EDHEC Centre for Net Positive Business

Created as part of the new Generations 2050 strategic plan, the EDHEC Centre for Net Positive Business (CNPB) is dedicated to one key ambition: to provide companies with the means to have a net positive impact - i.e. to give back more than they take - on people and the planet.

It aims to create a universally accepted measurement framework for net positive impact, either through strategic partnerships or by developing proprietary methodologies.

It also promotes transformational change by supporting collaborative, regenerative business models.

Additionally, the Centre uses foresight and future-back thinking to help industries overcome systemic barriers - especially in supply chains and market structures - that hinder the shift to a regenerative economy.

THE NECESSARY ACCELERATION OF NET POSITIVE INITIATIVES

At a time when environmental, social and economic crises are intensifying, traditional business models that aim (at best) to minimise damage are gradually but surely proving inadequate.

Yet the central role that companies must play in mitigating climate change is indisputable, and society's expectations of corporate leadership in sustainable development are growing ever stronger. Consumers, investors and employees are indeed demanding that companies go beyond compliance and incremental improvements to adopt transformative and positive strategies.

Net Positive Business embodies this transformative approach to corporate responsibility. Following the notion introduced and popularised by Paul Polman and Andrew Winston, the concept refers to companies that create tangible benefits in ecosystems, communities and economies — giving back more than they take, while fostering long-term value that extends beyond shareholders.

However, the journey to becoming net positive is complex. The lack of standardized metrics for measuring impact can lead to confusion and concerns about greenwashing. Financial markets often prioritize short-term gains, discouraging long-term sustainability investments. Internally, businesses have to deal with productivism models that are slow to change and must overcome cultural resistance.

Against this backdrop, the EDHEC Centre for Net Positive Business (CNPB) aims to provide a clear pathway forward. By integrating advanced foresight methodologies, standardized measurement frameworks, and collaborative ecosystems, it seeks to redefine how businesses measure and create value and put this philosophy in a systemic motion.

A CENTRE AT THE CROSSROADS OF INTELLECTUAL AND OPERATIONAL EXPERTISE

Created as a central expression of one of the 3 structural ambitions of Generations 2050 – EDHEC’s strategic plan for 2024-2028 – the Centre for Net Positive Business is rooted in the school's history and its impact culture.

It brings together an ambitious team, which will rely on existing projects - starting with the FIT Chair and the UNESCO Chair -, collaborations within the EDHEC ecosystem - notably with the EDHEC Centre for Responsible Entrepreneurship - and with new partners, as well as on the multiplier capacities of its students and alumni.

EDHEC CPNB’s team

Director: Rene Rohrbeck

Managing Director: Axel Tagliavini

Affiliated members

Denis Dauchy

Gianfranco Gianfrate

Sachin Kamble

Karin Kollenz

Ignat Kulkov

Thomas B. Long

Yasmine Machwate

Justine Soudier

Madlen Sobkowiak

Pascale Taddei

Staff members

Aziz Kaouech

Alix La Cotte

Antonin Lafaix

Sylvie Larde

Vinit Srivastava

Pushpa Tiwari

THE 3 PILLARS USED TO INITIATE SYSTEMIC CHANGES

EDHEC’s approach to Net Positive Business stands out for its ability to address economics misalignments by defining practical pathways for organisations to drive systemic progress.

The strategy is built on three pillars — Measure, Engage, and Transform — offering a rich ecosystem and clear roadmap for businesses to achieve net positive impact, thanks to the transformation in mindset and capability across academic, corporate, and public sectors.

Measure

The objective is to build an evolving measurement framework that informs decision-making by revealing both immediate performance and long-term impact trajectories. By establishing partnerships and research chairs, the CNPB will give itself the means to go beyond traditional metrics while quantifying regenerative impact.

This evolving research agenda ensures cross-sector alignment and helps businesses gain early access to cutting-edge methodologies, giving them a competitive edge in sustainability.

Engage

The objective is to translate measurement frameworks into industry-specific contexts (after having identified them) that resonate with organizational realities (therefore in close collaboration with them).

Away from the one-size-fits-all approach, the Centre aims at designing targeted, step-by-step projects that recognize different levels of sustainability readiness within industries. To do so, “Conscious, Capable, and Collaborative” actors have been identified and will be joined by others in the coming months.

Transform

The objective is to equip partners to navigate complexity while maintaining direction toward net-positive outcomes. In other words, the Centre will help businesses progressively internalize net-positive principles until they become self-reinforcing elements, bringing both clarity and capability.

Foresight methodology is central to this process, providing organizations with anticipatory tools to navigate evolving systems and gain a competitive edge by proactively responding to emerging risks. The existing initiatives and partnerships, led by Prof. Rene Rohrbeck for more than 5 years at EDHEC, are a major asset here.

RESEARCH & DISSEMINATION

Academic articles

List currently being compiled

EDHEC Vox Magazine

Discover the brand-new version of the EDHEC Vox magazine, with the 15th issue that puts together articles and interviews on Net positive business models.

“As a leading business school, our responsibility is immense”

(page 8) An interview with Emmanuel Métais - Dean of EDHEC Business School

Going beyond CSR: a necessity

An article with insights from Ludovic Cailluet - Professor, Associate Dean, EDHEC Centre for Responsible Entrepreneurship and René Rohrbeck - Professor, Director of the EDHEC Centre for Net Positive Business

Large companies at the forefront of the sustainability challenge

(page 30) An article with insights from Thomas B. Long – Associate Professor

"Supporting and encouraging positive change at the system level is never easy or linear"

An interview with René Rohrbeck - Professor, Director of the EDHEC Centre for Net Positive Business

Accounting goes green

(page 38) An article with insights from Madlen Sobkowiak - Associate Professor, Director of the MSc Global & Sustainable Business

Responsible entrepreneurship, european style

An article with insights from Yasmine Machwate – Head of EDHEC incubators and Justine Soudier - Deputy Director of the EDHEC Centre for Responsible Entrepreneurship, East Coast Director of EDHEC America

From a company’s purpose to the personal

(page 46) An article with insights from Geert Demuijnck - Professor

EDHEC Vox dialogues

On Tuesday, July 2, 2024, EDHEC Business School's Paris campus hosted the first edition of the EDHEC Vox Dialogues. The aim of this new series of conferences is to provide a space for reflection and discussion in line with the key priorities of the school's new 2024-28 strategic plan. For the first theme - "Reinventing business to regenerate the planet: a challenge for the 2050 generation?" - EDHEC invited professors from the school, representatives from the business world, and philosopher and essayist Gaspard Koenig to sketch out possible answers to this vast question.

With interventions of Ludovic Cailluet - Professor, Associate Dean, EDHEC Centre for Responsible Entrepreneurship, Sophie Chassat - Senior VP of Sustainability at Accuracy, Emery Jacquillat - President of CAMIF, Co-founder of the French Communauté des Entreprises à Mission, Gaspard Koenig - Philosopher, Essayist, Author of Humus (Éditions de l’Observatoire, 2023) and Olga Kokshagina - Associate Professor, Member of the Foresight, Innovation and Transformation Chair & Management in Innovative Health Chair (Ninti Co-founder)