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Global study on cultures of sustainability at universities published
Under the title "Exploring Culture(s) of Sustainability at Higher Education Institutions: A Systematic Review of Concepts and Pathways", the project "Culture of Sustainability at Higher Education Institutions" (KuNaH) systematically analysed the scientific literature on sustainability and organisational culture in the higher education context. The study was published in the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education. It makes the "culture of sustainability" at universities more tangible and provides a basis for discussion for universities and university policy.
Dec 2, 2025, 4:06:08 PM
Ulrich Wessollek
, Hochschule für nachhaltige Entwicklung Eberswalde
The topic goes back to the German Rectors' Conference, which recommended a "culture of sustainability" for universities in 2018 and met with a great response in the higher education landscape. Sustainability is a key topic at universities. To date, little or no research has been conducted into how deeply sustainability is anchored in organisational cultures. The team led by Jorrit Holst (Freie Universität Berlin) and Hilke Fritz (Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development) is systematically analysing international specialist literature with the aim of clarifying how the interplay between sustainability and organisational culture at universities can be understood, measured and described in transformation processes. As a result, a concept for a culture of sustainability is developed on the basis of the specialised literature: It describes the permeation of university culture with sustainability as a normative orientation - visible in buildings, strategies and curricula as well as in the underlying values, norms and basic assumptions. The aim of a culture of sustainability is to ensure that sustainable development is understood and practised as a natural part of university life. It is decisive for whether sustainability measures and strategies can be successfully implemented and incorporated into everyday activities. The extent to which sustainability characterises university culture can be investigated empirically. University cultures are always embedded in their regional environment and in the university policy framework - which in turn also draws attention to the self-evident nature of sustainability in the university and academic system. Another finding is that cultural change at universities is a continuous process - characterised by established structures, power relations and networks. The implementation of concrete sustainability measures, but also communication, participation, the role of managers and middle management as well as rules and incentives in the higher education system are key factors. Successful transformation paths rely on structural changes, far-reaching communication, further training and opportunities for co-design, so that sustainability options become a matter of course and do not have to be explained and justified further. The research project "Universities in society - real-life experiments in transformative learning and research processes for a culture of sustainability at universities" has also developed a consolidated working understanding of "Cultures of sustainability at universities" in German. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR).