A sustainability evaluation framework for Science and Technology Institutes: an international comparative analysis

The concerns with the spread of sustainable practices in Higher Education Institutions are growing considerably due to the reach of these institutions in society and in local communities. This research develops and applies a framework that takes into account the social, economic and environmental co...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:	Journal of cleaner production Vol. 125; pp. 145 - 158
Main Authors:	Gustavo de Lima, Rafael, Lins, Hoyêdo Nunes, Pfitscher, Elisete Dahmer, Garcia, Jéssica, Suni, Alek, Salgueirinho Osório de Andrade Guerra, José Baltazar, Caroline Renata Delle, Finati
Format:	Journal Article
Language:	English
Published:	Elsevier Ltd 01-07-2016
Subjects:	Cleaning Communities Economics Guidelines Management Networks Public administration Science and Technology Institutes Sustainability Sustainability evaluation framework USA, Massachusetts Science and Technology Institutes Sustainability evaluation framework Sustainability
Online Access:	Get full text
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Summary:	The concerns with the spread of sustainable practices in Higher Education Institutions are growing considerably due to the reach of these institutions in society and in local communities. This research develops and applies a framework that takes into account the social, economic and environmental concerns to evaluate to what extent Science and Technology Institutes are contributing to the spread of sustainable practices. It combines the measurement system from the Global Reporting Initiative, Public Administration Environmental Agenda and International Sustainable Campus Network guidelines. This research therefore highlights Science and Technology Institutes as a form of participatory management in sustainable practices that can be replicated in society and beyond campuses. From a questionnaire using the Sustainability Evaluation International Framework applied to Science and Technology Institutes, results show that the international Science and Technology Institutes selected (Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich) are characterized as “excellent”, and three Brazilian institutions' performances by the same metric are evaluated as “regular”. •This research evaluates sustainability practices at Science and Technology Institutes (STIs).•This study presents a new sustainability evaluation framework for STIs.•A new framework facilitates international comparison of sustainability practices.•International STIs show greater sustainability compliance than Brazilian STIs.•Brazilian STIs have less established sustainability practices, but excel in some areas.
Bibliography:	ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23
ISSN:	0959-6526 1879-1786
DOI:	10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.03.028