In the transition to a sustainable society, students, colleges and universities must commit to sustainable development within higher education. Higher education institutions can do this in various areas: in the curriculum of the various programmes, in research, and in facilities and operations. The ISO advocates an integrated approach in which all these facets are incorporated into the DNA of the institutions. We want educational institutions to pay structural attention to sustainability in their core activities and to provide insight into how they do this. We also see opportunities for developing knowledge and skills to understand the context of these challenges, so that students can use this to shape and give substance to their work.

Specifically, the ISO sees opportunities in the following measures: improving the visibility of sustainable activities, subjects and researchers; drawing up a sustainability policy by institutions; and introducing national standards for sustainable facilities and business operations. We are happy to help explore the possibilities for a centralised approach to sustainability and see it as our task to actively engage in dialogue with our partners in the education sector whenever this topic is discussed at the national level. Not only the liveability of the planet, but also the quality of education and the learning environment will benefit from the alignment between education and the challenges of tomorrow.