WWF assesses the sustainability of Swiss universities: USI's strengths

The WWF conducted a sustainability rating of Swiss universities to assess if and how well sustainability is integrated into their core academic areas. The Università della Svizzera italiana (USI) scored 60 out of 100, placing in the upper mid-range alongside seven other Swiss universities.

The rating, which was already conducted in 2017, 2019, and 2021, aims to identify how universities integrate sustainability into their day-to-day management, considering all its facets, as well as serving as a compass for continuous improvement.

The assessment uses a multidimensional approach to analyse how effectively sustainability is integrated into various areas, including teaching, research, knowledge transfer, governance, and logistics/campus.

Five dimensions are considered: the first is strategy, which evaluates how sustainability is integrated into the institution's vision, mission, and long-term planning. The second is process, which reviews the mechanisms and procedures established to implement sustainability. The third dimension, "function," evaluates how sustainability is incorporated into daily activities and practices. The fourth dimension, "stakeholder," examines the engagement and collaboration with internal and external stakeholders in sustainability initiatives. Finally, the last dimension, called "output," measures the outcomes of these sustainability efforts. Each dimension has equal relevance in the final evaluation and can be divided into one, two or three criteria for a total of eleven criteria considered.

The results obtained placed USI in the medium-high range (60 to 74.99 points). Only two Swiss universities (University of Berne and University of Lausanne) scored in the "ambitious" range (75 to 89.99 points).

Compared to the 2021 survey, USI's sustainability progress was emphasised. At the strategic level, particularly appreciated was the creation of a Pro-rectorate for Sustainable Transformation and Equal Opportunities outlined in the Strategic Plan 2025-2028, with which the Quality Assurance and Sustainability Service is actively collaborating. The WWF also endorsed the House of Sustainability and the introduction of the Alpine Seminar (which could serve as a model for future courses on Education for Sustainable Development, the integration of which, possibly compulsory, at all levels of education is recommended). The involvement of students through the SEEDS student association, the activities of the House of Sustainability and the direct dialogue with top management through the Academic Senate were also recognised. The House of Sustainability and L'ideatorio also ensure the involvement of the community. A special mention was made of the Centre for Climate Finance and Sustainability, which enables knowledge exchange between academia and policymakers, supporting the transformation of financial markets towards greater sustainability. According to the WWF analysis, the next step USI should take is establishing a strategy and clear targets to achieve climate neutrality.

The full document is available on the WWF website.