Certificate in Sustainability and ESG Criteria

MODULE I. CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK OF SUSTAINABILITY

Academic Coordinator / Professor: Juan José Cádenas

Duration: 8 hours of real-time class

Learning Objective: Develop a comprehensive understanding of the interrelationship between the origin, evolution, and current context of the principles of the United Nations Global Compact, as well as their projection beyond the 2030 Agenda towards a vision for 2050, with a specific focus on integrating the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into corporate strategy and incorporating ESG (environmental, social, and governance) aspects to effectively manage associated risks.

Module Content:

• Planetary Boundaries, Anthropocene & Current Context "Big Problem"
• Current sustainability issues and processes generation for 2050
• Triple Impact or Green Growth, Beyond ESGs
• Companies as agents of change – regeneration
• Adaptive changes: How to break the rigidity trap?
• Practical cases

MODULE II. SUSTAINABILITY MANAGEMENT IN CORPORATE STRATEGY

Academic Coordinator / Professor: Vanessa Madrid Bañes

Duration: 8 hours

Learning Objective: Develop a deep understanding of the difference between sustainability and ESG criteria, assessing their similarity and the need for implementation in companies. Explore the origins and motivations behind these practices, as well as understand the importance of dialogue with stakeholders and the integration of ESG into business management. Learn to use reports effectively to communicate sustainable actions, and analyze internal and external communication strategies to convey commitment to sustainability, its economic and social impact on the company.

Module Content:

• Sustainability and ESG: Are they the same? Option or obligation? Origins, strategic importance, and motivations.
• Relationship and dialogue with stakeholders
• Integration of ESG into business management
• Making the most of reporting
• External and internal communication strategies
• The business case for sustainability

MODULE III. INTERPRETATION AND MEASUREMENT OF ESG

Academic Coordinator / Professor: Ricardo Cuba García

Duration: 15 hours

Learning Objective: Develop an understanding of the 21st-century business context, focusing on sustainability terms, standards, and criteria, as well as the impact of sustainable finance and the implementation of ESG principles. Acquire specific knowledge about sustainability indices such as the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) and Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA), in addition to understanding compliance schemes in environmental, social, and governance aspects. Learn to identify key aspects of sustainability through materiality processes and conduct audits to assess and improve business practices in this area.

Module Content:

• Business context: 21st-century view
• Terms, standards, and criteria surrounding sustainability
• Sustainable finance and its impact
• Introduction to ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance)
• Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) and Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA)
• Compliance schemes: Environmental Criteria, Social Criteria, Governance Criteria
• Materiality processes development
• Sustainability Auditing

MODULE IV. DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF ESG SUSTAINABILITY PLAN

Academic Coordinator / Professor: Alonso Hidalgo

Duration: 10 hours

Learning Objective: Develop skills to understand, design, and implement an ESG sustainability plan in an organization. This involves understanding the importance and benefits of the plan, conducting context and materiality analyses, defining a strategy aligned with the company, establishing a dashboard, and offering conclusions and recommendations for an effective long-term plan.

Module Content:

• What is a sustainability plan and why is it important?
• Benefits of implementing an ESG sustainability plan
• Development of the ESG sustainability plan
• Context analysis. Internal and external analysis (competitive benchmarking) of the organization
• Materiality analysis
• Definition of the ESG sustainability strategy. Alignment with corporate strategy
• Definition of the dashboard and plan monitoring
• Conclusions and recommendations for developing an effective sustainability plan

MODULE V. SUSTAINABILITY REPORTING

Academic Coordinator / Professor: José Miguel Iturralde

Duration: 9 hours

Learning Objective: Obtain a deep understanding of responsible communication in sustainability, the role of Rating Agencies and Sustainability Indices. Also, learn about sustainability reporting tools and the process of preparing reports according to the GRI standard. Additionally, analyze the ESG report and its impacts on communication and reputation of an organization, considering its influence on public perception and stakeholder relations.

Module Content:

• The importance of responsible communication
• Rating Agencies and Sustainability Indices
• Sustainability reporting tools
• The process of preparing a sustainability report according to the GRI standard
• ESG reporting and its implications in communication and reputation

Evaluation Mechanism

• Module 1: Sustainability Cards - 10%
• Module 2: Quiz and Case Resolution - 15%
• Module 3: Quiz and Forum Participation - 30%
• Module 4: Quiz and Forum Participation - 15%
• Module 5: Quiz and Forum Participation - 10%
• Zoom Sessions (attendance and participation): Students must attend at least 80% of the sessions - 20%

Certificate of Approval

At the end of the course, participants must meet a minimum of 80% total attendance of the program as well as pass the assessment components with a minimum of 80%.

If these conditions are met, the Universidad San Francisco de Quito will issue a certificate for the number of academic hours completed.

The Universidad San Francisco de Quito will award a digital badge for the academic achievements obtained as a participant. This badge is a digital version of the academic certificate which can be shared online in a more efficient manner and serves as a reliable method for verifying certification in real-time.

General Public Rate: $720
Early Payment Rate 1: $620 (until March 20)
Early Payment Rate 2: $650 (until March 29)

Payment for the program can be made through the following methods:

* The program coordination reserves the right to suspend or reschedule the activity if it does not have the minimum required number of students or due to force majeure reasons. In such cases, the full amount of money will be refunded to enrolled students as soon as possible.