The sustainability reports provide you with an annual summary of the activities, structures and measures relating to sustainability at the University of Passau, particularly with regard to the Sustainable Development Goals.
The University of Passau has strategically expanded its sustainability activities during the 2024/25 reporting period. With the establishment of the new Vice-Presidency for Sustainability under Prof. Dr Werner Gamerith, the issue has been structurally embedded within the university’s leadership. A sustainability hub connects research, operations and teaching. The climate protection strategy adopted in August 2024 comprises 44 measures across seven areas of action. The University aims to be climate-neutral in Scopes 1 and 2 by 2028 and to achieve full climate neutrality by 2040.
The 2024 greenhouse gas footprint stands at 8,837 tonnes of CO₂ equivalents, with transport accounting for 85% of emissions. Emissions from heating fell significantly thanks to a new combined heat and power plant. Almost all buildings have been fitted with photovoltaic systems, and the Ruderalange has been converted to biogas.
The Bavarian Green Data Centre, which makes full use of waste heat, received an award at the Federal President’s ‘Environment Week’. The BNE congress ‘#wandelUP’ brought together over 100 participants. The student project ‘Fairteller’, which tackles food waste, has been very successful, with nearly 600 Instagram followers. The university presented awards to the Innwerk association (open workshop), to Dr Paul Hamann-Rose (literature and ecology) and to the Student Services Organisation for sustainable catering.
Four sustainable start-ups have emerged from the university environment. In the GreenMetric Ranking 2024, the university ranked 216th out of 1,477, and in the THE Impact Ranking it achieved top scores for “Reduced Inequalities” and “Quality Education”. Plans include a coordinating office for climate protection and a river water heat pump.
