ESSEC Business School launches the first international chair devoted to the circular economy

ESSEC Business School has launched the first international chair devoted to the circular economy, the ‘Global Circular Economy Chair’.

Through this chair, 120 future leaders of tomorrow’s economy will be trained by 2025. It is supported by a multi-sector alliance of three global industry players, L’Oreal, the world’s largest cosmetics company, EssilorLuxottica, the multinational glasses giant, and Bouygues, an influential construction company.

Dedicated to students of ESSEC’s Master in Management program, the chair’s first class is set to graduate in September 2022.

With increasing pressure on raw materials, the tightening of industry regulations and changing consumer behaviour, companies are looking to rethink their business models in a significant  way. The circular economy provides a clear and sustainable solution that can reduce global CO₂ emissions by 45%.

The Chair aims to train future Chief Circular Economy Officers able to create and drive global circular economy strategies within all types of sectors and organisations. The Chair will contribute to the emergence of an open and international ecosystem of companies, start-ups, think tanks, academic institutions and government bodies that will contribute to the public debate for the introduction of future regulations in Europe and worldwide.

The project was initiated and launched by Pierre-Emmanuel Saint-Esprit, Executive Director of the Chair, President of the ESSEC Alumni Entrepreneurs Club and co-founder of ZACK, a start-up specialising in the circular economy, which has been named the expert partner for the chair.