Last Friday, the SustainaBul ranking of 2022 was published. In an earlier blog, we discussed the dramatic fall of the TU/e from first place (2018 and 2019) to the 13th place (2020) and the 19th place (2021). Now, the TU/e has made a leap forward, claiming 7th place in the ranking. A major improvement but still not back to a leading position.  

SustainaBul Scores 2022. The TU/e came seventh, right after Rijksunversiteit Groningen.

Compliments and praise 

In the SustainaBul benchmark report, the TU/e is praised for several initiatives. The CLUSTER project, with its aim to collect and share best practices on sustainability in education and research, is mentioned as a great example of cooperation and incorporating sustainable development goals in research. Additionally, the recycling policy of the TU/e is praised, as it also burns non-recycled garbage for energy. Finally, the student project to put CO2 emission labels on canteen food is complimented for supporting employees to make more sustainable food choices.   

Improvements 

The TU/e did not, however, come first place. We can be happy that we are finally back in the top 10, but we did not make top 5 either and have no podium spot. Although we get the highest scores for research, in both education and operations, there are improvements to make. Despite acknowledging the importance of sustainability in education, integrating this remains difficult.  

Finally, implementing and monitoring a sustainability strategy in a transparent way is one improvement the TU/e could uptake to up its operations score. Having a clear low carbon travel plan is a crucial part of this. So, what is holding us back from setting this up and reclaiming first place in 2023?