Sustainability at SeAMK

In SeAMK’s strategy and overall operations, sustainability and sustainable development have been taken into account. You can find the Sustainable Development Programme for 2020 in Finnish here (PDF).

In education, the thread of sustainable development aims to make students aware of social responsibility and understand the diversity of sustainable development as a workplace skill. In teaching, sustainable development is examined from the perspectives of ecological, economic, social, and cultural sustainability.

The purpose of competence threads is to demonstrate the development of competence aligned with the threads throughout the education, including basic studies, professional studies, skill-enhancing internships, and thesis.

Currently, SeAMK is involved in 35 circular economy-related projects within research, development, and innovation activities (RDI). Publications can be found mostly in Finnish in SeAMK’s online magazine.

Examples of sustainable development projects at SeAMK

SeAMK’s projects contribute to several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. At least 30 projects aligned with one or more of these goals in 2024. According to the latest review, SeAMK had a total of 42 sustainability-related projects with a combined budget of 8.57 M€. The projects are distributed across different focus areas as follows:

• Continuous Learning: 1 project with a budget of 150,000 €
• Digitalisation and Smart Systems: 3 projects
• Wellbeing and Creativity: 2 projects with a total budget of 466,280 €
• Sustainable Food Solutions and Natural Resources and Bioeconomy: 30 projects with a total budget of 6,142,300 €
• Entrepreneurship and Growth: 6 projects with a total budget of 1,132,178 €

Additional funding decisions for several projects are pending, so the overall number of projects is likely to increase by the end of the year. While some projects concluded in late 2023 before new funding decisions were made, the total number of sustainable development projects remains slightly smaller compared to 2023. However, the average size of projects has increased, especially in the fields of food and business management.

Situation overview of actions

SeAMK is committed to the goals of The Rectors’ Conference of Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences Arene of becoming carbon-neutral by 2030. The objective of monitoring is to identify the impact of SeAMK’s sustainable development efforts and facilitate responsible reporting within the organisation. Since 2023, statistics have also been collected on how the projects align with the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals. This provides a clearer picture of SeAMK’s contributions.

Collaboration with Arene’s Sustainability and Responsibility Working Group defines calculation principles for significant carbon dioxide emissions related to:

• Building energy consumption (heating and electricity), water consumption, waste management, and building maintenance as well as construction costs
• Travel
• Dining
• Procurement

SeAMK’s Sustainable Development Working Group also coordinates other initiatives promoting sustainability and responsible practices. Some ongoing measures include:

• Development of SeAMK’s own Sustainable Development Programme for 2020-2025
• Integration of sustainable development themes into degree programme curricula – defining what sustainable development means as a professional skill for students?
• Promotion of sustainable development research and monitoring its impact (referred to as the “carbon footprint”)

On campus, the following actions are being taken:

• Monitoring print volumes and organising campaigns to reduce printing
• Enhancing waste sorting practices
• Procuring campus bicycles and increasing the number of bike racks
• Acquiring a shared electric car
• Investigating additional electric vehicle charging points in collaboration with Seipark
• Solar panels for the roof of the Frami F building in the procurement process

Key figures in sustainability at SeAMK