Working towards a sustainable institution together

Sustainability is not a separate theme at Erasmus University Rotterdam — it is a structural, cross-cutting element of our identity as a university. It shapes our education, our research priorities, our partnerships, and our operational choices. We see it as a long-term, shared responsibility that calls for coherent policy, strong governance, and strategic collaboration across our organisation, and we are working towards a systemic approach that matches the scale of today's ecological and social challenges, rather than settling for incremental change.

This approach is embedded in Strategy 2030, our institutional strategy. Sustainability connects most directly to our third Impact Domain, a just transition to a sustainable society, but it runs through all five domains and across all three of our core activities:

At Erasmus University Rotterdam, our commitment to sustainability is enhanced by our mission to create positive societal impact 'the Erasmian way'. Recognising the interconnected and global nature of sustainability challenges, we embrace dialogue, co-creation, and collaboration across disciplines, cultures, and societal stakeholders. Our approach values diversity of perspectives, cultural sensitivity, and critical reflection, fostering open and respectful spaces for understanding and addressing the ethical and social dimensions of sustainability. 

Our commitments

Over the past several years, EUR has formalised its sustainability ambitions through a series of institutional commitments:

• Rotterdam Climate Agreement (2022) — joining the municipality of Rotterdam's coordinated climate effort as a knowledge partner.

• Climate and Ecological Emergency Declaration (2023) — committing to urgent, coordinated action to counter climate change and ecosystem loss, and to a net positive impact as an organisation.

• Voluntary CSRD alignment (2025) — choosing to report in line with the EU's Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive ahead of any obligation to do so, reflecting our commitment to transparency and accountability.

• Think Green Act Green Manifesto (2025) — developed by the Green Young Academy to create a shared language amongst knowledge institutions and promote collaboration.

Sustainability at Erasmus University Rotterdam 

At Erasmus University Rotterdam, sustainability is one of our strategic pillars. We must search for solutions even if we don’t have all the answers yet. In this video we’ll explain how we integrate sustainability in our research and education.