Skip to main content

Common features of sustainable higher education sector according to an international sustainability ranking data

Sustainability Science (2022)Cite this article

Abstract

This case study utilized data from an international university ranking (GreenMetric World University Rankings). The data show that in 2015–17, campus greening activities were dominated by sustainable development (SD) oriented education and research, development and innovation (RDI) activity; however, in 2018–19, the dominance outcomes were found to be the opposite. The SD maturity level of higher education institutes (HEI) is negatively correlated with the annual development rate of actions due to saturation in the ranking status. The modeling results indicate that through protective tradition and norm-oriented cultural features, the HEI sector is able to run dynamically and align intellectual academic reforms according to international SD guidance and steering.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Access options

Buy single article

Instant access to the full article PDF.

USD 39.95

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

References

  • Alghamdi N, den Heijer A, de Jonge H (2017) Assessment tools’ indicators for sustainability in universities: an analytical overview. Int J Sustain High Educ 18:84–115. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-04-2015-0071

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ávila LV, Leal Filho W, Brandli L, Macgregor CJ, Molthan-Hill P, Özuyar PG, Moreira RM (2017) Barriers to innovation and sustainability at universities around the world. J Clean Prod 164:1268–1278

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barth M, Michelsen G (2013) Learning for change: an educational contribution to sustainability science. Sustain Sci 8:103–119. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-012-0181-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barth M, Adomβent M, Albrecht P, Burandt S, Godeman J, Franz-Balsen A, Rieckmann M (2014) Towards a ‘sustainable university’: scenarios for sustainable university development. Int J Innov Sustain Dev 5:313–332. https://doi.org/10.1504/ijisd.2011.043322

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baumgartner RJ (2009) Organizational culture and leadership: preconditions for the development of a sustainable corporation. Sustain Dev 17:102–113. https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.405

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beringer A, Adomßent M (2008) Sustainable university research and development: inspecting sustainability in higher education research. Environ Educ Res 14:607–623

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berzosa A, Bernaldo MO, Fernandez-Sanchez G (2017) Sustainability assessment tools for higher education: an empirical comparative analysis. J Clean Prod 161:812–820

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bettencourt LMA, Kaur J (2011) Evolution and structure of sustainability science. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 108:19540–19545

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Biedenweg K, Monroe MC, Oxarart A (2013) The importance of teaching ethics of sustainability. Int J Sustain High Educ 14:6–14. https://doi.org/10.1108/14676371311288912

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boone CG, Pickett STA, Bammer G, Bawa K, Dunne JA, Gordon IJ, Hart D, Hellmann J, Miller A, New M, Ometto JP, Taylor K, Wendorf G, Agrawal A, Bertsch P, Campbell C, Dodd P, Janetos A, Mallee H (2020) Preparing interdisciplinary leadership for a sustainable future. Sustain Sci 15:1723–1733. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-020-00823-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cash DW, Clark WC, Alcock F, Dickson NM, Eckley N, Guston DH, Jäger J, Mitchell RB (2003) Knowledge systems for sustainable development. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 100:8086–8091

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chan AS (2005) Policy discourses and changing practice: diversity and the university-college. High Educ 50:129–157. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-004-6351-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen JC, Roberts RW (2010) Toward a more coherent understanding of the organization-society relationship: a theoretical consideration for social and environmental accounting research. J Bus Ethics 97:651–665. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-010-0531-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark B (2004) Delineating the character of the entrepreneurial university. High Educ Policy 17:355–370. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.hep.8300062

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark WC (2007) Sustainability science: a room of its own. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 104:137–1738

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark WC, Dickson NM (2003) Sustainability science: the emerging research program. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 100:8059–8061

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark WC, van Kerkhoff L, Lebel L, Gallopin GC (2016) Crafting usable knowledge for sustainable development. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 113:4570–4578

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cormier B (2016) Analyzing if and how international organizations contribute to the sustainable development goals: combining power and behavior. J Organ Behav 39:545–558. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2163

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dagiliene L, Šutiene K (2019) Corporate sustainability accounting information systems: a contingency-based approach. Sustain Acc Manag Pol J 10:260–289

    Google Scholar 

  • DiMaggio P, Powell WW (1991) The new institutionalism in organizational analysis. The Chicago University Press, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Dyer G, Dyer M (2017) Strategic leadership for sustainability by higher education: the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment. J Clean Prod 140:111–116

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fadeeva Z, Galkuten L, Mader Scott G (2014) Assessment for transformation—higher education thrives in redefining quality systems. In: Fadeeva Z, Galkuten L, Mader C (eds) Sustainable development and quality assurance in higher education—transformation of learning and society. Palgrave Studies in Global Higher Education, London, pp 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137459145(1–24)

  • Fisher DR, Nasrin S (2021) Climate activism and its effects. Wires Clim Change 12:e683. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Franco I, Saito O, Vaughter P et al (2019) Higher education for sustainable development: actioning the global goals in policy, curriculum and practice. Sustain Sci 14:1621–1642. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-018-0628-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Friman M, Schreiber D, Syrjänen R, Kokkonen E, Mutanen A, Salminen J (2018) Steering sustainable development in higher education—outcomes from Brazil and Finland. J Clean Prod 186:364–372

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Friman M, Schreiber D, Mutanen A, Perälä S, Salminen J (2021) Wicked problems: university research topic convergence despite divergence in local educational and innovation policies. Int J Sustain High Educ 22(8):108–124

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geli de Ciurana A, Leal Filho W (2006) Education for sustainability in university studies. Experiences from a project involving European and Latin American universities. Int J Sustain High Educ 7:81–93

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • GreenMetric (2021) Universitas Indonesia (UI) GreenMetric world university rankings. http://greenmetric.ui.ac.id/what-is-greenmetric/. Accessed 5 Mar 2021

  • Holm T, Sammalisto K, Grindsted TS, Vuorisalo T (2015) Process framework for identifying sustainability aspects in university curricula and integrating education for sustainable development. J Clean Prod 106:164–174

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hugé J, Mac-Lean C, Vargas L (2018) Maturation of sustainability in engineering faculties—from emerging issue to strategy? J Clean Prod 172:4277–4285

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hurlbert SH (1984) Pseudoreplication and the design of ecological field experiments. Ecol Monogr 54:187–211

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karatzoglou B (2013) An in-depth literature review of the evolving roles and contributions of universities to education for sustainable development. J Clean Prod 49:44–53

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kates RW, Parris TM (2003) Long-term trends and a sustainability transition. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 100:8062–8067

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lang T (2015) Campus sustainability initiatives and performance: do they correlate? Int J Sustain High Educ 16:474–490

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lauder A, Fitri Sari R, Suwartha N, Tjahjono G (2015) Critical review of a global campus sustainability ranking: GreenMetric. J Clean Prod 108:852–863

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leal Filho W, Brandli LL, Becker D, Skanavis C, Kounani A, Sardi C, Papaioannidou D, Paço A, Azeiteiro U, de Sousa LO, Raath S, Pretorius RW, Shiel C, Vargas V, Trencher G, Marans RW (2018) Sustainable development policies as indicators and pre-conditions for sustainability efforts at universities: fact or fiction? Int J Sustain High Educ 19:85–113

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Linnér BO, Wibeck V (2021) Drivers of sustainability transformations: leverage points, contexts and conjunctures. Sustain Sci 16:889–900. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-021-00957-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lozano R, Ceulemans K, Alonso-Almeida M, Huising D, Lozano FJ, Waals T, Lambrechts W, Lukman R, Huge J (2015) A review of commitment and implication of sustainable development in higher education: result from a worldwide survey. J Clean Prod 108:1–18

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lozano Garsia FJ, Kevany K, Huisingh D (2006) Sustainability in higher education: what is happening? J Clean Prod 14:757–760

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lozano R (2006a) Incorporation and institutionalization of SD into universities: breaking through barriers to change. J Clean Prod 14:787–796

  • Lozano R (2006b) A tool for a Graphical Assessment of Sustainability in Universities (GASU). J Clean Prod 14:963–972. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2005.11.041

  • Lukman R, Glavič P (2007) What are the key elements of a sustainable university? Clean Technol Environ 9:103–114. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10098-006-0070-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGrail S, Halamish E, Teh-White K, Clark M (2013) Diagnosing and anticipating social issue maturation: introducing a new diagnostic framework. Futures 46:50–61

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Melin G, Zuijdam F, Good B, Angelis J, Enberg J, Fikkers DJ, Puukka J, Swenning AK, Kosk K, Lastunen J, Zegel S (2015) Towards a future proof system for higher education and research in Finland. Minist Educ Cult Finl 2015:11

    Google Scholar 

  • Nilsson M, Chisholm E, Griggs D et al (2020) Mapping interactions between the sustainable development goals: lessons learned and ways forward. Sustain Sci 13:1489–1503. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-018-0604-z

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Neill BC, Jiang L, Samir KC, Fuchs R, Pachauri S, Laidllaw E, Zhang T, Zhou W, Xiaolin R (2020) The effect of education on determinants of climate change risks. Nat Sustain 3:520–528. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-020-0512-y

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Owens TL (2017) Higher education in the sustainable development goals framework. Eur J Educ 52:414–420. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejed.12237

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Raivio K (2011) Sustainability as an educational agenda. J Clean Prod 19:1906–1907. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2011.07.009

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Reidy R, Kirrane MJ, Curley B, Brosnan D, Koch S, Bolger P, Dunphy N, McCarthy M, Poland M, Ryan Fogarty Y, O’Halloran J (2015) A journey in sustainable development in an urban campus. In: Leal Filho W, Brandli L, Kuznetsova O, Paço A (eds) Integrative approaches to sustainable development at university level. World Sustainability Series. Springer, Cham, pp 600–613

    Google Scholar 

  • Rinne R, Järvinen T, Tikkanen J, Aro M (2016) Changes in education policies and the status of schools in Europe: the views of school principals from eight European countries. Comp J Comp Int Educ 46:764–788. https://doi.org/10.1080/03057925.2015.1086631

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schein EH (1991) What is culture? In: Frost PJ, Moore LF, Louis MR, Lundberg CC, Martin J (eds) Reframing organizational culture. Sage Publications, London, pp 243–253

    Google Scholar 

  • Schein EH, Schein PA (2016) Organizational culture and leadership. ProQuest Ebook Central. Wiley, New Jersey, USA. https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ezproxy.hamk.fi/lib/hamk-ebooks/detail.action?docID=4766585. Accessed 12 Aug 2021

  • Stensaker B (2007) The relationship between branding and organisational change. J High Educ Pol Manag 19:1–17. https://doi.org/10.1787/hemp-v19-art1-en

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sylvestre P, Wright T, Sherren K (2013) Exploring faculty conceptualizations of sustainability in higher education: cultural barriers to organizational change and potential resolutions. J Educ Sustain 7:223–244. https://doi.org/10.1177/0973408214526491

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Teichler U (2000) Higher education research and its institutional basis. In: Schwarz S, Teichler U (eds) The institutional basis of higher education research—experiences and perspectives. Springer, Dordrecht, pp 13–24

    Google Scholar 

  • UN (United Nations) (2015) United Nations. 17 goals to transform our world. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/. Accessed 10 Feb 2021

  • UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) (2007) The Copernicus guidelines for sustainable development in the European higher education area. https://unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/env/esd/information/COPERNICUS%20Guidelines.pdf. Accessed 5 Mar 2021

  • UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) (2005) UNECE strategy for education for sustainable development, adopted at the high-level meeting. United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. http://www.unece.org/env/documents/2005/cep/ac.13/ceac. Accessed 5 Mar 2021

  • UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) (2005) The decade of education for sustainable development 2005–2014. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001416/141629e.pdf. Accessed 5 Mar 2021

  • Vargas L, Mac-Lean C, Hugé J (2019) The maturation process of incorporating sustainability in universities. Int J Sustain High Educ 20:441–451

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Velazquez L, Munguia N, Platt A, Taddei J (2006) Sustainable university: what can be the matter? J Clean Prod 14:810–819

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wakkee I, van der Sijde P, Vaupell C, Ghuman K (2019) The university’s role in sustainable development: activating entrepreneurial scholars as agents of change. Technol Forecast Soc Change 141:195–205

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiek A, Withycombe L, Redman CL (2011) Key competencies in sustainability: a reference framework for academic program development. Sustain Sci 6:203–218. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-011-0132-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We are grateful to GreenMetric University Ranking organization in Universitas Indonesia because of a permission to use data from their web site. Jari Järvinen helped on data gathering.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Häme University of Applied Sciences, PO Box 230, 13101, Hämeenlinna, Finland

    Mervi Friman & Janne Salminen

  2. National Defence University, Suomenlinna, 00190, Helsinki, Finland

    Arto Mutanen

  3. Feevale University, ERS 239, 2755-Vila Nova, Novo Hamburgo, RS, 93525-075, Brazil

    Dusan Schreiber

Authors
  1. Mervi Friman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Arto Mutanen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Dusan Schreiber
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Janne Salminen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by MF and JS. The first draft of the manuscript was written by MF and JS and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mervi Friman.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Handled by Yuto Kitamura, The University of Tokyo, Japan.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Friman, M., Mutanen, A., Schreiber, D. et al. Common features of sustainable higher education sector according to an international sustainability ranking data. Sustain Sci (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-022-01134-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11625-022-01134-x

Keywords

  • Campus greening
  • Higher education
  • Maturity
  • RDI
  • Organization culture
  • University ranking