The ZHAW Sustainable Development Committee (SDC) has been established under the direction of Urs Hilber, Sustainable Development Officer, and Francesco Bortoluzzi, Head of Sustainability Programmes. The participatory committee is made up of experts from all Schools, the President’s Office, Finance & Services and students, and its aim is to implement the sustainability strategy in a dialogue-driven manner. The SDC meets approximately five times per year to address issues surrounding sustainability at the ZHAW in a straightforward, inclusive, proactive, and collaborative manner.

Creating a community

ZHAW sustainable defined the following priorities for implementing the sustainability strategy.

• Visibility. The ZHAW’s visibility will be increased by distinguishing itself as a leading university in the field of sustainable development in Switzerland and abroad.
• Community building. The sustainable development community will be strengthened by creating and maintaining networks inside and outside of the ZHAW and by promoting knowledge exchange and cooperation between the Schools in this field.
• Student experience. All students are expected to deal with issues related to sustainable development during their studies.

Data collection as a basis for measures

A stronger focus is being placed on corporate sustainability, and the data for the ecological indicators defined in the Green Impact Book (GIP) are being collected and processed. In this way, the ZHAW’s CO2 emissions can be calculated and shown in a transparent manner. These priorities are pursued by means of various projects and initiatives, such as with a sustainability cockpit or by tagging posts about sustainable development. A programme has also been developed in cooperation with the Impact Entrepreneurship initiative, which provides assistance to students to help them develop their ideas into start-ups for sustainable development that can make a positive impact. In addition, ZHAW sustainable teamed up with the UZH, PHZH and ZHdK to initiate and launch the Zurich Knowledge Center for Sustainable Development in an effort to create a common basis for sustainable development.