News
| 11.02.2026

UNIFI: Finnish universities have updated their sustainability theses

UNIFI’s sustainability theses have already inspired action at Finnish universities – from integrating sustainability competences into degree programmes to investing in related research. At Hanken School of Economics, these theses have also played an important role in shaping our environmental efforts.

The universities in Finland have updated their shared theses on sustainable development and responsibility (in Finnish). Published originally in 2020, the theses underwent several minor changes on the basis of data gathered on their practical implementation.

The thesis stating that universities should become carbon neutral by 2030 has seen the most significant change. In the updated version, the goal of carbon neutrality is no longer tied to a specific timeframe. The updated theses also place stronger emphasis on universities’ impact on biodiversity.

Most university emissions are indirect, such as those caused by procurement. For total carbon neutrality, extensive offsetting of emissions would be required, which could be done by purchasing carbon credits. The thesis also bans greenwashing: universities are not allowed to make misleading claims about carbon neutrality.

“In our new Climate Action Plan 2025–2030, we have reformulated our carbon neutrality target so that it better aligns with the current operational environment and UNIFI’s theses. We will also focus on our impact on biodiversity, which has not previously been a strong area of focus for us. We continue striving for carbon neutrality in our direct and energy-related emissions. For the indirect emissions in our upstream value chain, we have set an ambitious target to halve them. For emissions related to investment activities, we will establish separate targets over the coming years,” says Riina Haavisto, social responsibility coordinator at Hanken.

UNIFI’s theses on funding and evaluation have been specified in a way that gives universities better control over how they are met. From now on, teaching on sustainability and responsibility can also be delivered in ways other than through a separate course, and universities will in the future set quantifiable sustainability targets for their investment activities. The promotion of academic freedom has been introduced as a new theme in the theses.