TÜV Rheinland certifies Witten/Herdecke University for its sustainability management

Sustainability is no longer just an optional extra, but has now become an obligation in many areas: It plays a central role in all forms of organisation, both for the public and for meeting legal requirements. The problem is: how can "sustainability" be measured? How can relevant aspects be identified, key figures developed, processes anchored - and how can this be implemented at a university?

Witten/Herdecke University (UW/H) has risen to this challenge and has now been certified by TÜV Rheinland in accordance with the "ZNU Standard for Sustainable Management". The standard was developed by the university's own Centre for Sustainable Leadership (ZNU) of the Faculty of Management, Economics and Society and makes it possible to make different areas and indicators of sustainability tangible. As a comprehensive system, the standard supports companies and organisations on their way to sound sustainable corporate management.

To date, more than 130 organisations from various sectors with over 190 locations have already been certified in accordance with it. The UW/H has now taken the first step towards establishing it for universities as well. Dr Christian Geßner, who heads the ZNU together with Dr Axel Kölle, emphasises: "Universities in particular can have a special leverage effect due to their educational and research power - it is therefore all the more important that they approach sustainability systematically and credibly."

Reaching the goal together: participation of different university members

As an integrated system, the ZNU standard brings together ecological, social and economic aspects of sustainability and corporate management. In order to successfully introduce it at UW/H, staff, teaching staff and students have identified key sustainability issues at the university. In addition to climate protection, these include the quality of teaching and research and sustainable university development. Targets, measures and indicators were defined for these key topics, e.g. the number of courses that deal with sustainability issues or the development of a checklist to assess the sustainability of research projects.

The targets set and their measurability were then reviewed in internal and external audits. The ZNU team provided intensive support during the certification process; the final certification was carried out by an independent testing centre, TÜV Rheinland. It confirms that UW/H is in a continuous improvement process and regularly reviews, adapts and effectively implements its sustainability goals.

Responsibility for future generations

For University President Prof Dr Martin Butzlaff, the certification is far more than just formal proof: "Our society can rightly expect its universities to contribute to a sustainable and just society: Witten/Herdecke University is committed to this core task - and above all wants to take responsibility for future generations. To this end, we set innovative impulses in teaching and research. With the certification by the ZNU Standard for Sustainable Management, we are one of the first universities in Germany to be continuously measured in terms of how we manage our business more sustainably in all dimensions and develop our campus accordingly."

The certification is accompanied by a re-audit in spring 2026 and more extensive audits every three years. This will ensure that sustainability management is continuously driven forward. The aim is to anchor sustainability not as an individual project, but as an attitude in all areas of the university - with an impact far beyond the campus.

Many years of commitment to sustainability

In addition to the introduction of the "ZNU Standard for Sustainable Management", the UW/H has been committed to sustainability for many years - it was recently recognised as a Fairtrade University for the third time in a row. With its timber building, it also opened one of the most sustainable university buildings in Germany in 2021. A comprehensive range of services promotes sustainable mobility for employees, from a 9 € job ticket to bike leasing and car-sharing options. Vegetables from the nearby field are used in the cafeteria. And with the Bachelor's degree programme Global Sustainability and numerous courses in the interdisciplinary Studium fundamentale, the UW/H also firmly anchors the topic of sustainability in its teaching.