Sustainability at the whole institution
Sustainability at the whole institution – driving collaborative action through Responsible Futures International
With just five years remaining until the 2030 deadline for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), it is increasingly clear that progress is falling short. Global efforts to advance climate action, reduce inequality, and ensure quality education have been hampered by compounding crises, political inertia, and widening structural divides. Yet, across university campuses, there is a markedly different mood: students are not waiting passively. Around the world, young people are demanding that their institutions take bolder, more integrated action to confront the intersecting social and environmental challenges of our time.
It is in this context that the Responsible Futures Programme developed by Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS UK) has taken root with almost ten years of experience in the UK. Over the past year, in partnership with the International Association of Universities (IAU), we have been supporting a diverse group of seven higher education institutions to work collaboratively to test and shape the framework for this programme in an international pilot. The RF programme takes a unique approach that places sustainability—not as an add-on or extracurricular issue—at the heart of educational practice and institutional culture.
Throughout the pilot year, institutions co-created a holistic international framework that is adaptable to local and national contexts. Central to the process has been a student-led audit model. In the pilot year, 36 student auditors reviewed institutional practices against over 200 criteria, working with staff to identify areas for improvement and highlight examples of good practice. The audit process acted both as a reflective exercise to understand existing work, and as a catalyst, prompting curriculum reviews, new collaborations across departments, and enhanced mechanisms for transparency and accountability. The recently published RF Internation Pilot Report further illustrates key outcomes and testimonials from the 2023-2024 first international cohort of the programme.
Students and staff have reported that engaging with the Responsible Futures framework has provided a clear, cohesive structure for sustainability work—bringing together scattered efforts under a shared, strategic vision. At several institutions, the process has not only elevated student voice but helped create conditions for students to take on leadership roles in shaping sustainability education. Informal feedback also points to significant individual development outcomes, with students and staff gaining new skills and confidence through participation in the audit and related activities.
What distinguishes Responsible Futures is its emphasis on co-creation and collaboration, rather than prescriptive compliance. The programme supports institutions in reflecting on their own practices, aligning sustainability initiatives with institutional priorities, and drawing on shared learning across an international cohort. Importantly, it does so without assuming uniformity; instead, it recognises the importance of context and supports locally relevant pathways for change.
The international pilot culminated not only in institutional self-assessment but in collective learning. Institutions showcased their progress and experiences to peers around the world, contributing to a growing network of practice. This spirit of shared responsibility and dialogue is set to continue, as a second cohort of 10 institutions is currently working with the programme . Among the new participants are the American International University Bangladesh (AIUB), Bangladesh; Atlantic Technological University, Ireland; and the University of Ghana, next to the core group continuing their engagement from the pilot: Queen's University, Canada; Murdoch University, Australia; The University of the West Indies, Caribbean; Women's University in Africa, Zimbabwe; Mykolas Romeris University, Lithuania; Trinity College Dublin, Ireland; and Mohawk College, Canada.
Since the beginning of the year, the current cohort has held 10 cohort catchups online, exchanging knowledge criteria from the RF framework such as baselines and benchmarks, leadership and strategy and policy and commitments.
Furthermore, students and staff participated in the first Responsible Futures Student Sustainability Symposium in April, organised by Students Organising for Sustainability (SOS-UK) and the University of the West of England.
Looking ahead, the programme is evolving based on feedback from participating institutions. New developments will aim to increase accessibility, strengthen regional engagement, and ensure the framework remains relevant in a shifting global education landscape. Plans include exploring regional hubs, adjusting delivery models, and continuing to centre the voices of students and staff as equal partners in driving change.
In a moment when urgency is palpable and the road to 2030 uncertain, Responsible Futures International offers a different kind of response—one grounded in collaboration, critical reflection, and the belief that education can and must be a force for transformation.
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Ready to work with students on integrating sustainability in learning? Get in touch to learn more about implementing Responsible Futures at your institution.
The next cohort will kick off in October, but joining the programme is possible at any point to accommodate flexible academic timelines.
