Laurea Programme for Sustainable Development

climate  change, overconsumption  of natural resources, biodiversity loss and the recognition of social inequalities have put sustainable  development  in  the  limelight of societal and economic discussions more than ever before. Europe and Finland rely on the  circular economy as their new economic foundation. Lack of expertise is seen as a bottleneck in goal achievement, both nationally  and  internationally.  Sustainable development has increased its significance in education and research and emerged as an important area in stakeholder cooperation.  Laurea  and  other  higher education  institutions  play  an  important role  in  promoting  and  activating  sustainable development – not only by producing knowledge  and  shaping  students’  attitudes but also as regional partners.

In our strategy, we have selected sustainable development as one of the themes  that  guides  Laurea’s  choices.

We view effectiveness, responsibility and openness which are our values, through the United  Nations’  Sustainable  Development Goals (SDGs) and take into account the ecological, social and economic impacts of our activities in all our activities. Our best possibility of promoting the achievement of the SDGs lies in our core activities, or  education,  research,  development and innovation (RDI) as well as regional development.  Ensuring  that  our  students and alumni are able to identify the impacts of their actions from the perspective of the SDGs, both in working life and as citizens, is one of the cornerstones of our objectives related  to  sustainable  development. Through  our  research,  development  and innovation activities, we create new research evidence and operating models to enable efficient SDG achievement. Regional cooperation with local companies and organisations as well as with our partners is of paramount importance.

We also promote SDG achievement  as an organisation in all our activities. We use resources responsibly to promote the students’ learning and progress in their studies as well as to carry out effective RDI and regional  development  work.  In  addition, we promote  equality  and  non-discrimination in  the  higher  education  community.

Learn more about Laurea Programme for Sustainable Development and the concrete actions to reach our goals. 

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