The Center for Corporate Responsibility and Sustainability (CCRS) is an associated institute at the School of Management Fribourg (HEG-FR) and an executive arm of the Zurich-based foundation 'Stiftung Zentrum Nachhaltigkeit'.
CCRS explores the role of the private sector in sustainable development at local and global levels. Our research activities aim at contributing to the design of institutional framework conditions that create incentives for business to invest in sustainable economic and technological change. To this end, CCRS works closely with the private sector on sustainable and practical solutions that also enable the real economy to cope with a changing market and regulatory environment.
What is our main focus?
• Practical sustainability research in finance, real estate, economic development, food, agriculture, and business ethics
• Development of institutional framework conditions that enable sustainable transformation of business in the society
• Development of practical, affordable and credible rating and reporting tools that enable companies to
1) obtain a comprehensive assessment of their sustainable performance;
2) ensure their access to markets;
3) engage with a focused strategy that minimizes the risk of green and social washing
• Scrutinizing popular views in the sustainability discourse
• Building bridges between current polarized views in the sustainability debate as well as between academia and the private sector
• Promoting long-term public-private partnerships necessary for the development of inclusive and innovative solutions to current sustainability challenges
• Developing a state-of-the-art curriculum for the sustainability-related teaching courses held by members of the CCRS team at School of Management Fribourg, ETH Zurich, University of Zurich, and University of St. Gallen
Application of our solutions
We apply innovative financial vehicles to sustainability challenges in the areas of economic development and real estate.
Our flagship projects include:
See also our special issue on Economic Complexity and Sustainability.
Our people
Participants of CCRS Retreat 2023 in Ringgenberg / Berne
Participants of CCRS Retreat 2022 in Monchiero / Piedmont