Pursuing Sustainability in Private Sector Focused on Learning and Communication

학습과 소통의 관점에서 본 기업의 지속가능성 추구: 현황과 가능성

The study is aimed to investigate the current status of ESD(Education for Sustainable Development) programs in private sector(businesses) carried out in Korea since UN DESD was launched in 2005, For this purpose we conducted a questionnaire survey and case studies on those companies who have supposedly pursued sustainability management Results of questionnaire surveys showed that those in charge of writing sustainability reports in companies had an extremely high understanding of SO, but were not well aware of ESD. These businesses started to pursue sustainable management due to global trends and decisions of CEOs, and most of them had divisions that took charge of or are responsible for sustainable management Sustainability issues that they mainly dealt with were corporate social responsibility, energy and climate change, but other issues were being covered, too. Internal stakeholders got involved in projects related to sustainability from the planning stage. Learning on sustainable management was primarily made through information delivery, and education programs were usually conducted for staff members and executives. Those who cooperated on their sustainable development projects were mostly local communities, universities, etc. They had few ESD programs that they directly developed and carried out, and few cases of ESD-related cooperation; and in those few cases, their partners were often elementary/middle/high schools and universities. Results of ESD case studies and questionnaire surveys showed that businesses dealt with various issues of sustainable development in addition to corporate social responsibility and diversified education programs were carried out inside these companies, Business themselves, therefore, need to be considered and researched in further detail as important targets of ESD as well as supporters or cooperation partners on ESD programme.