First sustainability report focuses on energy and climate protection

"The diverse measures and initiatives detailed in the sustainability report demonstrate that the University of Stuttgart is deeply committed to ecologically and socially sustainable development. We consider all areas of impact, including research, teaching, transfer, operations, and the entire university culture," says Prof. Manfred Bischoff, Sustainability Officer at the University of Stuttgart. "This first report is a crucial step in raising awareness of environmental and social issues among our employees and students, and thus fostering positive change at our university. Our goal of achieving greater sustainability can only be realized through collective effort."

The sustainability report [de], signed by Rector Prof. Wolfram Ressel, Chancellor Anna Steiger and Sustainability Officer Bischoff, focuses on “Energy and Climate Protection”, but also highlights important topics such as sustainable procurement and social sustainability. A sustainability chronicle shows important steps that the university has taken since 2008: Energy-saving campaigns, certifications or the “Una Terra” funding line are included, as well as awards or the launch of various projects and facilities. Many sustainability stakeholders - from the “Energy and Climate Protection” working group to energy officers and the Green Office to the Sustainability Department of the stuvus student council - are all part of the report.

Examples of cross-university sustainability projects such as the CampUS hoch i Real-World Laboratory and sustainability at Engineering and the High Performance Computing Center (HLRS) are also included in the report. The report also provides details of the university's energy consumption levels, CO₂ emissions, ongoing energy-saving initiatives, and planned climate protection activities.

For example, the University of Stuttgart is currently developing a sustainability strategy with guidelines and goals to structurally embed sustainability, enhance its presence in research, teaching, transfer, and governance, make it more visible, and specifically promote key areas. The introduction of a management system that supports the implementation of sustainability measures is also planned.

"I hope this first sustainability report will spark momentum at the university, leading to increased discussion and coverage of the many ongoing research topics and sustainability projects," says Dr. Brigitte-Maria Lorenz from the Green Office, who played a leading role in preparing the report. “With this and future reports, we also want to create more transparency with regard to figures, data and facts on climate protection and sustainability at the university.”