Hanken students collaborate with organisations on sustainability

Hanken students Emma Richardson and Rie Koshida, along with Esmail Tavakolnia and Daria Tomaszewska, were tasked with developing a methodology for the next stage of measuring sustainability impacts at Hanken.

After weighing the options between ecological and biodiversity footprint reporting, the students ultimately recommended that Hanken adopt ecological footprint reporting moving forward.

"Ecological footprint reporting is more common, not only in university research but also in business use. Hanken's strategy also specifically mentions ecological footprint, so it aligns well with Hanken’s mission. And as far as we know, only a few universities worldwide report their ecological footprint, and none so far in the Nordics, so Hanken can be a frontrunner”, says Koshida.

A climate footprint focuses specifically on how emissions contribute to global warming. In contrast, an ecological footprint takes a broader view, accounting for the productive land and water area needed to fulfil the consumption of the organisation and to absorb the waste and emissions it produces. 

According to Riina Haavisto, Hanken’s social responsibility coordinator, the Schools sustainability efforts have so far primarily targeted the climate footprint, but many actions, like reducing paper and plastic use, recycling waste, and overall consumption reduction, go hand in hand. 

“For me the student project has highlighted the need to understand and collect better data about the consumption patterns and impacts along our value chain, even if we do not have big material streams coming in. Once we understand better the impacts of our consumption, we can start implementing effective solutions to decrease them”, says Haavisto. 

Sustainability is a shared responsibility

Emma Richardson and Rie Koshida explain that they aimed to integrate sustainability as a core principle in all their recommendations for Hanken. This includes improving footprint calculations and strengthening data collection methods.

“Sustainability should be like a golden thread running through an institution. Sustainability issues cannot be left solely to the sustainability team – it’s everyone’s responsibility at Hanken. Whether it’s the kitchen staff reporting on food sourcing or other employees integrating sustainability into their daily work. Engaging students is also crucial. We focused on practical initiatives to naturally incorporate sustainability into courses, making it a part of everyday life at Hanken”, says Richardson.

Koshida points out that Hanken students represent the next generation of talent in the business world.

“If Hanken provides strong education on sustainability, they will become the sustainability leaders in the business field."

Seeking partners for the next course

The students have been paired up with different organisations, like Lindström, Save the Children, Fairtrade Finland, and Ramboll working on a variety of topics, ranging from marketing strategy to internal and external carbon pricing. The experiential learning process aligns with Hanken’s strategy.

“It has been very rewarding to work on a project like this, with a concrete case and organisation. You get to experience what it could be like to work either as a consultant or as an employee in a company. It has been a very steep learning curve, since I didn’t know much about the topic beforehand”, says Richardson.

Koshida agrees, saying it has been nice to do tangible positive things for an organisation. 

Riina Haavisto is already looking for organisations and companies to participate in the next course starting in the fall.

“I highly recommend organisations to join! The students can bring multidisciplinary expertise to a project, which can help solve problems you might have. It's a great initiative to be involved in, and there's a value in itself to have this dialogue between students and organisations.”

Further information: Riina Haavisto, social responsibility coordinator, email: riina.haavisto@hanken.fi

Text: Jessica Gustafsson
Photo: Jessica Gustafsson and Gustaf Hafström