AUAS leaps ahead in sustainability ranking

Now at fifth place in the SustainaBul list

26 May 2023 16:56 | Communication

Many students and staff at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences (AUAS) are working hard every day to make our education, research and business operations more sustainable. These efforts have now been rewarded with a fifth place in SustainaBul, the sustainability ranking for higher education institutions. This was announced today by Studenten voor Morgen, which organises the ranking. Last year, AUAS ranked a mere 15th.

BEST PRACTICES

AUAS owes its high position to a number of best practices, like its strategic partnership with energy supplier Vattenfall. This is our way of contributing to the energy transition. The partnership involves working together with Vattenfall on research questions concerning the development of the energy system of tomorrow. Another AUAS initiative that contributed to a high score was our two-day international event Global Goals Jam, which the Digital Society School organises in cooperation with the United Nations each year. As part of this event, creative designers and manufacturers in more than 90 global cities work together to achieve a better world.


REDUCING OUR ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT

However, AUAS’s sustainability efforts do not end there: our new waste separation system, for example, makes it possible to recycle more than 70% of waste into new raw materials and products. We are also reducing the ecological footprint of our ICT facilities by extending the lifespan of laptops and mobile phones and switching to smarter data storage and data traffic solutions.


SUSTAINABILITY AS A key strategic THEME

Sustainability is one of the three dimensions of AUAS’ strategic plan, alongside Diversity & Inclusion and Digitalisation. We pay attention to this theme in our teaching, research, business operations and behaviour. AUAS has endorsed the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. Furthermore, we are assessing the consequences of our objective to live inside ‘the Doughnut’ by 2030, in line with the economic model advanced by Kate Raworth, Professor of Practice for Diversity at AUAS. This rise from 15th to fifth place shows not only that we have stepped up our efforts to become a sustainable organisation, but also that we are becoming more successful at making the results visible.


ABOUT SUSTAINABUL

SustainaBul is an annual sustainability ranking for higher education institutions (Dutch information) that has been organised by Studenten voor Morgen since 2012. The ranking is compiled on the basis of input from students from all over the country. All Dutch research universities and universities of applied sciences are assessed in terms of the sustainability of their teaching, research and business operations.

To find out more about AUAS’ sustainability efforts, visit amsterdamuas.com and gohva.nl (Dutch information).