Centre for Sustainability Management (CSM)

Organisational unit: Institute

Organisation profile

The Centre for Sustainability Management (CSM) at Leuphana University Lüneburg is an internationally operating centre conducting research, teaching and continuous education in the fields of entrepreneurial sustainability management, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and social entrepreneurship.

The Centre analyses causes, structures and processes of environmental, social and sustainability related problems applying concepts and methods of business management, entrepreneurial and environmental sciences. It develops integrated, sustainability solutions for companies, the economy and society by creating integrative ecological, social and economic approaches to sustainability management and entrepreneurship.

How can sustainability performance in and of companies be measured effectively and efficiently? What are relevant framework conditions for effective CSR and sustainability management? How can stakeholder relationships be managed effectively? These and other questions are examined by CSM that also deals with practical up-to-date issues such as supply chain management, biodiversity management or social businesses.

CSM offers a distance learning MBA in Sustainability Management - the first Green MBA worldwide and the leading programme for sustainability management and corporate social responsibility (CSR). The Centre is furthermore involved in developing programmes and courses on CSR and sustainability management at Leuphana University Lüneburg and other universities.

Main research areas

The CSM provides input into numerous curricular programmes and courses on CSR and sustainability management at the Leuphana University Lüneburg and at other universities. Since 2003 the CSM offers the MBA in Sustainability Management as continuous education program to educate and support ‘change agents for sustainability’ in business. In addition to the comprehensive MBA programme, there is also a modular certificate program - theCertificates of Corporate Sustainability Managementon topics such as circular economy, decarbonisation management, sustainability reporting & accounting, sustainability management in sport or sustainable supply chain management.

The Centre also makes a substantial contribution to on-campus degree programmes at the Leuphana University Lüneburg.

Continuing education programmes

The MBA in Sustainability Management is the first university MBA in sustainability management and corporate social responsibility (CSR) worldwide. The e-learning supported distance learning degree programme can be completed in either part-time (two years) or full-time (one year). The MBA in Sustainability Management is accredited according to European guidelines and leads to the internationally recognised degree "Master of Business Administration" (MBA).

The CSM is also active in a number of other international continuing education programmes in CSR and sustainability management. For years the Centre has collaborated in continuing education and distance programmes with the FernUniversität Hagen (Germany’s leading open university) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology (UMSICHT). The CSM organises the whole area of environmental management for their interdisciplinary programme of studies in environmental sciences (the Infernum Master of Science in Environmental Sciences at the UMSICHT Fraunhofer Institute).