In the fall of 2019, CBS has joined the local ÖKOPROFIT sponsored by the City of Cologne. ÖKOPROFIT is a certification programme that aims to strengthen companies economically and ecologically. Due to its low bureaucratic effort, it offers a good introduction to entrepreneurial environmental management. A characteristic feature of the project is that a group of local organizations, this year a total of thirteen companies, are jointly preparing for certification over the period of one year. Besides CBS, other regional partners are for example KEO GmbH, Brauerei Heller, FC Köln or Stadtwerke Hürth.

For CBS, CASM is coordinating the project together with the CBS Eco Ambassador Team, which has been formed since the project’s kick-off. The team includes CBS staff from faculty, administration, facility management as well as a student member.

In various workshops, which take place at the project partners’ premises, they get the opportunity to exchange ideas throughout the process, learn from each other and expand their regional network. In addition, each company is individually advised and accompanied by an expert environmental management consultant.

After already having participated in the project in 2015/16, we are looking forward to further develop and advance our organizational environmental commitment at CBS beyond what has been achieved so far. The project perfectly adds to our current strategic “Green Office” development which CASM is working on through our international Erasmus+ ISSUE project.

CBS successfully attained its first Ökoprofit certification in 2016. A team of CBS staff and students implemented first measures to improve environmental management and sustainability awareness at the Business School.

To constantly improve on past efforts and to push environmental management further, CBS currently renewed its committment to the Ökoprofit process in 2019.