Review of the Sustainability Day 2024

The event was organised by CAMPUS 02 University of Applied Sciences and its theme was "Planet vs Plastics". Experts from nine different universities presented various aspects of plastics, their impact on people and the environment as well as other sustainability topics in a total of eleven lectures. The event attracted more than 200 participants throughout the day, with an average of around 45 participants gaining interdisciplinary insights from research and industry online.

The event shows how the Alliance of Sustainable Universities can pool the knowledge and resources of different universities. The Sustainability Day was made possible by the collaboration of those responsible for sustainability, lecturers, PR departments, IT support and employees of the Alliance of Sustainable Universities. The joint initiative brings together the expertise of the participating universities and their focus areas and creates new networks and potential project partners.

To kick things off, Kristina Edlinger-Ploder from CAMPUS 02 and Elisabeth Steiner^, Chairwoman of the Alliance for Sustainable Universities, welcomed the numerous participants^. This was followed by four presentations on the basics of plastics, their problems, the circular economy and alternatives. At lunchtime, the focus was on regulations, an art project, individual behaviour and finances. In the afternoon, different approaches to recycling were discussed in a dialogue between companies and environmental institutions. This was followed by a psychological look at how a sustainability-related change in behaviour is possible. Finally, possibilities for evaluating sustainability in companies were presented on the basis of R&D projects.

All presentations were recorded and are available here:

What can we do now?
- In order to take action, environmental psychologist Dr Isabella Uhl-Hädicke presented concepts on how we can proactively counter the unconscious factors that influence environmental behaviour^.
- If possible, we should stop producing new plastics and instead reuse existing ones. Disposable plastics with a short lifespan are particularly harmful to the environment. The recycling rate in Austria must therefore increase. This can be driven by the upcoming deposit system, but clean waste separation is very important, especially in plastic recycling. This enables the sustainable, cycle-based use of food-safe plastics. Katrin Detter, MA, from CAMPUS Vienna University of Applied Sciences, as well as experts from ALPLA Werke, the Environmental Agency and process engineer Dr Christof Strabler from Vorarlberg University of Applied Sciences, made a case for this in their introductory lecture on the topic of plastics.
- We can change our consumer behaviour individually, use less single-use plastic, point out problematic behaviour to others and collect plastics separately.
- The largest consumption of plastic is in the packaging sector with a very short useful life. Coca-Cola produces the most single-use plastic in the world every year, which is consequently the most frequently found during marine clean-ups. Plastic waste threatens many ecosystems and has a negative impact on human health and the climate. The artist Thomas Sailer (alumni of the Burgenland University of Applied Sciences) even found a can from 1998 in Vienna's Stadtpark, which is integrated into his artwork "Dreckschwein". A young team from Burgenland University of Applied Sciences presents how we can reduce our waste.
- In addition to plastic waste, tyre abrasion also contains microplastics, which has a very high environmental impact and makes animals and humans ill. To counteract this, we can make more use of public transport and control braking behaviour when using a motor vehicle. This also applies to plastics that are produced from dandelions as an alternative to crude oil-based plastics. Dr Miriam Lettner presents how sustainability assessment can be carried out in technical R&D projects using the example of another alternative with lignin.
- Sustainable packaging is mainly the economic responsibility of the company itself, as consumers currently prefer cheaper packaging. A reflection by the company can help to make this decision proactively. In the future, you will have the advantage of having already changed your behaviour in the face of upcoming legal regulations in order to gain a competitive advantage.
- Our (consumer) behaviour and that of companies will change because legal regulations are coming. With the new EU taxonomy, there will be more clear rules in future on the extent to which companies must report sustainability information.
- In the view of economics professor Dr Johannes Jäger, there is no such thing as genuine green finance on the stock market. If you want to do something good with your money, you should donate, become politically active and consume consciously.
The event takes place annually on Earth Day on 22 April. Earth Day reminds us of the importance of environmental protection and sustainability and encourages us to come together and take action for a healthier planet and a sustainable future.

Contact: info(at)nachhaltige-hochschulen.at