INCAE Business School is a sustainability leader in the Latin America and Caribbean region. It is recognized by the students from different parts of the world attracted to study in the area of sustainable development. To improve as a leader in sustainability, in 2020, INCAE joined the Positive Impact Rating for Business Schools (PIR).

Learning from our year one PIR rating, INCAE students and faculty realized that we could make more significant strides toward involving the student body to become a more sustainable institution and foster sustainable development in the region. At the students’ suggestion, INCAE faculty began to share information regarding key INCAE initiatives on sustainable development more widely. These actions led to an improved PIR score in year two, which the administration could use for accreditation purposes.

Meanwhile, COVID was well on its way toward initiating widespread change. Along with other adjustments spurred by this global crisis, INCAE launched a Master’s program in Analytics, Innovation, and Technology (MAIT). While the MAIT earned us a plus for technology, it received a minus in sustainability. Hearing the requests from our fellow students for additional courses on sustainability, the core student PIR team negotiated with INCAE faculty to add sustainability to the second run of the MAIT curriculum.

INCAE is committed to in-depth explorations of sustainability in all its programs. INCAE students, faculty, and administration are working hard to improve the internal processes and the organizational culture this year. In the PIR area of Energizing, sustainability is a key component of our institution, from pedagogy to campus design. In Educating, INCAE ensures that sustainability remains integral to its learning-teaching approach. The core student PIR team works to incorporate sustainability across all programs and learning methods. This work includes “sustainability trips,” where students can experience first-hand the global opportunities and challenges of environmental, social, and governance issues. And in the area of Engaging, the school is working with the Sustainability Club to develop an institutional strategy fed by students’ perspectives.

The PIR is helping to build stronger relationships between INCAE students, faculty, and administrators to strengthen our student body’s voice.

The INCAE Sustainability Club: Maria Fernanda Camacho, Mariana Araya, Priscilla Agreda, Josue Herrera, Danie