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Sustainability at FH JOANNEUM

Working together to provide education fit for the future
Nachhaltigkeit an der FH JOANNEUM (c) FH JOANNEUM - Leitner

As a university, we not only have an educational responsibility, but also a social responsibility to contribute to the development of a sustainable society of tomorrow.

Sustainability is an important part of our university. We integrate the topic into our teaching and research activities in order to prepare our students for the demands of tomorrow’s working world and promote their employability. Our academic staff work on many projects that support the sustainable development of our society. Together, we create an environment that combines innovation and responsibility.

We also continue to develop our university management and try to make the activities of our university community sustainable.

Greenhouse gas balance sheet

FH JOANNEUM prepared a greenhouse gas balance sheet for the first time in 2024 for the calendar year 2023. It covers the Graz, Kapfenberg and Bad Gleichenberg sites and takes into account consumption in the categories of energy, mobility and use of materials. Canteens or new buildings are not yet included in this balance. The greenhouse gas balance is still based on the emission factors from 2021 and should therefore be regarded as provisional.

The university caused around 6,000 tons of CO2 equivalents in 2023. The five main sources of emissions are student commuting (31%), district heating requirements (20%), travel (16% each for staff and students) and staff commuting (11%). The remaining 6% of total emissions result from the use of IT equipment, electricity consumption, the vehicle fleet, paper consumption and the use of fuels and refrigerants.

Our greenhouse gas balance sheet serves as a basis for reducing emissions and supports the climate targets of the province of Styria. We develop initiatives to minimize environmental impact and strengthen the sustainability awareness and skills of our students and employees with regard to sustainability. We are planning a climate protection roadmap and a climate neutrality pathway for 2025.

Social sustainability

FH JOANNEUM has been awarded the state quality mark “University and Family” and the seal of approval for workplace health promotion.

Information on gender equality and inclusion can be found on the Equal Treatment and Diversity pages.

Sustainability reporting

In future, we will report on our sustainability performance and goals in even greater detail and transparency. We are therefore looking closely at current developments in the field of sustainability reporting. As part of our European University Alliance EU4Dual, we have already prepared a sustainability report for the first project year of the Alliance in 2024.

The Sustainability Advisory Board

The Sustainability Advisory Board, consisting of representatives of the departments and divisions, actively supports the management in its efforts to make FH JOANNEUM a sustainable university.

Photo: (c) FH JOANNEUM

The FH JOANNEUM Sustainability Advisory Board at a meeting last autumn – from left to right. Ulrike Seebacher, Harald Friedl, Gerhard Sprung, Heideline Jelinek-Nigitz, Karen Meixner, Thomas Wolkinger, Astrid Panhofer, Harald Wipfler, Sandra Benkö-Meier (bis 31.12.2023), Sigrid Bürstmayr, Doris Kiendl. The team also includes Daniela Grach, Jeannine Schieder, Andreas Läßer and Thomas Mathoi.

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