A unique international CSR-Sustainability-ESG Certificate endorsed by 12 leading business schools.

An international CSR-ESG-Sustainability certificate open to students currently studying at one of the 12 CoBS member schools and with a passion for responsible business and positive social, environmental and financial impact.

The Purpose

If you believe in bringing positive impact to your future career, organisation, society, and planet. If you are passionate about working across frontiers and adding meaning through a career in the fields of CSR, ESG, and Sustainability. And if you wish to top up your current studies with a dedicated focus on responsible leadership to trigger your understanding and practice.

Join your peers from 12 leading international business schools and gain a unique global, regional and local perspective to enlighten your path to lead positive impact. The certificate has been designed to be aligned with the 17 UN sustainable development goals (UN SDGs) and features 4 stack-able modules – 3 online and 1 synchronous – each offering a premium-branded certificate from leading business schools reputed for their commitment and expertise in CSR, sustainability, social impact, and ESG.

The Benefits

• Acquire a truly international view of major issues impacting business, society, and planet that takes into account global, regional and local perspectives in CSR, Sustainability, and ESG
• Combine top-level knowledge with practical challenges in a multicultural environment among the CoBS member schools
• Expand the diversity of your contacts and build an intercontinental network
• Earn prize money in 2 of the modules which are run in competition mode
• Earn a premium advanced international certificate and add an international job enabler to your studies.

The Programme & Dates

Module 1 – The CoBS online modules suite: February 17th to Friday 14th May, 2027

Open to bachelor’s, master’s and MBA students.

Choose and complete 5 online CSR, ESG, and Sustainability-focused modules among a choice of 9 from CoBS member school faculty: Sustainability Reporting, Ethics & Compliance, CSR in China, Diversity – Disability in the Workplace, Circular Economy, Cross-Cultural Management, Companies & Climate Change, Circular Cities, Diversity & Integration. Total online time: 5 hours’ viewing plus extra readings, plus self-assessment quizzes to be followed when you want, where you want. Students having completed 5 modules and their self-assessments are awarded a CoBS Advanced Certificate (Module 1).

​Registration for Module 1 should be made by 10^th February 2027.

Module 2 – Student CSR Case Development Challenge: March 1st to Friday 30th April, 2027

Open to bachelor’s, master’s and MBA students.

Team up with a fellow student from your school and select a company or organisation in your region or abroad renowned for its high standards in CSR, sustainability, ESG, or social impact. Your challenge? Interview a leadership figure in that organisation and craft an article on how the organisation developed its CSR / Sustainability strategy and actively contributes to responsible leadership & business practices. Create a video where you present the case of your chosen organisation plus a supporting PowerPoint presentation document.

Each winning pair in each participating school wins €1,000 prize money. Winner, Runner-up and Finalist articles and videos will be published via CoBS Insights and in a special issue Global Voice magazine. All participating students are awarded a CoBS Advanced Certificate (Module 2), with special certificates for winners, runners-up and finalists.

​Registration for Module 2 should be made by 22^nd February, 2027.

Module 3 – Business & Sustainability Simulation: Online Practice & Coaching from 27th May to 8th June (total 2.5 days on a flexible schedule) + Live Competition Mode from 9th June to 11th June (2.5 days competing against other teams)

Open to master’s and MBA students.

Build a company that wins not only through high performance and market share, but through its outstanding sustainability & CSR record. Put everything you’ve learnt in class into action – strategy, finance, marketing, accounting, operations, HR, entrepreneurship, innovation, and more! Stretch yourselves, flex your brains, push your skills and activate your business flair while working closely together with your team mates. 2.5 days virtual welcome, coaching, practice + 2.5 days in competition mode against teams from the CoBS member schools. The winning team takes away €1,500 in prize money. 2^nd and 3^rd place teams win €500 each. All participating students are awarded a CoBS Advanced Certificate (Module 3).

​Registration for Module 1 should be made by 12^th May, 2027.

Module 4 – International Intensive Weeks: July 2027

Open to master’s (with work experience) and MBA students.

Option 1: 5th-10th July 2026, hosted by FGV EAESP, Brazil: Sustainable Leadership: The Rainforest Perspective

​Join a 22-student group (MBA and Master’s students with professional experience) from different schools in the CoBS alliance and journey to a territory of high complexity and relevance to the SDGs, particularly those relating to climate change and biodiversity – Amazonia. The week includes field trips and meetings with indigenous, riverine, and women´s co-operative leaders among others. Upon completion of an assignment, students will be delivered an FGV EAESP Certificate and CoBS Advanced Certificate (Module 4).

Further details, cost and the curriculum are available in the CoBS Certificate brochure below.

​Registrations should be made by 29^th March, 2027.

​Option 2 (to Be Confirmed): Early July, 2027, hosted by School of Management Fudan University, China: Responsible Leadership in the Age of Technological Transformation

This immersive five-day programme is designed for students at Master’s and MBA level seeking to deepen their understanding of China’s economy, its sustainable development policies, AI-driven innovation, ethical consumer behaviour, and the human dimension of technological change. Through a balanced blend of academic lectures, corporate visits, cultural immersion, and collaborative learning, the programme offers a holistic view of how responsibility, innovation, and tradition converge to redefine leadership in a rapidly evolving world. Upon completion, students will be delivered a Fudan Certificate, thereby becoming Fudan Alumni, and a CoBS Advanced Certificate (Module 4).

While pending confirmation and costs relating to this week, the 2026 intensive week details and the curriculum are available in the CoBS Certificate brochure below. 

Registrations should be made by 29^th March, 2027.

Download the brochure

The CoBS Advanced International Certificate in Responsible Business Practices brochure provides information on the content and assignments featured in each module that makes up the certificate. It also provides guidelines and student admission requirements. 

Modules 1-3 in the Certificate are offered free to students in the 12 CoBS member schools. Our Module 4 Intensive Weeks feature both free and paying (at a CoBS member-school reduction) elements.  

​Students may opt to take 1, 2, 3 or all 4 modules, each awarding a certificate. Students taking all 4 modules will be awarded a Full CoBS Advanced International Certificate in Responsible Business Practices.

Register with your school’s CoBS Certificate coordinator

Interested in being among the pioneering students to take the CoBS Advanced International Certificate in Responsible Business Practices?

Contact your certificate coordinator to register and obtain the modules student guide for further details stating “CoBS Certificate” in the subject field to your e-mail:

• ESSEC Business School & Warwick Business School: tom.gamble@essec.edu (or, if preferred, frederik.dahlmann@wbs.ac.uk)
• FGV EASP School of Management: lucas.balbino@fgv.br
• IE Business School: Monica.Ojea@ie.edu
• IIM Bangalore: souravm@iimb.ac.in
• Smith School of Business, Queen’s University: christina.sager@queensu.ca 
• Stellenbosch Business School: nicole.taute@stellenboschbusiness.ac.za 

​Note:

Pending the nomination of coordinators from the other CoBS member schools, please send your mail to tom.gamble@essec.edu stating “CoBS Certificate” in the subject field.

Useful links:

• Browse this site to consult background reading on sustainability, circular economy, CSR, ESG, social impact and much more at the crossroads of business, society, and planet.

Learn more about the Council on Business & Society

The Council on Business & Society (CoBS), visionary in its conception and purpose, was created in 2011, and is dedicated to promoting responsible leadership and tackling issues at the crossroads of business, society, and planet including the dimensions of sustainability, diversity, social impact, social enterprise, employee wellbeing, ethical finance, ethical leadership and the place responsible business has to play in contributing to the common good.  

• Follow the CoBS on LinkedIn
• Download magazines and learning content from the CoBS website downloads page.

Member schools of the Council on Business & Society.

• ESSEC Business School, France, Singapore, Morocco
• FGV-EAESP, Brazil
• School of Management Fudan University, China
• IE Business School, Spain
• Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, India
• Keio Business School, Japan
• Monash Business School, Australia, Malaysia, Indonesia
• Olin Business School, USA
• Smith School of Business, Queen’s University, Canada
• Stellenbosch Business School, South Africa
• Trinity Business School, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
• Warwick Business School, United Kingdom.