Sustainability On Campus

Find out how we're reducing the environmental impact of our activities. Reducing the environmental impact of farming, industrial and food production activities are the core of our pedagogical mission. Therefore having a sustainable campus is the first step to our goal of creating a sustainable world.

Sustainable development: the center of all our activities

Our daily commitment to sustainable development follow the sustainable development and corporate social responsibility guide created by the Conference des Grandes Ecoles and Conference des Presidents des Universités. Our actions are formalized through our CSR policy, named the SWITCH Policy, and is structured around our 3 principle activities:

– Research : the themes explored by our research units cover numerous social issues: sustainable management of contaminated soils (LGCgE), sustainable cities (Chaire Energie Habitat Environnment et ADICité), sustainable agriculture, health (our Charles Viollette research teams on Analysis and Process), town and country planning and local distribution channels (GreCAT).

– Training : Annually, 50 of our Masters graduates are specialized in Environmental Science and pursue careers in sustainable development. Among them, around 10% were involved from the beginning in the Label Humanité, a CSR training program co-created and co-managed with HEI, ISEN, and ICAM.

– Improvement of Internal Practices : in order to limit the inherent social and environmental impact of our activities, we are constantly working to improve our responsibility.

Daily eco-friendly actions

Improvement of Internal Practices also include:

• Improvement of our mobility practices (2016 and 2017 winners of the European Bicycle Challenge in our local division)
• Sustainable purchasing policy
• Team of staff specialized in addressing disability issues
• Welcoming all students, notably international students
• Organizing special events highlighting these themes to increase awareness among our students and staff (European Waste Reduction Week, Sustainable Development Week, employee bike rides, Disability Week)

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ISO 14001:2004 Certified

In 2011, ISA became the third French engineering school to obtain ISO 14001 Certification for the full scope of our activities. Understood by the whole economic world as international recognition of environmental engagement, ISO 14001 consists of a frame of reference for our environmental actions. We are audited annually by SGS, a world leader in audits and inspection.

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A school-wide project

The objective of our ISO 14001 engagement is to constantly improve our carbon footprint, ensuring consistency with our areas of expertise through a unifying, exemplary and contributory project. Each year, ISA students participate in studies, projects, and actions related to our environmental management system, as well as participate in external audits.

Even if our environmental management system relies on a designated team of process leaders, internal auditors, and environmental student advisers in each year group, it is above all a school-wide effort, gathering together all interested parties, from administrators to students, because our environmental impact affects everyone.

6 priority areas of action

The actions carried out concern multiple levels of intervention (purchasing, building operations, travel) and is centered around 6 approaches:

Waste management
Electricity and gas conservation
Water conservation
Paper use reduction
Carbon footprint reduction et improvement of air waste
Preservation of biodiversity

Ecofriendly Actions

Green roofing complete with beehives and an insect hotel
Complete recycling program on campus, including composting
Reusable cup option on coffee vending machines
Reusable dishware and cutlery available in lounges
Dedicated teams of staff members to conduct audits and advise on ecofriendly policy

Optimized public transportation options on campus

Bike-sharing (190 V’lille terminals within 500 meters)
900 places on bike racks in the neighborhood
Car sharing (2 stations within 10 minutes walking distance)
Bus (4 lines serving campus)
Métro (2 stops within 10 minutes walking distance)

See the Transpole network