ESG: rules and principles for a sustainable transformation

Florence, February 16, 2024

Accademia Italiana is proudly part of AD Education Group with which we share its principles and vision. As a leading actor in private higher education, we have a particular responsibility in terms of environmental, social and governance (ESG) commitments. Our task is to train the first generation capable of facing the direct consequences of climate and social change and able to adapt and face unprecedented challenges.

We are training the creatives of tomorrow, those who will be at the forefront of reinventing our material goods, our uses and our leisure activities, and making them greener, more eco-responsible, more sustainable and more resilient. That’s why we want our students, whatever their background and wherever they come from, to receive training that will enable them to play a role in this transformation, but also to acquire a solid professional foundation to be effectively integrated into the labour market.

Within the ESG report - Environmental, Social and Governance - of AD Education, which collects the actions taken and the ambitious objectives set for 2030, we see how among the 21 schools of the Group 50% have already included a course on environmental issues in their program, while at least 250 students have participated in a program related to the environmental challenge. If 1308 is the number representing the kilos of electronic waste that have been collected and recycled, 12,585 tons is the amount of greenhouse gasses produced between 2022 and 2023 by the Group, a figure that will be taken as a benchmark for future AD Education emission reductions, with which we are working on an action plan to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030.

In the social field AD Education aims to offer an inclusive experience that respects diversity. This will happen in the coming months by developing an effective policy to support the integration of people with disabilities, creating a work of diversity and inclusion in each country and school and supporting students in the funding of their studies. The goal with these commitments is to educate our students to live in a multicultural society, where we are enriched by differences. This is also the key to the well-being of students, another important axis of ESG policy.

Finally, on governance issues, the French Group sets an example in the field of higher education by setting up a group-level ESG committee with which to establish a set of policies to harmonize practices in terms of environmental commitments, and governance in all schools and countries. Promote a diverse governance structure and target 40-60% of women on each executive committee.

In 2022-2023, we laid a solid foundation for an ambitious ESG policy, with the main mission of growing future talent, encouraging young adults to become creative, open, innovative, concerned about others and the environment. In the coming years, Accademia Italiana, together with all the schools belonging to AD Education, is committed to improving its programs and actions in terms of sustainability, equality and representation, for a better future for our entire community, and not only.

READ THE ESG REPORT