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Sustainability Strategy of the University of Münster

By resolution of the Rectorate (9 March 2023) and the Senate (5 April 2023), the University of Münster adopted its own sustainability strategy. The aim is to help shape policies that promote sustainability in all the University’s fields of action in the coming years. Based on the corresponding mission statement issued in 2021, University management drafted the new strategy over a period of several months which describes the fields of action and their intended goals.

You can view the full version of the Sustainability Strategy here.

  • Sustainability in governance

    Goal 1: The University of Münster will anchor the responsibilities and processes of sustainability promotion into its organisational structure in the long term.

    Goal 2: The University of Münster will develop reporting formats for sustainability and use these to regularly review the goals and measures.

    Goal 3: The University of Münster will actively communicate the Sustainability Strategy within and outside the University, encourage dialogue and participation at all levels, and thereby enable University members to act accordingly through qualification and awareness-building measures.

  • Sustainability in operations

    Goal 1: The University of Münster will gradually integrate sustainability as a criterion in all relevant processes of operational management (procurement, construction, mobility, waste disposal, personnel management etc.).

    Goal 2: The University of Münster will strive to reduce its resource consumption with the aim of achieving climate neutrality. To this end, it will produce a sustainability report and review the achievement of its objectives.

    Goal 3: The University of Münster will promote social sustainability by strengthening gender equality, diversity and inclusion with the aim of creating more equitable working conditions, fairer teaching-learning processes and a friendlier working environment.

  • Sustainability in research

    Goal 1: The University of Münster will promote inter- and transdisciplinary research on the challenges of environmental, social and economic sustainability.

    Goal 2: The University of Münster will work to orientate research processes and facilities to the criteria of environmental and social sustainability.

  • Sustainability in teaching

    Goal 1: The University of Münster will recognise education for sustainable development (ESD) as an underlying principle of orientation and explicit subject of teaching and will develop ESD as a study profile.

    Goal 2: The University of Münster will offer instructors and multipliers continuing education measures, space for sustainability-related courses and course formats, and offer students opportunities to gain qualification in the field of sustainability.

    Goal 3: The University of Münster will consider sustainability in degree programme development processes, as well as teaching and study quality assurance, and will integrate sustainability-relevant courses into various degree programmes.

  • Sustainability in transfer

    Goal 1: The University of Münster will put in place and expand a target-group-compatible and accessible science communication on sustainability.

    Goal 2: The University of Münster will intensify its collaboration and dialogue with non-university partners in matters of sustainability, especially in the region, and will promote sustainability-oriented entrepreneurship and technology transfer.

    Goal 3: The University of Münster will develop and evaluate its transfer activities in view of their implications for sustainability.