Sustainability adoption in universities : a study on sustainable strategies and initiatives in North European universities.

Abstract

The primary objective of this thesis is to analyse the various sustainability reports and initiatives of the North European universities. This thesis aims to study sustainability efforts of the universities, implementation and best practices adopted by universities, alongside with the challenges and areas for improvement with emphasis to sustainability reporting, processes, organization and in-campus practices. The research question is: “What are the challenges, opportunities and successful initiatives in the implementation of sustainability in the strategy and action plan of the Northern European universities”. To answer this question was used qualitative research method including thematic content analysis of available sustainability reports and semi-structured interviews with university representatives, based on a sample set of five North European universities included in top sustainability ranking Green Metric 2023. The set includes German, Dutch, Danish and Finnish universities and enables diversity of examples and approaches to study. Several theories were applied to outline the results of the research: stakeholder theory, resource-based view, innovation diffusion, triple bottom line. The results of the research were represented in a systematic way according to each theory and included sum up of opportunities, challenges and real-life examples gathered from reports and interviews. Some topics as stakeholder inclusion, transparent communication, sustainable procurement etc. were discussed as opportunities and challenges in different situations. As a final report on the research there was formed a list of recommendations for the educational institutions and other organizations that are challenged to become more sustainable. The list includes enhanced stakeholder engagement, streamlining decision, increasing transparency, fostering sustainability awareness amongst wide range of stakeholders, developing strong external partnerships, and accepting and addressing the challenges proactively in order to succeed in the sustainability efforts. Universities play a crucial role in fostering sustainable development through various means: education of future professionals, research to advance understanding of the existing challenges, innovation for developing new sustainable technologies, community engagement, sustainable campus operations, advocacy towards more sustainable practices. While there is global pressure to tackle climate change and enhance sustainability, and the universities are the primary educational institutions to foster the adoption of sustainability strategies and advocate for popularization of this approach. The universities and other organizations could benefit from the collected good practices and inspiration to follow the example, to identify challenges and opportunities, and generally to explore the scope of work in sustainability field.