Eco-labelling of courses and programs at University of Gothenburg

Abstract

Abstract For several years, the University of Gothenburg has been classifying and eco-labelling its courses and programs according to the wide definition of sustainable development found in the Swedish Higher Education Act (Chapter 1, Section 5). The objective of this labelling, which corresponds to the ISO 14024:2009 standard, is primarily to guide students in their selection of courses and programs. Two different eco-labels are used. Courses and programs that primarily or partly include issues related to ecological, economic or social sustainable development have different labels. The result shows that the proportion of courses and programs that are eco-labelled is increasing over the years and currently approximately 30% of the courses and programs are eco-labelled. Studies have shown that the eco-labelling of university courses and programs is still new and many university lecturers are uncomfortable with defining sustainable development within their subject area. University of Gothenburg has started a course to train university lecturers on how to use good examples, find relevant literature and through dialogue, get help on how sustainable development can be integrated into various subject areas.