wrote me and said, 鈥淲e saw many different businesses revolving around sustainability . . . this being a main goal for big brands and big operations was something that was impressive and made me realize this is a direction that many businesses are taking in today鈥檚 world.鈥� I couldn鈥檛 agree more.听 Thank you to Leeds, and Paris for giving us this hopeful glimpse of the future.听听
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Katherine Ratledge is the Program Manager at the Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility. She joined CESR in August 2023.听