11 Dec 2025
EUA briefing paper maps approaches to sustainability in European higher education
The European University Association (EUA) has published a briefing paper on 'Mapping approaches to sustainability in higher education: What do universities' strategies tell us?'. Among the institutions that responded to the European University Association’s 2025 sustainability and greening survey, 84% have a sustainability strategy in place. As such, this briefing describes how these institutions conceptualise and frame sustainability in their strategic documents, based on an AI-assisted analysis of approximately one hundred institutional strategies, roadmaps and action plans.
The report identifies three dimensions in which universities articulate their work on sustainability:
- a behaviour-oriented approach, centred on transformation through behavioural change;
- a value-oriented approach, rooted in institutional responsibility and core values;
- a target-oriented approach, focused on measurable goals, indicators and structured planning.
These dimensions are not static. They evolve as institutions refine their priorities, adapt to external pressures and explore new pathways to sustainability.
In addition, the briefing looks into whether university strategies account for the governance of sustainability activities, finding wide variation, reflecting the contrasting ways in which universities frame responsibility in this area, from aspirational commitments to formalised mechanisms and participatory models.
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