A framework for implementing and reporting United Nations sustainable development goals in Spanish higher education institutions

Purpose This study aims to explore a holistic framework for implementing and reporting sustainable development goals (SDGs) in universities. The aim is to define elements of the content as well as the context, which will allow us to understand and compare sustainable development processes at the university level. Using the 2030 Agenda context, this research describes a university profile which is accountable to its stakeholders, thus aligning its sustainability report with the SDGs. Design/methodology/approach This research has considered the entire Spanish university system and relies on data collection from sustainability reports published by 50 public universities and 34 private universities. Through an analysis of the contents of public reports, the aim is to build an index like the social responsibility dissemination index, but specific to the 2030 Agenda in the university context. Findings The holistic model, based on a dissemination index, showed diverse methods of implementing and reporting contributions to the SDGs, with varying degrees of depth, priority, reach, suitability and visibility. The proposed index was also used as a classification variable to group Spanish universities into two conglomerates, one that leads the contribution to the 2030 Agenda and another that follows the previous ones. Research limitations/implications This research work could be extended to include any European university educational systems. Case studies could add qualitative value to the implementation of the SDGs. Originality/value As a pilot study, the developed index can be used to analyse the sustainability reports of Spanish universities to determine the use of reporting to render accounts to stakeholders.

Happy Sustainability: A Future Quest for More Sustainable Universities

For decades, sustainability researchers have tenaciously insisted on transforming higher education institutions into more sustainable and inclusive campuses. Yet, as the 2030 agenda seems unlikely to be achieved, universities are struggling to meet the fourth Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 4) before the 2030 deadline. In addition, the post-COVID-19 era demands quality and inclusive education that entails care for students experiencing high stress levels. So far, most of the significant achievements are within the environmental or economic dimensions of sustainable development, but strengthening the social dimension is still one pending task. The importance of happiness to sustainability initiatives on campus, and beyond, deserves further research. To this end, this article offers insights into incorporating the sustainability–happiness nexus into sustainable universities to enhance the social dimension of sustainability. COVID-19 reminds sustainability academics and stakeholders that teaching technical and scientific knowledge is necessary to become more sustainable. Still, it is not sufficient to achieve the goals in the 2030 agenda. Providing inclusive and sustainable quality education will be reached when more sustainable universities consider happiness the ultimate goal of human development.

Challenges and Benefits of Sustainable Industry 4.0 for Operations and Supply Chain Management—A Framework Headed toward the 2030 Agenda

Currently, Industry 4.0 (I4.0) represents a worldwide movement to improve the productivity and efficiency of operations and supply chain management (OSCM), which requires rethinking and changing the mindset of the way in which products are manufactured and services are used. Although the concept of I4.0 was not popularised in the ratification of the 2030 Agenda, I4.0 is a watershed in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It can serve as a platform for the alignment of the SDGs with the ongoing digital transformation. However, the challenges to the integration of I4.0 and sustainability in OSCM, and the benefits of this integration, in line with the SDGs, remain unclear. Moreover, there is a lack of a standard structure that establishes links between these challenges and benefits to strategically guide organisations on the journey towards a sustainable OSCM 4.0 (S-OSCM4.0) aligned with the SDGs. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to propose an S-OSCM4.0 framework for organisations to attain sustainability and I4.0 in OSCM, in line with the 2030 Agenda. Based on a systematic literature review, 48 articles that complied with the selection criteria were analysed using content analysis. The research findings were synthesised into taxonomies of challenges and benefits, and these categories were linked into a step-by-step framework, following an inductive approach. The proposed framework represents a novel artefact that integrates taxonomies in order to holistically achieve sustainable digitalisation for people, prosperity and planet benefits, and sheds light on the potential contributions of S-OSCM4.0 to the SDGs.

Ethics Teaching in Education for Sustainable Development

Education for sustainable development (ESD) is nowadays internationally considered an important aspect of the overall education of children and young people in the world. It is included among the goals of the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Besides its content – sustainable development – ESD is also characterized by its emphasis on a democratic and participatory educational procedure. In this paper, we show how both these aspects of ESD – its content and procedure – reveal the importance of bringing ethical considerations into ESD, as well as provide challenges for ethics teaching in ESD. Keywords: education for sustainable development (ESD), sustainable development, ethics education, teaching ethics, participatory education, controversial issues

A study of the Web visibility of the SDGs and the 2030 Agenda on university websites

Purpose Universities play an important role in the promotion and implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This study aims to examine the visibility of information about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on the websites of Spanish and major international universities, by means of a quantitative and qualitative analysis with an online visibility management platform that makes use of big data technology. Design/methodology/approach The Web visibility of the universities studied in relation to the terms “SDG”, “Sustainable Development Goals” and “2030 Agenda” was determined using the SEMrush tool. Information was obtained on the number of web pages accessed and the queries formulated (query expansion). The content indexed by Google for these universities was compiled, and finally, the search engine optimization (SEO) factors applicable to the websites with the highest Web visibility were identified. Findings The universities analysed are content creators but do not have very high Web visibility in Web searches for information on the SDGs. Of the 98 universities analysed, only four feature prominently in search results. Originality/value Although research exists on the application of SEO to different areas, there have not, to date, been any studies examining the Web visibility of universities in relation to Web searches for information on the 2030 Agenda. The main contributions of this study are the global perspective it provides on the Web visibility of content produced by universities about the SDGs and the recommendations it offers for improving that visibility.

Implications of coal disappearance from the energy mix in Romania

The firm commitment of the European Union (EU) to fully implement the 2030 Agenda requires the Member States to find and implement solutions to meet global targets, including ensuring clean and affordable energy. The EU encourages the elimination of coal from the energy mix in order to quantitatively reduce emissions and the impact on the environment and human health. Romania attaches great importance to the 2030 Agenda and understands that developing the national economy, increasing the quality of life, and caring for the environment are inextricably linked to the development and modernization of the energy system, for which the National Energy Strategy 2019-2030 was developed. According to it, in the perspective of 2050, Romania will be based on a diversified, balanced, and modern energy mix through clean technologies. But what if coal would disappear from the energy mix? The causes of the disappearance of coal from the energy mix could be represented by global or national policies or the depletion of known exploitable reserves, the latter being a less probable variant. In this paper, we aim to highlight and analyze some scenarios related to the possibilities of replacing coal in the energy mix, which would change the perspectives.

Islamic Social Finance: Integrating Zakah Funds in Microfinance and Microenterprise Support Programs

Alleviating poverty and inequality are among the central objectives of zakah in the Islamic economic system. These objectives are also on top of the 17 SDGs of the UN 2030 Agenda. This research argues that microenterprise support programs (MSPs) have been proven as effective tools in combating poverty. However, lack of funds has always been a major challenge for the sustainability of those programs. Channeling zakah funds to MSPs will directly contribute to empowering deprived populations and helping them to lift themselves out of the poverty cycle. Two zakah-based MSPs have been analyzed in this chapter. The first one is the Asnaf Entrepreneurship Program of Lembaga Zakah, Malaysia and the second one is Baitul Maal Muamalat Indonesia (BMMI). According to literature, using zakah in (MSPs) requires a strict implementation of best practices including screening program beneficiaries, providing professional training and monitoring to businesses, and finally applying a graduation scheme.