Swinburne releases its first Sustainability Report
In Summary
Swinburne has released its first publicly available Sustainability Report. It is a significant step on the university’s journey of sustainability, and is the first time that Swinburne has reported its environmental and sustainability outcomes against the Global Reporting Index – the world benchmark for sustainable reporting.
Swinburne has a longstanding commitment to sustainability, and as a leading university it plays an important role in preparing tomorrow’s leaders and decision-makers to contribute to a sustainable future.
Swinburne has been at the forefront of education for sustainability for some time. Sustainability concepts are progressively being embedded within the curriculum in all disciplines, in the design and construction of the university’s on-campus environment, and in how it manages its campuses.
Much of Swinburne’s high-quality research is focused on one or more aspects of sustainability, and the university applies sustainability thinking in its strategic planning and in the delivery of its initiatives.
This report aims to:
- identify the sustainability issues that impact on the environment and society as a result of Swinburne’s activities;
- describe Swinburne’s journey towards sustainability – highlighting our past achievements, current projects and the steps we need to take in the future; and
- provide our students, staff, alumni and partners with a snapshot of our progress towards sustainability so that we have a better understanding of what we need to do to improve further.
In future, the university intends to align its sustainability reporting with the annual reporting cycle so that sustainability outcomes can be reported at the same time as financial and other outcomes.