The FHNW is committed to sustainability in its teaching, research and organisation.
The FHNW is explicitly committed to sustainability and undertakes to act sustainably in the areas of energy, consumption, resource use, health, inclusion and equal opportunities. As a centre of education, research and development, the FHNW aims to provide the knowledge and skills needed to tackle global problems and to act as a think tank and experimental space for social innovations. It trains future decision makers, leaders and multipliers who can influence social discourses in their thoughts and work and who can develop, offer and contribute solutions to a wide range of problems. To ensure the FHNW’s credibility, the FHNW requires a voluntary commitment that considers sustainability both as a concept for the organisation’s actions and as an issue in the implementation of its mandate.
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Starting autumn: cross-school module on the Sustainable Development Goals each semester
Following a successful pilot in spring 2022, a cross-school sustainability module will be offered every semester, commencing with the autumn semester – a more theoretical one in the autumn semester, enabling students to acquire knowledge in and work on the basics of sustainability and the SDGs, followed by one with a more practical approach in the spring semester. The modules will allow students to work together to develop solutions to the problems at hand. If they want, they can then submit their ideas for the Swiss Sustainability Challenge for a chance to win the Pax Sustainability Award. The two modules can be attended independently of each other. Further information.
Topics and tasks
As part of sustainability management, concepts and tools for improving social, ecological and economic aspects are integrated into the organisation. These are based on the FHNW 2035 strategic priorities for sustainability. They define an understanding of sustainability, areas of activity and objectives for the FHNW. The implementation and control tool is a multi-year action plan that bundles and makes visible specific goals, indicators and measures.
As part of its life cycle assessment, the FHNW’s environmental footprint (its carbon dioxide emissions) is measured according to a standardised method. The FHNW’s campuses and all processes involved in the operation of the FHNW, including mobility and catering, are monitored over the course of a year. According to the life cycle assessment, the potential for reducing CO2 lies primarily in the area of mobility, but also in the catering establishments and in terms of the energy mix.
Applied research and development at the FHNW is oriented towards answering questions that arise from the real world. The focus is on the development and transfer of research results relevant to practical applications. This includes contributing solutions and new findings to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. A large number of research projects focus on the topic of sustainability. In addition to ecological issues, researchers at the FHNW are also working on the social and economic dimensions of sustainability. The Sustainability Salon serves as a platform and think tank for researchers to exchange ideas, findings and experiences in the field of sustainability.
Numerous degree and continuing education programmes focus on sustainability across all nine schools of the FHNW. The aim is to teach students core skills and knowledge relating to sustainability. From 2022, the FHNW is offering the cross-school teaching module “The SDGs and Switzerland: Problems, Implications and Solutions”. The Swiss Sustainability Challenge provides students and young people with targeted support in developing and implementing their ideas and projects on the topic of sustainability.
Social sustainability involves treating people with care and implies the topics of health, inclusion and participation as well as equal opportunities. The FHNW is an organisation that respects and promotes the diverse potential of its members, regardless of age, disability, sex, gender identity, cultural background, way of life, sexual orientation or religion. The FHNW has already put in place a diversity management system to ensure diversity-friendly working and study conditions.
The FHNW is spread across eight campuses in four cantons; its students and staff move about a great deal every day, not forgetting the travelling done by the delivery and maintenance services. Mobility therefore plays a major role in the context of energy consumption and CO2 emissions. The FHNW has set itself the goal of promoting sustainable mobility and revising its existing mobility concepts and expenses regulations. It encourages people to refrain from air travel > 600 km and creates incentives for switching to public transport. The FHNW also offers digital networking and teaching alternatives and is working to optimise flexible working models.
The FHNW is committed to providing sustainable gastronomy such as in the form of regional and certified organic products and plant-based food. Food and general waste prevention measures are also implemented. The continuous collection of key sustainability data to reduce CO2 emissions, reduce the volume of goods carried by air, increase eco-label products and expand recommended products serves to keep the supply of sustainable products under review and control. Further information can be obtained from the respective catering operators such as the SV Group and ZFV.
Several participatory entities at the FHNW deal with the topic of sustainability. As a member of Fokus Sustainability, the FHNW promotes student commitment to sustainability, networking and a broadening of skills and knowledge in this regard. Students and staff at the FHNW School of Life Sciences are actively involved in combating the climate crisis on the basis of personal motivation. This community consists of various small project groups that deal with topics such as nutrition, general waste and food waste. Clothes exchanges, clean-up campaigns and information events form part of these initiatives.
The Sustainability Salon is a forum for staff and researchers to exchange ideas on sustainability projects and discuss current sustainability challenges.
