Report Profile

The report is intended to make RWTH Aachen University's activities with regard to sustainable development visible and to present developments transparently. In this sense, the second sustainability report continues the goal set in the first report, which was to develop and align RWTH more sustainably in ecological, economic and social terms, starting from the status quo.

The sustainability process at RWTH builds on the results of the BMBF-funded joint project "Sustainability at Universities" (HOCH^N). In cooperation between the universities involved in HochN and the German Council for Sustainable Development (RNE), the university-specific German Sustainability Code (HS-DNK) was developed, which provides a low-threshold introduction to detailed and professionalized sustainability reporting. The intensive participation in the ongoing national sustainability dialogue between the universities, which is perceived by the staff unit, also sets new impulses for the future work at RWTH.

The structure of this sustainability report, as an update of the first RWTH sustainability report, is basically based on the contents of the HS-DNK. In some places, however, it deviates from this – in terms of content and sequence – in order to take into account the special features and structures of RWTH.

For example, separate chapters are devoted to the core tasks of the university – Research and Teaching. Content from the former "Society – Internationalization – Social Initiatives" chapter has been incorporated into the "Governance" chapter.

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations, which are also addressed as sustainable development goals in the German Sustainability Strategy of the Federal Government from the beginning of 2017, also form an extended frame of reference for the classification of activities and measures at RWTH.

The sustainability report makes no claim to completeness; in particular, the projects presented are merely a selection of the diverse sustainability landscape at RWTH. The projects selected here as examples are intended to give an impression of how sustainability is advanced in the various fields of action at RWTH in terms of content, methodology and social aspects.
The quantitative data is updated with a view to 2021 and 2022, while qualitative data was recorded up to and including summer 2023. The operational part does not include the independent operations of the University Hospital Aachen (UKA).

In some places, reference is made to existing texts and other materials. These can be accessed directly by means of a link and are indicated by blue font color and an underline. The photos, some of which were taken for this report, were always taken in compliance with the currently valid Corona protection measures.

The sustainability report is available in German and English.

Without the dedicated support of a wide range of stakeholders from within the university and beyond, the production of this report would not have been possible.

This sustainability report was prepared in particular with the support of Geva Aschhoff, Sebastian Backhaus, Helen Bassett, Alexander Bendziulla, Jennifer Bosen, Ulrike Brands, Ina Breuer, Sebastian Burghardt, Mohammad Chehadé, Simona Claßen, Johannes Claßen, Alina Cohnen, Paul Cordero, Jörg Dautzenberg, Gitta Doebert, Neele Drews, Daniel Eiden, Ahmad Luay Eleiwy, Alexander Esser, Larissa Franke, Heiko Fuß, Paul Gamper, Hannah Georg, Dagmar Glauner, Michaela Graetz, Kathrin Greiff, Lea Hagen, Pia Hildmann, Mario Hillebrand, Hans-Dieter Hötte, Theresa Janning, Mohamad Joumaa, Alexander Kalz, Sreejoe Kaniyamparambil, Thorsten Karbach, Mareike Kempen, Michael Klages, Christina Kockel, David Kohlrautz, Luisa Königs, Bastian Kreusing, Dennis Kreutzer, Jochen Küpper, Brigitte Küppers-Bell, Miriam Lämmerhirt, Lars Lauterbach, Markus Leber, Ramona Legrand, Carmen Leicht-Scholten, Peter Lynen, Ricarda Mahlberg, Andre Mangad, Brita McClay, Amelie Meiners, Corinna Mescherowsky, Elke Müller, Andrea Nebel, Lena Nietzschmann, Ralitsa Petrova-Stoyanov, Aaron Praktiknjo, Christa Reicher, Klaus Reicherter, Achim Reimer, Florian Ringbeck, Claudia Römisch, Sofia Rot, Gottfried Schillings, Katharina Schmidt, Kurt-Jürgen Schmitt, Kai-Uwe Schröder, Stella Schröder, Ceren Sezer, Johannes Sprink, Marcel Thiel, Bianca Thoma, Axel Timpe, Helmut Vanicek, Irmhild Ventker, Susanne Vering, Simon von Agris, Niklas von der Aßen, Laura Vonhoegen, Simone Wawzik, Sara Wigger, Daniela Wilmes, Florian Winkler, Michael Wirtz, Sebastian Wirtz, Jana Zimmermann, Michael Zündorf and many other supporters.