Our Corporate
Social Responsibility

École Ducasse is proud to partner with the Île-de-France region to provide training opportunities for those who struggle to find employment.

The Île-de-France region partners with various institutions and businesses to offer skills training through the Regional Skills Investment Pact (PRIC) framework. These projects enable participants to earn professional qualifications while developing skills that are in demand.

Through this framework, École Ducasse and Groupe Ducasse have proposed a 9-month culinary arts programme for young people with little or no qualifications, starting in May 2023. The programme includes a 6-month Culinary Diploma training at École Ducasse Paris Campus followed by a 3-month internship at one of the prestigious Parisian restaurants of Groupe Ducasse. 

11 residents of the Île-de-France region, aged between 18 and 40, are participating in the first edition of the programme. With most having an education below the baccalaureate level, they face difficulties in finding employment opportunities. Some have worked in restaurants before, while others are completely new to the industry – but all share a passion for the culinary arts.

For participants, this initiative represents a great opportunity to gain a professional qualification and practical experience in the culinary arts, while opening the doors to future careers.

We undertake ongoing monitoring to measure our CSR performance through a detailed annual ESG reporting. In addition to that, we launched our first Carbon Footprint assessment in 2021, measuring our direct and indirect greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions using European and global standards such as ADEME. More recently, we participated in the EU Taxonomy assessment for sustainable activities which is a classification system established to clarify which investments are environmentally sustainable.

Marbella campus follows SGE21 – the first European standard that allows the implementation, auditing and certification of an ethical and socially responsible management system. SGE21 covers areas such as organization governance, people, customers, investors and supply chain.

The campus is also committed to following the standards set by ISO 14001, which is a global and sector-independent standard for the introduction and continual improvement of Environmental Management Systems in companies around the world. 

Unique at the European level, Swiss Triple Impact (STI) is a 3-year programme initiated by the non-profit organisation B Lab Switzerland and supported by several key partners, such as the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.

Sommet Education has participated in STI since 2020. As the first educational organisation to join STI, we take pride in forming part of this initiative for social and environmental good, and working with B Lab Switzerland and other key actors to build a sustainable future together.

The STI helps participating enterprises in Switzerland to:

• Measure their contributions towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• Identify opportunities for improvement
• Take concrete action

All with the aim of stimulating innovation and developing a resilient economy in the Swiss ecosystem.

As educators, Sommet Education is committed to doing what’s best for future generations. Ensuring that we engage responsibly with all commercial relations – including suppliers, subcontractors, agents, consultants and external business partners – is crucial to our mission.

We live in an age of increased transparency and awareness of the need for responsible, sustainable action. We make ethical choices as part of our day-to-day decisions – and expect business partners to uphold the same high standards.

As part of our CSR mission, we have completely reviewed our Code of Conduct and Ethics for Commercial Relations (available in English and French), developing a new framework that explains our principles and the environmental, social and governance criteria that reflect our CSR strategy.

Just as our Code of Conduct and Ethics for Employees establishes principles of appropriate behaviour and ethical conduct for Sommet Education employees, this new Code sets similar standards from suppliers.

We have also fully reviewed our Internal Procurement Procedure, which applies to any type of purchase carried out by Sommet Education.

On campuses in Crans-Montana, Switzerland and Marbella, Spain, Les Roches has established the Spark Innovation Sphere to foster the future of hospitality. As part of Spark, Les Roches and the Association of Crans-Montana Municipalities (ACMM) have teamed up in a new public-private partnership to work towards the common goal of developing a sustainable economy beyond tourism.

Founded in October 2020, Spark is both an incubation centre and a place dedicated to applied research. It is an open space for technology experts, Gen-Z students, entrepreneurs, innovators, start-ups and global as well as local companies. The purpose of this innovation cluster is to co-create the services and products of tomorrow's hospitality by reinventing the customer experience. While addressing industry challenges, students and businesses are encouraged to develop socially and environmentally responsible solutions.

The new multidisciplinary Spark Innovation Sphere reinforces Les Roches' commitment to nurturing innovation and entrepreneurship while building a sustainable future. At the same time, Spark contributes to the dynamism and economic development of Crans-Montana and Marbella by bringing new expertise, companies and innovation to these regions.