Free University of Berlin publishes sustainability report 2024

(openPR) The Free University of Berlin has published its sustainability report for the fourth time. In particular, the years 2022 and 2023 are examined and the topics of climate protection and biodiversity are brought into focus. The report provides an overview of the diverse activities in the fields of governance, teaching and research, campus, dialogue and networks. It also contains the university’s future sustainability and climate protection program. Printed copies of the German version of the 2024 Sustainability Report of the Free University of Berlin can be obtained free of charge and are available for download. The English version is also available for download. In addition, the university also published the 2024 environmental statement as part of the successfully completed EMAS registration.

The cover photo of the sustainability report with a fox in a flowering meadow on the university campus represents a milestone that has been reached. With the proclamation of the Biodiversity Year 2024 and the adoption of a biodiversity strategy in May 2024, Freie Universität has established the topic of biodiversity as a new focus of its sustainability management.

The sustainability report presents a wealth of successful projects and new approaches to implementing the sustainability and climate goals of the Free University of Berlin. These cover a wide spectrum – from research into green chemistry, biodiversity and water supply, the diverse anchoring of sustainability in teaching to new mobility offers and the further improvement of energy efficiency in one’s own area of ​​responsibility. “In 2023, the university will have reached a historic low of around 108 billion kilowatt hours of electricity and heat and will have used over 33 percent less energy than in 2000/01. “If you exclude the newly added university buildings from the balance sheet during this period, the disadvantage is around 40 percent,” emphasizes Andreas Wanke, head of the Sustainability and Energy Department.

“The Sustainability Report 2024 makes it clear overall: We are not only confronting the climate and biodiversity crisis in research and teaching, but are also specifically taking our responsibility as an institution.” “For the implementation of ambitious goals in the areas of sustainability, climate protection and “We rely on the participation of the entire university community when it comes to biodiversity,” said University President Günter M. Ziegler. “This will be shown, among other things, by the new climate protection program 2025-2030, which is to be presented by the university next year.” “A new climate protection fund and the continuation of a successfully established idea and innovation management should give us scope in the future, concretely, locally and transparently to invest in effective climate protection and biodiversity measures,” adds the Chancellor of the University (mdWdAb) Andrea Güttner.

In the report, the examples of different actors and projects from research, teaching and on campus clearly show how sustainability and climate protection can be successful and how important cooperation and networks at the Free University of Berlin are in this field. Whether living labs, futurist projects, international collaborations or committed teams: the range of examples and data in the sustainability report reflects what the Free University of Berlin has been about for many years: promoting and actively communicating sustainability and climate protection throughout the university.

European Union EMAS certificate and FU environmental declaration 2024

In September 2024, the environmental management system of the Free University of Berlin was also audited by an external EMAS environmental auditor. The European environmental management system EMAS (Eco-Management and Audit Scheme) is the environmental management certification of the European Union and is one of the most demanding management standards in this area worldwide. With the successful certification, Freie Universität is one of the small group of currently around 20 EMAS-validated universities in Germany. The associated environmental statement transparently presents the development of Freie Universität’s activities and results. The sustainability program 2024-2026 currently includes 30 measures to implement the sustainability goals. In addition, the decentralized sustainability team manages sustainability programs at department level. You can also read overviews of direct and indirect environmental aspects as well as the university-wide environmental indicators. The Free University of Berlin thus provides a transparent insight into its sustainability and environmental management.

scientific contact person:
Andreas Wanke, Head of the Sustainability & Energy Department at the Free University of Berlin, email: