Sustainable development and responsibility 2022

• We will recognise our responsibility as promoters of sustainable development and responsibility.
• The education that we provide will produce experts who will promote sustainable development in working life and society through knowledge, skills and attitudes.
• All staff members and VAMK’s graduates will have a basic understanding of sustainable development and what it entails in their specific field.
• We will promote the accessibility of higher education.

Our measures

• We will offer and market a sustainable development training package (2–3 credits) or other training on the various sustainable development subthemes to our personnel.
• We will include sustainable development, circular economy and/or carbon neutrality in all of our curricula.
• We will offer study modules of continuous learning on the theme to the area’s businesses.
• We will ensure that all students can access our education, regardless of their circumstances.
• We will facilitate the ability of our students to invest responsibly.

• We will influence the formation of a sustainable, smart and responsible society through our RDI operations, which are closely integrated into our teaching, while taking the changes in our operating environment dynamically into account.
• We will promote the joint development of goal-oriented, coordinated, sustainable and responsible RDI operations with other educational organisations, businesses and the public and third sectors, while also engaging individuals and emphasising openness and transparency.
• We will enhance our knowledge management, proactive approach and monitoring in connection to our ecologically, socially, financially and culturally sustainable and responsible RDI operations.

Our measures

• We will promote sustainable development and responsibility by integrating our teaching (teachers and students) with our multisectoral and network-like RDI operations in a phenomenon-based way. Skill enhancement will also allow our teaching to be of higher quality and up-to-date and our students to meet the needs of working life, in terms of sustainability and responsibility.
• We will work as an active and appropriate partner in regional, national and global networks in order to achieve the sustainability and responsibility objectives of Finland and the EU. We will boldly carry out trials and create concepts of new solutions, and facilitate new ways of participating.
• We will enhance our knowledge management, information production, monitoring of megatrends and proactive approaches.
• We will also implement jointly determined criteria, with which we will plan, carry out, assess and develop further our sustainable and responsible RDI operations. We will provide open and understandable information about our operations and impact on society’s development through extensive influence and participation via various channels.

• All members of VAMK’s community will take responsibility for their day-to-day choices.
• We will support our staff and students and enable them to make sustainable choices.
• Sustainable development will be the goal of our finances and investments.
• Our financial management will support the rest of the organisation in sustainable development and responsibility by using specific processes to ensure commitment

Our measurements

• We will allow our administrative and support service staff to work remotely and from multiple locations, and encourage hybrid learning. We will aim to participate in meetings and training remotely, where possible, thereby avoiding unnecessary travelling.
• We will facilitate low-emission transport and promote more sustainable forms of commuting.
• We comply with the UN Principles for Responsible Investment in our investment policies. Renewable energy sources, such as wind power, are part of the investment portfolio of Vaasa University of Applied Sciences.
• We will investigate ways of building renewable energy solutions at the campus to be utilised in teaching as well.
• We will take full advantage of the campus’s building engineering systems by optimising the heating and ventilation settings.
• We will improve waste sorting at the campus.
• We will reduce the emissions connected to procurement by favouring low-emission and emission-free acquisitions and services and by taking advantage of circular economy.

• We will be easy to approach. We will trust and respect every person as an individual and work as a team.
• We will promote the wellbeing of our personnel and students.
• We will improve our management and work community skills to enhance our staff members’ motivation, competence and work ability.
• As an employer, VAMK will operate in a financially, ecologically, socially and culturally responsible manner.
• We will offer our personnel an opportunity to update their skills through our partner network.
• We will listen to our students’ needs and include them in our decision-making.

Our measurements

• We will operate according to our values and make our ethical code part of our daily work.
• We will work and communicate in an open and transparent way about our operations.
• As part of our daily work, we will make early interventions, where necessary, to threats against staff members’ ability to work, in accordance with the early support model.
• We will invest in students’ guidance and wellbeing.
• We will invite students to our working groups and bodies of decision-making. We will work closely together with student union VAMOK.

• Our goal is to become carbon neutral by 2030.
• We will focus on mitigating emissions from specific sources determined for each year by Arene.

Our measurements

• We will calculate our carbon footprint annually by using Arene’s model.
• We will take part in making this model increasingly comprehensive and accurate. However, the calculations may not take too many resources away from the actual, tangible emission-reduction measures or the related planning.
• We will automate our organisation’s carbon footprint calculations. This will take place gradually as new systems become available on the market, but the accuracy of the calculations will never be compromised.
• Our operational guidelines will factor in our emission-reduction measures.

Sustainable Development and  Responsibility_programme.pdf