One of the main thrusts of our ‘Horizons’ strategy is based on our actions to promote our campus. A sustainable campus that exemplifies our commitment to setting an example. This means implementing a low-carbon strategy aimed at reducing our greenhouse gas emissions, adapting our campus to future environmental impacts and reducing other environmental impacts (notably biodiversity and resources).
Why a low-carbon strategy?
A global observation
The increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases (GHGs), particularly CO2, in the atmosphere has already led to global warming of more than 1.1°C compared with the pre-industrial era, and could reach +6 to +7°C by the end of the century (by way of comparison, the last ice age was only 4 to 5°C colder than the pre-industrial era).
The consequences of this sudden rise in temperature are threatening the development of our societies. To reduce global warming and its impact as much as possible, it is therefore imperative that we limit our greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as possible.
With this in mind, the French government has adopted a strategy (SNBC) and has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 compared with 1990 levels, with the aim of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. At international level, the Paris Agreement, signed by 195 countries in 2015, aims to keep global warming “well below 2 °C compared to pre-industrial levels and to continue action to limit the rise in temperatures to 1.5 °C”. These two agreements mean that we must reduce our GHG emissions by 5 to 10% per year (depending on the scenarios and assumptions) from now on.
A regulatory obligation
Public institutions are legally required to publish their GHG emissions report every three years. In other words, they must measure the GHG emissions generated by all their activities.
Our response: an annual carbon report
Aware of this global situation, we have not waited for the regulatory obligation of 2023 to carry out our GHG assessment, from 2019, in order to objectify all of our high emission activities and identify the various levers for reducing them. At ISAE-SUPAERO, we have gone even further, as part of our “Horizons” plan, by calculating and publishing our GHG emissions balance every year.
Our carbon assessment was carried out over a wide area, including international mobility (students and staff). We have identified six priority areas:
- purchasing
- mobility
- energy
- food
- digital,
- fixed assets.
Since 2019, we have been carrying out an annual carbon footprint and calculating the quantities of greenhouse gases emitted by all our activities, according to 6 categories:
- purchasing
- travel
- energy
- fixed assets
- refrigeration production
- waste.
This allows us to monitor our emissions as closely as possible and to direct our actions to limit them.
Our results
Our work is bearing fruit and our actions are moving in the right direction, since thanks to numerous efforts, our institute's emissions have been falling since 2019. In 2023, ISAE-SUPAERO emitted 8,925 tCO2e. This is equivalent to driving around the world 1,160 times. This is the average annual carbon footprint of 990 French people. Our target for 2023 was to emit less than 9,200 tCO2e, so we've achieved our goal!
Marie-Hélène Baroux President of ISAE-SUPAERO
Our purchases
4,910 tCO2e | 55%
The emissions linked to our purchases are mainly due to the extraction of raw materials, the energy spent on manufacturing and transport.
This item includes all the data for which we do not have quantitative information and for which we therefore use monetary data. In other words, we translate euros spent directly into quantities of CO2e emitted. This method is not very reliable. This item also includes meals. In 2023, 175,000 meals were consumed, emitting 476 kgCO2e.
Our commitments to reduce this item
- Systematically ask suppliers to provide an assessment of the GHG emissions associated with their offers.
- Rely as much as possible (and always more) on physical data rather than monetary data to obtain more reliable data.
- Within each purchasing segment, identify purchases with a high GHG impact, propose actions to reduce this impact and implement them in our purchasing action plan.
Where we travel
1,665 tCO2e | 19%
All our journeys count and have a major impact on the school’s overall carbon footprint: commuting, business travel and student travel (home, work experience, etc.).
Our commitments to reduce this impact
- Encourage the use of alternative modes of transport: cycling, car-pooling, public transport, train.
- Encourage videoconferencing.
- Organise an inter-departmental competition / CO2e emissions per person.
- Restrict work placements to Europe.
Our energy
930 tCO2e | 10%
Around 60% of our energy emissions are linked to heat consumption, around 38% to electricity consumption for servers, IT equipment, scientific equipment, lighting, etc, and 2% to gas consumption by the restaurant.
Between 2019 and 2023, our emissions from heating will fall from 1.6 tCO2e to 0.33 tCO2e. This is due to the fact that we are switching from gas boilers to the district heating network and to the use of waste heat. Since 2022, our school has been connected to the Plaine Campus heating network. This network takes advantage of the heat generated by waste incineration at the Mirail waste recovery plant and by the Espace Clément Ader supercomputer.
Our commitments to reduce this item
- Renovation work: insulation, technical management of the building, relamping, introduction of a system to monitor consumption, heat recovery from the refrigeration units.
- Setting up an energy-saving working group to consider and make proposals on :
- modernisation of the campus (generalisation of automated management of heating, lighting and IT equipment),
- the organisation of working hours and use of premises (distribution of days when the campus is closed, impact of teleworking, use of the most energy-intensive equipment (wind tunnels)),
- empowering teams that consume energy by decentralising the “fluids” budget.
The impact of transport on greenhouse gas emissions
Transport currently accounts for almost 30% of France’s greenhouse gas emissions. According to INSEE and SDES, journeys between home and work alone account for almost 17.4 million tonnes of carbon equivalent emitted each year, or around 13% of transport-related emissions (excluding international air and sea transport). 98% of these emissions are caused by the car.
Our mobility diagnostic
At ISAE-SUPAERO in 2023, our home-to-work journeys accounted for almost 5.5% of the establishment’s emissions. It is the 4th largest source of emissions. This is why it has been essential to act on this lever and reduce the individual use of thermal cars.
At ISAE-SUPAERO, we have commissioned a mobility diagnostic to be carried out in 2022, in order to understand the commuting habits of our students and staff.
Our figures
Our Institute’s staff are fairly active, with 38% of journeys made by bicycle (37% by car, 12% by public transport, 2% car-pooling). These figures reinforce our determination to take action and promote soft mobility on our campus.
Our soft alternatives
The first alternative to the individual use of the internal combustion engine car that we can encourage is cycling. As our Institute is located close to the Canal du Midi, it is very easy to get to by bike, scooter or rollerblade. To encourage the use of bicycles, our school offers a number of facilities (over 500 bicycle parking spaces, repair points, showers, etc.), training in the use of bicycles and road safety by bicycle, etc.
As cycling and transport are not always the best options for some staff members, in January 2022 our Institute installed 8 charging points for electric cars, each with 2 charging points, enabling 16 electric vehicles to be charged.
Encouraging sustainable travel on our campus
Our ISAE-SUPAERO campus, located close to the Canal du Midi, offers our staff and students the opportunity to cycle to work or courses.
Today, our school has a fairly active cycling population, representing around 20% of staff/students. This figure can be explained by the layout of the site, including a huge cycle park that benefits everyone, as well as numerous direct access points to the Canal du Midi.
Allons-Y A Vélo
Our school also took part in the "AYAV" (Allons-Y A vélo) operation. This operation offers companies the opportunity to challenge themselves for a week by encouraging as many of their employees as possible to cycle to work.
At ISAE-SUPAERO, we were awarded first prize in 2018.
The AYAV operation was initiated in 2005 by the Association Vélo Toulouse, and is now organised twice a year, in winter and spring, by Deux Pieds Deux Roues and the Maison du Vélo. The campaign is run via a network of motivated representatives in companies, government departments, schools and colleges in the Toulouse region.
Together with our catering service provider, Elior, we have introduced a number of measures aimed at achieving sustainable catering on our campus:
- waste sorting
- regular measurement of food waste
- a vegetarian menu offered every day.
Towards more carbon-free menus
Vegetarian dishes for people who prefer to eat without meat or fish are served daily. This stand attracts almost 35% of users. This action has a significant impact on greenhouse gas emissions, given that a vegetarian meal emits almost 14 times less than a meal with red meat.
In 2024, ISAE-SUPAERO and Elior have experimented with an even more assertive approach to decarbonisation with the 'Good & Green' project!
The ecological transition at ISAE-SUPAERO
The ecological transition is an important and growing issue on our ISAE-SUPAERO campus, with the publication of the “Horizons” roadmap, which puts environmental issues at the heart of our school’s commitment. Against this backdrop of growing environmental awareness, our BDE’s environment department has been organising the annual ‘Green Campus Week’ since 2022.
A week to raise awareness
During this week, our students and staff are invited to take part in workshops, conferences, challenges, etc. The aim of the week is to make participants aware of the ecological emergency and to show that it is possible to have a low-carbon lifestyle without falling into deprivation and frustration.
In 2024
Campus Green Week took place from 8 to 12 January. Lectures were held every evening. Lectures by Arthur Keller, a specialist in systemic risks, and Julien Marcinkowski, an alumnus of ISAE-SUPAERO, in particular, attracted many participants. The challenges were also very popular with both students and teacher-researchers.
In 2025
Campus Green Week took place from 20 to 26 January.
Related Content
Pages
Meeting Environmental ChallengesCrossing the Atlantic in an aeroplane or sending a human being to the Moon: for a century, aerospace research has never ceased to achieve what many thought impossible. At ISAE-SUPAERO, we are mobilising to meet this challenge and respond to the environmental and societal issues we face. 35% of internal and collaborative research projects are directly aimed at decarbonisation or are linked to the transition to sustainable aerospace by 2024.
Horizons
Sustainability
News
Decarbonisation of aviation: ISAE-SUPAERO launches training programme for professionals with GIFASThis one-day training course aims to help employees in the aeronautics sector play an active and informed role in the decarbonisation of the sector. The first two sessions will be held on Thursday 3 April 2025 in Toulouse and Thursday 10 April 2025 in Paris.
Aeronautics
Decarbonization
Programme
News
Decarbonised aviation: first successful flight test for the hydrogen-powered Mermoz droneIn January, the first ‘Drone Mermoz’ demonstrator carrying hydrogen gas, developed by ISAE-SUPAERO in partnership with H3 DYNAMICS, successfully completed its first radio-controlled flight on the runway of the Muret model aircraft club in the Toulouse region (31).
Decarbonization
Sustainability
News
The project for an unmanned, zero-emission aircraft to cross the South AtlanticInnovation
Researcher
Sustainability
Videos
Energy efficiency at ISAE-SUPAEROISAE-SUPAERO is fully committed to reducing its environmental footprint, particularly its energy consumption and dependence on fossil fuels. Since 2019, our campus has been evolving to improve the energy performance of our buildings. Let's find out together how this progress is being translated, the actions that have been put in place and our objectives for the future. To find out more: https://www.isae-supaero.fr/fr/horizons-186/vivre-un-campus-bas-carbone/vivre-un-campus-bas-carbone/
Corporate responsibility
Horizons
Sustainability
News
OSE L'ISAE-SUPAERO: a long-term commitmentDiversity program
Sustainability
News
COP2 Student: ISAE-SUPAERO affirms its commitment to ecological transition by signing the Grenoble AgreementSustainability
News
ISAE-SUPAERO and ENAC are collaborating on the design of a 100% digital degree programme in English on the subject of aviation transitions!ISAE-SUPAERO and ENAC train engineers with a high level of scientific expertise, humanistic values and innovative skills to master the complex challenges of tomorrow's world in the fields of aerospace and air transport.
Decarbonization
Sustainability
News
Work on decarbonising aviation recognised by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)Paul Saves, a doctoral student at ISAE-SUPAERO/ONERA, has won the 2022 Best Paper Award from the AIAA for his work in Multidisciplinary Design Optimization (MDO).
Decarbonization
Sustainability
News
World Engineer Day 2020: a young alumni puts his engineering skills to work for the climateOn the occasion of ‘World Engineer Day 2020,’ which focuses on the theme of sustainable development, we present the profile of Maxime Efoui Hess.
Alumni
Portrait
Presentation
News
Aviation and Climate: an assessment of transition scenarios for sustainable aviation compatible with the Paris AgreementIn 2021, ISAE-SUPAERO researchers Scott Delbecq, Jérôme Fontane, Nicolas Gourdain, Florian Simatos and Thomas Planès published the ‘Aviation and Climate’ report, summarising international scientific publications in order to provide the scientific information needed to understand the challenges of decarbonising air transport.
Aeronautics
DCAS
Decarbonization
News
Carbon neutrality: What strategy should ISAE-SUPAERO adopt?Sustainability
Pages
Our Challenge for the Environmental TransitionAt ISAE-SUPAERO, we are committed to a sustainable society through “Horizons” in the field of environmental transition. Supported by a manifesto and a carbon footprint, our strategy mobilizes researchers, teachers, staff, and students to accelerate the transition and design the low-carbon aeronautics of tomorrow.
Horizons
Sustainability
News
AeroMAPS: the go-to tool for exploring the possible futures of aviationThe AeroMAPS tool, developed by researchers at ISAE-SUPAERO, makes it possible to assess the environmental impacts of air transport and the effectiveness or limitations of levers for decarbonising the sector.
Aeronautics
DCAS
Decarbonization
Pages
Training for the FutureAt ISAE-SUPAERO, we train our students to meet the challenge of the energy transition. By supporting them in their systems approach, their ability to master complex systems and their commitment to public debate, we give them the keys to inventing the world of tomorrow.
Horizons
Sustainability
News
ISAE-SUPAERO awarded Sustainable Development and Corporate Social Responsibility (SD&CSR) labelThe Institute has been awarded the label "Développement Durable et Responsabilité Sociétale" (DD&RS), official recognition of its environmental and societal strategy. By obtaining this label, our school confirms its determination to make the ecological and social transition a lever for innovation in training, the transformation of industrial sectors and the evolution of practices in everyday life on campus.
Corporate responsibility
Label
Social responsibility
News
ISAE-SUPAERO publishes its carbon footprint assessmentThe average French person emits 9 tonnes of CO2e per year. In order to comply with the Paris Agreement and limit global warming to +1.5°C, the carbon footprint must be reduced to 2 tonnes of CO2e per person per year by 2050.
Sustainability
News
Our partners are going green!Partner
Sustainability
News
AeroMAPS: a tool for assessing the environmental impacts of the aviation sector's transitionISAE-SUPAERO has released AeroMAPS, an open-source tool for modelling transition scenarios for the aviation sector. The result of three years of research at the Institute, it enables users to accurately assess the effectiveness of different impact reduction strategies in relation to international commitments to combat climate change.
Decarbonization
Sustainability
Videos
HORIZONS, ISAE-SUPAERO's renewed sustainable development strategyAt ISAE-SUPAERO, environmental issues are at the heart of our commitment. We are therefore mobilizing our teaching skills and scientific expertise to help build the aeronautical and space components of this sustainable society, and in particular to invent the low-carbon air transport of tomorrow.
Horizons
Sustainability
Pages
Innovating in a World of Transition - SafranThe challenges facing the aerospace industry (energy transition, New Space, digitalization) are driving a growing need for professionals with the ability to innovate. Against this backdrop, Safran and ISAE-SUPAERO are creating the Innovating in a World in Transition Chair.
Aeronautics
Aerospace
Chair
News
ISAE-SUPAERO participates in the Futurs Proches festivalISAE-SUPAERO, in partnership with the University of Toulouse, invites you to join us on Thursday, 3 October for the Futurs Proches Festival, a festival celebrating campuses in transition. Naturalist walks, escape games focusing on disability, presentation of the Aviation Climate Reference Framework, and more. Discover our campus programme!
Sustainability
Testimonials
Testimony from Nathanaël Lecompte, 2021 alumni of the ISAE-SUPAERO engineering programmeAlumni
Sustainability
Testimonial
News
ISAE-SUPAERO expands its collaboration with TU Delft on sustainable aviationDuring President Macron's state visit to the Netherlands, five agreements were signed to strengthen collaboration between the two countries in the field of science and technology. Among them, an agreement between TU Delft and France provides for close collaboration between ISAE-SUPAERO and TU Delft in the field of sustainable aviation.
Decarbonization
Partnership
Sustainability
News
Electric aircraft flights to raise awareness of carbon-free aviationIn June, twenty-four students and staff members from ISAE-SUPAERO had the opportunity to fly on the Velis Electro, the world's first certified 100% electric aircraft.
Aeronautics
Decarbonization
Sustainability
News
ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) Congress: Laurent Joly, Deputy Director of Research at ISAE-SUPAERO, talks about the Institute's commitmentsEvent
Sustainability
News
Corentin Lefloch, an engineering student, wins first prize at the USAIRE STUDENT AWARDS for his ideas on the future of aviationPrize
Sustainability
Pages
Job offersAeronautics
Aerospace
AI
Pages
Understanding the Issues via our Aviation and Climate Reference FrameworkCan we characterise the impact of aviation on the climate? What are the aviation and climate issues? Can we compare CO2 and non-CO2 effects? What technological solutions are being studied to make aviation sustainable? Can we link the rate of growth in air traffic to the proportion of the carbon budget devoted to aviation? Can we assess the energy resources available?
Horizons
Sustainability
News
ISAE-SUPAERO Environmental Engineering Certificate: training engineers in the challenges of environmental and energy transitionsAeronautics
Certification
Sustainability
News
The Institute is involved in the ecological transition of the aerospace ecosystemAerospace
Meeting
Sustainability
News
Horizon Europe Pathfinder, the European IPROP projectEnvironmental issues are central to the strategy of ISAE-SUPAERO's Department of Research and Pedagogical Resources. This commitment is reflected in its participation in IPROP, Ionic Propulsion in Atmosphere, one of the European research projects on decarbonisation in aviation.
Decarbonization
Sustainability
News
Our alumni have their say: Meeting with Nathanaël Lecompte (S2021)Nathanaël is a recent graduate of ISAE-SUPAERO with a degree in engineering. Of all the opportunities available to him, he chose to pursue a career in renewable energy. He explains his motivations and his career path!
Sustainability
Testimonial
News
Clean Aviation – the European HERA projectEnvironmental issues are central to the strategy of ISAE-SUPAERO's Department of Research and Pedagogical Resources. This commitment is reflected in its participation in HERA, Hybrid Electric Regional Aircraft, one of the European research projects on decarbonising aviation.
Decarbonization
Sustainability
News
ISAE-SUPAERO launches “Horizons”, its new Sustainable Development strategyISAE Group
Sustainability
Pages
Institute for Sustainable AviationCreated in 2021 on the initiative of internationally renowned academic institutions with longstanding academic expertise in aeronautics and air transport, the ISA is an institute dedicated to the challenges of aviation's transition to sustainability.
Aeronautics
Aviation
Decarbonization
News
Clean Aviation – The European CONCERTO projectEnvironmental issues are central to the strategy of ISAE-SUPAERO's Department of Research and Pedagogical Resources. This commitment is reflected in its participation in CONCERTO (Construction Of Novel CERTification MethOds and Means of Compliance for Disruptive Technologies), one of the European research projects on decarbonisation in aviation.
Decarbonization
Sustainability
News
Nicolas Cruaud, Engineer at ISAE-SUPAERO and co-founder of the start-up NéolitheMeeting
Presentation
Startup
News
Investing and committing to training and research to meet the challenges of the energy transitionISAE-SUPAERO and the ISAE-SUPAERO Foundation work together and take their share of responsibility for addressing these major challenges facing our society. Actions include raising awareness and training future aeronautical engineers, and setting up research programmes to better address energy and climate issues.
Aerospace
Sustainability
Videos
AeroMAPS: an ISAE-SUPAERO reference tool for exploring the possible futures of aviationThe AeroMAPS tool, developed by two ISAE-SUPAERO researchers, Scott Delbecq and Thomas Planès, can be used to assess the environmental impacts of air transport and the effectiveness or limitations of levers to decarbonize the sector! Initially designed for research and training purposes, the tool is now a multidisciplinary, open-source platform, accessible to experts as well as institutional, industrial and associative decision-makers. Its development has been integrated into the work of the Institute for Sustainable Aviation (ISA), an interdisciplinary research institute headed by Laurent Joly, whose aim is to address the issue of #aviation's ecological transition in all its complexity. By playing on the sector's transition levers, AeroMAPS users can define the scenarios whose impacts they wish to analyze. For example, the introduction of new aircraft types, the use of new fuels or the rate of growth in air traffic. AeroMAPS is the first air transport scenario exploration platform built on an open-source scientific methodology. It was initially designed and developed to enable researchers to explore air transport transition scenarios in detail. It was then rapidly integrated into training programs: first in the ISAE-SUPAERO engineering curriculum, then in continuing education programs. To facilitate use of the tool, a partnership was formed with Sopra Steria. This major tech player built the platform's new web interface to enhance the user experience and make it accessible to decision-makers. Research work recently took on a socio-economic dimension with a PhD prepared by Antoine Salgas, in partnership with TBS Education. Antoine Salgas has also created a traffic and emissions inventory in collaboration with the Dutch Delft University of Technology. These two aspects of his thesis gave rise to an AeroMAPS “satellite” tool, called AeroSCOPE, which enables analyses to be partitioned and regionalized. Today, the comprehensive, multi-disciplinary aspect of AeroMAPS is a decision-making aid for the entire #aeronautics ecosystem. Through its scientific expertise, ISAE-SUPAERO contributes to the debate and to the future of aviation.
DCAS
Decarbonization
Sustainability
News
Envision responsible air transportAeronautics
Sustainability
News
ISAE-SUPAERO ranked among the top three institutions most committed to ecological and societal transition!Ranking
Sustainability
News
ISAE-SUPAERO publishes an aviation and climate reportSustainability
Teacher researcher
News
Thales and ISAE-SUPAERO strengthen ties to work towards a more sustainable air transport systemThe French high-tech group supports the Institute through a research chair. The prize: a thesis on an integrated approach to air transport and eleven scholarships of excellence to support high-achieving European students.
Aeronautics
Decarbonization
Partnership
News
ISAE-SUPAERO develops a methodology to quantify the environmental impact of its research projectsThe Research Department has introduced a metric to assess the ambition of ISAE-SUPAERO's research activities in the transition to a sustainable society. The assessment reveals that more than a third (35%) of the research projects carried out at the Institute aim to have a significant impact on the environment.
Horizons
Sustainability
News
AeroSCOPE, the first open-source database for exploring CO2 emissions from air transportA doctoral student at ISAE-SUPAERO, Antoine Salgas has produced a photograph of CO2 emissions from air transport by country and by region. This unique work feeds into AeroMAPS, an open reference platform aimed at exploring scenarios for decarbonising air transport.
Aeronautics
Decarbonization
Sustainability
Pages
Exploring, Sharing, TransformingCreating open discussion forums to facilitate exchanges on the challenges of transition in the aerospace sector, contributing to innovation, sharing our expertise and making it accessible, crossing viewpoints, promoting inclusion and openness around these subjects: we are acting collectively for transition on an international scale.
Horizons
Sustainability
News
ISAE-SUPAERO is officially a Pro-Vélo Employer!Championed by the Fédération des Usagers de la Bicyclette (FUB) and supported by ADEME, the Employeur Pro-Vélo label recognizes employer sites that implement ambitious pro-bike initiatives. ISAE-SUPAERO is proud to announce its Silver level certification.
Corporate responsibility
Label
Sustainability
News
Ranking of the top schools most committed to ecological transition: ISAE-SUPAERO in 2nd place!Ranking
Sustainability
Pages
Our online post master degree in Sustainable AviationOur TRANSITIONS project aims to implement the master's degree program entitled "Online post master's degree in Sustainable Aviation" offered 100% online and essentially asynchronously.
Advanced Master
Aeronautics
Pedagogic innovation
News
ISAE-SUPAERO is broadcasting the webinar "Air transport in crisis and the climate challenge: towards new paradigms" on campus!Aerospace
Event
Sustainability
News
The SOLAR BOOST project helps address the problem of urban transportDecarbonization
Sustainability
News
Let's make together a durable commitment to new horizonsAeronautics
Horizons
Sustainability
News
Our alumni have their say: Vinh Ly, co-founder of KyanosAlumni
Career
Startup
Testimonials
Testimony from Alice Fabre, 2021 graduate of the TAS AERO Advanced MasterAeronautics
Alumni
Decarbonization
Pages
Making a Lasting Commitment to New HorizonsOur world is facing major technological, health and environmental challenges. Although they are diverse in nature, they all share one thing in common: their great complexity, which combines scientific and social dimensions. It is the job of engineers to build bridges between science and society, using science to take concrete action in society. To address the complexity of these challenges, engineers have a voice to speak with and solutions to propose.
Horizons
Sustainability