The implementation of sustainability at universities: a study based on sustainable development goals

Humanity faces a global environmental crisis in addition to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the age of disruption, both the public and politicians search for advice and guidance from science. Thus, universities (higher education institutions) act as pillars of social and economic transformation. With the sustainable development goals (SDGs), this function of higher education can be examined more closely. Therefore, this paper examines the implementation of the SDGs in higher education institutions and possible links to other metrics and core functions. To this end, 467 HEIs from 76 countries are examined in a quantitative study. The results show that social SDGs are addressed to a higher degree than ecological and economic SDGs and that there might be a connection between the implementation of the SDGs and other factors at HEIs.