Sustainability Highlights 2023 is the fourth sustainability and responsibility report published by the University of Helsinki. It provides a review of the diverse efforts promoted in the various University faculties, University Services and independent institutes. Annual reporting allows the University to make its sustainability and responsibility efforts increasingly transparent and highlight their wide-ranging nature.
“Above all, the report is a tool for developing University operations. The annual monitoring of the measures related to the Sustainability and Responsibility Plan allows us to see how we are progressing in relation to our own goals and in which areas we are falling behind,” says Riina Koivuranta, Senior Specialist in Sustainability and Responsibility.
During 2023, the University of Helsinki promoted the measures laid down in the Sustainability and Responsibility Plan mostly as planned. At the end of the year, 34 of the measures were completed, 43 were progressing as planned and two had not yet been started. The programme contains a number of goals targeted for completion in 2024.
The University implements sustainability reporting while recognising that it is impossible to audit every aspect of work performed in an organisation of 40,000 people. As its name suggests, the Sustainability Highlights report offers a review of everything that has been done during the year with regard to structures and leadership, research, teaching, societal interaction and daily activities.
In 2023, for example, the University of Helsinki promoted its climate efforts by publishing a roadmap for a carbon neutral University of Helsinki by 2030, which defined the calculation method of the University’s carbon emissions and set goals for achieving the carbon neutrality target. In addition, investment was made into sustainability competence by funding the development of field-specific sustainability courses. Responsible interaction throughout the University community was promoted, among other things, by designing and organising training on the theme.