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EU4DUAL-Sustainability report published

Roswitha Wiedenhofer-Bornemann (links) mit Harald Wipfler und Ines Kipperer. Foto: FH JOANNEUM / Hasler

Roswitha Wiedenhofer-Bornemann (links) mit Harald Wipfler und Ines Kipperer. Foto: FH JOANNEUM / Hasler

The European university alliance EU4DUAL has published its first sustainability report. A project team from FH JOANNEUM was in charge of its creation.

The report is the first of a European University Alliance and is based on the European Standards for Sustainability Reporting (ESRS). It is 44 pages long and covers the year 2023. Readers can expect a comprehensive overview of EU4DUAL, as well as facts and figures relating to the sustainability performance of this European University as a network organisation. The report covers topics ranging from the value chain and the collection of emissions data to the sustainability strategy to which the partners are committed. The report is based on data from the nine EU4DUAL partner universities, which FH JOANNEUM has been a member of for two years. EU4DUAL stakeholders such as students, staff and industry partners were also involved in the report’s development process.

At EU4DUAL, FH JOANNEUM is responsible for the work package Quality Management and Impact Monitoring at consortium level. This work package is led by Roswitha Wiedenhofer-Bornemann. The working group on the EU4DUAL sustainability report was led by Ines Kipperer (Quality Manager) and Harald Wipfler (Sustainability Coordinator), with sustainability experts from all EU4DUAL partner universities participating in the group.

Work on the EU4DUAL sustainability report began with the development of the relevant ESRS topics within the consortium and was confirmed by a stakeholder survey. At the same time, the EU4DUAL value chain was defined using a student journey. Once the reporting concept was in place, data was collected from all partners. The final report was approved by the EU4DUAL Quality and Accreditation Committee at the end of December 2024 and published on the EU4DUAL website.

Authors Ines Kipperer and Harald Wipfler: ‘We are very proud of the report, because it is the first of a network organisation like EU4DUAL. The alliance also wants to set a benchmark for sustainability reporting by other organisations. During the process, which was quite challenging due to the virtual structure, the partner universities also learned a great deal from each other.’

Project and work package manager Roswitha Wiedenhofer-Bornemann: ‘With this sustainability report, we as a consortium have reached a major milestone from which FH JOANNEUM also benefits. The EU4DUAL sustainability report will certainly serve as inspiration for our own sustainability report, which is to be prepared according to the ESRS standard from 2026 onwards. Furthermore, as EU4DUAL, we are setting a positive example for other higher education alliances to follow.’

Best practice examples from the partner universities are also presented and with a single click, you can find out more about these projects. The report also highlights the many positive aspects of EU4DUAL, in particular the enriching collaboration within our reporting group.

With nine partners, each bringing different experiences and expertise in the field of sustainable reporting, there is a valuable opportunity to learn from each other and share best practices. This diversity of perspectives makes it possible to develop innovative solutions, benefit from different approaches and work together to further develop sustainable reporting standards. The interdisciplinary exchange not only strengthens our understanding of the respective challenges, but also promotes the continuous improvement and adaptation of our own processes and strategies in the area of sustainability.

The EU4DUAL sustainability report can be downloaded here.

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