The Clinic: Corporate social responsability and innovation (RISE)

In a context of implementation of the European Green Deal and increasing European Union regulations on sustainable finance, the project aims to offer financial players an operational definition of “sustainable investment”. The analysis focuses more precisely on a comparative analysis of the SFDR and Taxonomy regulations, their specificities and blind spots with regard to the notion of sustainable investment.

The final deliverable is an analysis and synthesis of the European regulatory framework for sustainable investment which takes into account both (i) the associated regulations and texts, (ii) the recommendations of the national financial authorities (in particular the AMF in France), and (iii) the potential new legal implications for financial players.

• Partner : EthiFinance 
• Tutors : Mélinée Aprikian and Elodie Bou Antoun 

La Banque Postale Asset Management (LBPAM) places socially responsible investment (SRI) at the heart of its investment strategy. The objective of the 2023-2024 project is to deepen LBPAM's understanding of the specificities linked to business activities in India and the indicators that can be developed to better take them into account in the investment process. Indeed, if India attracts more and more foreign companies and investments, the country faces numerous risks in terms of human rights: from workers' rights to major social inequalities within Indian society, the challenges are numerous, and it is necessary for companies to understand them in order to implement a responsible approach that respects human rights when they develop their activities.

Students participating in the project are tasked with conducting an in-depth study on the risks in terms of human rights and businesses in India, both from a legal point of view (business & human rights standards, protection of workers' rights, women's equality - men and castes etc.;) and practical. The project’s aim is to map human rights risks by sectors of activity in order to determine relevant indicators to improve the integration of these themes in the ESG rating of companies.

• Partner : La Banque Postale Asset Management (LBPAM)
• Tutor : Elena Divry 

In a context of increased expectations from stakeholders regarding measures aimed at avoiding negative human rights impacts, increasing attention must be focused on controlling these impacts.

The objective of the project is to study the specificities of human rights impacts and their control in the use of virtual reality technology. One of the objectives will be a multidisciplinary approach to assess these risks by including different expertise and visions of the subject.

• Partner : L'Oréal SA 
• Tutor : Maxime BELINGHERI

This is a joint clinic project with the HEDG and DIGILAW clinic programmes.

Made In Tracker is a young DeepTech startup company that has developed a disruptive solution to offer a global traceability system based on blockchain and generative artificial intelligence. This system aims at enabling customers to know the impacts and origins of the products they buy, while limiting greenwashing practices on labels.

In a changing legislative and regulatory context at the European level, the project aims at gaining a better understanding of current and future rules on traceability and the importiing of critical raw materials, such as the digital product passport, and the ban on importing products derived from deforestation or forced labor. 

Students are tasked with analyzing this proliferating legal framework to enable Made In Tracker to identify the critical features for its product. They are also asked to deepen their work with a case study on the textile sector.

• Partner: Made in Tracker 
• Tutor : Evangéline Mure

The project aims at providing a comparative analysis of enforcement approaches relating to mandatory responsible business conduct legislation. It identifies the key trends of these enforcement approaches, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of the relevant legislations, and comparing expectations of the authorities in terms of the due diligence conducted by companies.

It also includes identification of best practices and policy recommendations for effective enforcement of responsible business conduct due diligence legislation.

The students carry out desk-based research and conduct interviews with public officials and NGOs.

• Partner: Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
• Tutor: Adèle Bourgin 

The project "Working with Governments to promote responsible business practices" proposed by the OECD aims to support governments in the practical implementation of the OECD Recommendation on the Role of Governments in Promoting Responsible Business Conduct (RBC), adopted on December 12, 2022.

As part of this project, students conduct research and analyze policies implemented by OECD Member States that are in line with the principles set out in the Recommendation, in various fields including : trade policy, investment, development cooperation, public procurement and the management of state-owned enterprises.

• Partner : Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
• Tutor : Georvi Simalungana

To deal with global warming, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote adaptation to the ongoing effects, financial resources and viable investments are essential.

In the context of significant debt, these investments cannot be fully supported by the public sector. Hence the need to involve the private sector, and more specifically savings, a powerful lever for financing the economy; this is the subject of what is commonly called “sustainable finance”.

Despite strong development in sustainable finance for several years, regulations imposing obligations on French companies relating to the sustainability of their activities, investments and investments are today criticized for their lack of clarity.

This clinical project aims to provide a better understanding of these regulations, by means of an attempt to determine the elements allowing an investment to be qualified as “sustainable”. It will make this regulation accessible so that interested players (funds, insurance companies, banks, regulators, savers, etc.) can take hold of it and become, in turn, “players” in this transformation.

• Partner : Lisa Fitoussi, General secretary of Prepar Vie and affiliate Professor at the Sciences Po Law school 
• Tutors : Lisa Fitoussi and Victor Steinberg