Sustainability in focus: TU Chemnitz starts important audit in 2025!

Sustainability in focus: TU Chemnitz starts important audit in 2025!

From April 28th to 30th, 2025, an on-site meeting took place at Chemnitz University of Technology, at which representatives of the University Rectors' Conference (HRK) and external auditors analyzed the university's sustainability activities. This happened as part of the pilot phase of the HRK audit “Sustainability at Universities”, for which Chemnitz University of Technology was selected as one of four universities in 2024. The aim of the audit is to support the universities' sustainability strategies, goals and activities and to shape their strategic direction sustainably tu-chemnitz.de reported.

During the preparations, Chemnitz University of Technology intensively examined its own sustainability approaches and submitted a comprehensive self-reflection in February 2025. During the audit, not only were existing processes and implementation statuses assessed, but initial recommendations for action were also formulated. The university reiterates its commitment to sustainable development as a central cross-sectional task, which is viewed as an integral part of its strategic orientation.

Focus on sustainability at universities

In addition to the activities in Chemnitz, it is clear that universities in Germany are increasingly focusing on sustainable development. As part of the HRK strategy to promote sustainability, competence centers were set up and sustainability officers appointed. Over 60 HRK member universities applied for the current audit, with the selected universities - in addition to Chemnitz University of Technology, also the Dortmund University of Applied Sciences, the University of Hamburg and the Philipps University of Marburg - being supported for one year from autumn 2024. HRK highlights that the audit is being developed as part of the “Transformation Pathways for Sustainable Universities” project and is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research until March 2026.

Education plays a central role in linking these approaches to global initiatives. The United Nations declared the World Decade of “Education for Sustainable Development” in 2002, which initiated a number of measures to strengthen the sustainability concept in educational institutions by 2014. Universities in particular are committed to the guiding principle of sustainability and integrate these principles into their research, teaching and services. This was confirmed, among other things, by the joint recommendation with the German UNESCO Commission on the “University for Sustainable Development” adopted in 2009 hrk.de notes.

Future prospects

The experiences from the pilot phase of the audit will not only benefit the participating universities, but will also contribute to the further development of the audit as a whole. From 2026, the advisory service will gradually be opened to all HRK member universities. Prof. Dr. Dorit Schumann, HRK Vice President, emphasizes the role of universities as future workshops, while Dr. Jens Brandenburg, Parliamentary State Secretary, emphasizes the responsibility of universities for ecological, social and economic sustainability. This shows that universities are seen as key players in the transformation towards a more sustainable society.

Overall, this development highlights the importance of integrating sustainable practices into higher education. Continued efforts to raise awareness and take concrete action on sustainability could make a crucial contribution to achieving the United Nations' global sustainability goals.