Journal of Cleaner Production 434 (2024) 139863

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Journal of Cleaner Production

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jclepro

Sustainable development in Portuguese higher education institutions from

the faculty perspective
Susana Leal a, *, Ulisses M. Azeiteiro b, Ana Marta Aleixo b, c
a
Polytechnic Institute of Santarém and Life Quality Research Centre (CIEQV), Portugal
b
Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies CESAM and Department of Biology, University of Aveiro, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal
c
Universidade Católica Portuguesa, CADOS and Polytechnic of Leiria, Portugal

A R T I C L E I N F O A B S T R A C T

Handling Editor: Dr Sandra Caeiro Higher education institutions play a fundamental role and have great responsibility in promoting sustainability
and achieving sustainable development goals. It is therefore essential to study the teacher’s perceptions of
Keywords: incorporating sustainability since they are responsible for promoting competences and preparing citizens to
Education for sustainable development respond with solutions to future challenges. The aim of this research is to analyse the perceptions of sustain­
Higher education institutions
ability held by teachers at Portuguese public higher education institutions. A descriptive and exploratory study
Teachers’ perceptions
was conducted by administering an online questionnaire. The sample is made up of 444 teachers from different
Portugal
Sustainability Portuguese public higher education institutions (54.1% women and 45.9% men). The results show that while
most teachers believe higher education institutions promote the integration of sustainability in their activities,
only 16% consider that sustainable development is holistically integrated in the institutions’ different activities.
About 30% of the teachers report that they largely or extensively integrate sustainable development in their
curricular units, but only 20% of them state that higher education institutions provide regular or systematic
training in SD. Teachers prefer to increase students’ sustainable development education through conferences,
seminars, or research projects. Almost 90% of teachers are concerned about climate change or the environment,
but only 40% or less engage in sustainable development-related activities. Four clusters are also identified,
representing teachers’ different perceptions of the higher education institutions’ promotion of sustainability,
teachers’ participation in sustainable development issues and concerns about climate change. Although teachers
feel that sustainability is starting to be integrated in higher education institutions, this is not done holistically;
moreover, differences are found between teachers in polytechnics and universities and between different sci­
entific areas.

1. Introduction development and the teachers’ responsibility in this pursuit as educa­

tors. Integrating sustainability in higher education remains problematic
The role played by the internal stakeholders of Higher Education (Veidemane, 2022), so insights into teachers’ perceptions will help
Institutions (HEIs) in fostering sustainability has been increasingly adjust strategies so that they favour the holistic integration of sustain­
highlighted in recent times, and the training of their stakeholders has ability in HEIs, communicate this integration to all stakeholders effec­
been identified as one of the key drivers of sustainability actions tively, and identify the barriers and challenges to be overcome. This
(Sánchez-Carrillo et al., 2021). While top management is undoubtedly work strives to fill gaps identified in previous studies (Aleixo et al., 2021;
essential in this process, it is necessary to develop skills that allow Ferguson et al., 2021; Georgiou et al., 2021; Saqib et al., 2020).
teachers to integrate sustainability in all aspects of the education system Several studies note the importance of the different HEIs stake­
(Kiesnere and Baumgartner, 2020). It is therefore vital to understand the holders in fostering sustainability, namely top management, teachers
teachers’ perceptions of sustainability and the sustainable development and students (Aleixo et al., 2018bb; Cebrián et al., 2019; Dagiliūtė et al.,
goals (SDGs) in HEIs, and in particular its role in teaching, research and 2018; Ferrero-Ferrero et al., 2018; García-González et al., 2020; Radzi
integration on campus, as well as its importance for the institution’s et al., 2022; Ribeiro et al., 2021; Saqib et al., 2020). However, few works

* Corresponding author.
E-mail addresses: [email protected] (S. Leal), [email protected] (U.M. Azeiteiro), [email protected] (A.M. Aleixo).

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.139863
Received 4 January 2023; Received in revised form 13 November 2023; Accepted 19 November 2023
Available online 23 November 2023
0959-6526/© 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-
nc-nd/4.0/).
S. Leal et al. Journal of Cleaner Production 434 (2024) 139863

examine the teachers’ perspective of HEIs’ commitment to sustainability SD into education systems; and (ii) how education has been embedded in
and the SDGs and its holistic incorporation throughout the system, their the discourse of SD.
understanding of teaching sustainability and SDGs, their perceptions of The main challenge for the integration of sustainability in HEIs,
climate change or their participation in activities to promote sustain­ namely in the curriculum, is that SD and SDG topics are not directly
ability. A holistic approach to sustainability is needed, integrating all related to all subjects. For example, whereas marine biotechnology or
dimensions (environmental, social, economic and human) into the cur­ energy and environmental engineering courses will in themselves
riculum to create a sustainable and prosperous society and quality of life involve sustainability concepts, this is not the case of most courses (e.g.,
for this and future generations. Schools and higher education, in disciplines related to exact sciences). The Aleixo et al. (2021) study on
particular, can set an example and replicate good practices that can be the perceptions of students from different scientific areas concludes that
scaled up globally to achieve fairness and equity in access to quality the scientific background of the student influences the results, namely
education for sustainable development. There is limited research about students from natural and environmental sciences have the strongest
the perceptions and attitudes to sustainability and SDGs of HEI teachers perception of SD and those in the exact sciences and engineering the
(e.g., Georgiou et al., 2021; Lazzarini et al., 2018). This study aims to weakest. According to Shephard and Furnari (2013), education for
contribute to reducing this gap. sustainability refers to the development of knowledge, skills, principles
The aim of this research is to analyse the perceptions of sustainability and arguments to achieve sustainability but that education about sus­
held by teachers at Portuguese public higher education institutions. The tainability refers to concepts related to sustainability and SDGs. On the
application of the study to higher education teachers in Portugal has other hand, Cotton et al. (2009) reveal some of the limitations of
several relevant reasons. Firstly, some studies show that Portuguese incorporating SD into the curriculum: (i) limited relevance of SD to some
higher education students have a low level of knowledge about sus­ disciplines; (ii) tensions between top-down and bottom-up approaches,
tainability and the SDGs (e.g., Ferreira et al., 2023); therefore, it is of and (iii) conflict with traditional higher education pedagogies. Authors
interest to understand teachers’ perceptions of the extent to which they have drawn attention to several factors that highlight the difficulty of
have integrated the topics in their teaching-learning processes. Sec­ integrating sustainability into higher education, notably in education
ondly, in Portugal, the majority of HEIs still do not consider sustain­ (Busquets et al., 2021; Cotton et al., 2009; McMillin and Dyball, 2009;
ability in an integrated way within the scope of their educational Verhulst and Lambrechts, 2015). Busquets et al. (2021) show that the
activities and curricula (Duarte et al., 2023; Farinha et al., 2020), so it is environmental dimension predominates over other dimensions. As for
relevant to ask teachers about the extent to which they integrate SD in the incorporation of sustainability in the curriculum, teachers refer to
their curricular units and training activities. Thirdly, although in barriers such as being considered an irrelevant subject, lack of time and
Portugal there are no national policies or government guidelines for the costs involved (Cotton et al., 2009). Verhulst and Lambrechts (2015)
integrating Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) into higher also refer to the following barriers: (i) the lack of awareness or interest in
education, there have been initiatives by networks of teachers, re­ SD issues; (ii) the bureaucratic structure of higher education; and (iii)
searchers and staff to promote cooperation between HEIs and to the lack of resources and support. For McMillin and Dyball (2009), ed­
implement sustainability principles and practices (Duarte et al., 2023) - ucation for sustainability is confined to certain courses, it is often iso­
such as the Sustainable Campus Network1 and ORSIES Observatory of lated from research and is not linked to sustainable campus operations.
Social Responsibility and Higher Education Institutions2 - which justifies Given the various barriers, HEIs must overcome a range of challenges to
a deeper understanding of how these issues are being integrated in HEIs, attain institutional commitment, especially through training their fac­
according to the perceptions of their teachers. ulty for sustainability, namely: emphasizing all dimensions of sustain­
ability, promoting a holistic concept of sustainability, and fostering new
2. Faculty perceptions, motivations and challenges related to pedagogical strategies for teaching sustainability (Busquets et al., 2021).
sustainability and education for sustainability Cotton et al. (2009) make some suggestions about how to incorporate SD
into the higher education curriculum, namely: (i) its informal inclusion
Despite recognition of the importance of sustainability, there is still a in the curriculum; (ii) making small changes whenever possible; (iii)
great lack of knowledge about the concept, its dimensions, activities, good practices in areas such as paper or energy management.
implementation, incorporation, and the new methodologies available to With regard to teaching sustainability, studies refer to practical
teach for SD. For Radzi et al. (2022), the perceptions and awareness of student-centered pedagogical strategies, such as service learning,
the topic determine the successful implementation of sustainability project-based learning and challenge-based learning (Busquets et al.,
efforts. 2021). Vega-Marcote et al. (2015) advocate the experimental teaching
Although some international studies have attempted to shed light on model, which proposes selecting socio-environmental actions that
teachers’ perceptions of sustainability (e.g., Cotton et al., 2009), they involve improving the sustainability of the faculty and the campus.
have failed to identify the barriers and challenges that hinder its For Lazzarini et al. (2018), faculty involvement in SD results from a
incorporation in education and the commitment of all stakeholders, concerted strategy of policies and mechanisms that facilitate the inte­
notably teachers to this task. According to Ferguson et al. (2021), gration of policies into higher education, namely through the recogni­
teachers are critical agents in delivering SD content and facilitating skills tion of the work of academics engaged in SD.
and action competence for this purpose. Sammalisto et al. (2014) con­ To better understand faculty perceptions of sustainability pedagogy,
ducted a literature review on the teachers’ perceptions highlighting it is necessary to distinguish between top-down and bottom up ap­
their importance in the implementation of ESD; these authors defend proaches. According to Tziganuk and Gliedt (2017) the top-down
that faculty perceptions of sustainability in teaching are divided into approach includes creating missions, programs, and courses based
three categories: concept, resources and justice. solely on sustainability concepts, theory, or practice; on other hand, the
Still in this context, and in order to understand the challenges of bottom-up approach focuses on integrating sustainability concepts,
incorporating SD in the curriculum, it is important to recognize the theory, or practice into existing degrees and coursework in established
distinction between education about sustainability and education for disciplines.
sustainability (Shephard and Furnari, 2013). Cheng et al. (2022) noted Alkhayyal et al. (2019) and McMillin and Dyball (2009) note that
the development of the concept of ESD along two lines: (i) integration of numerous HEIs have adopted the top-down sustainability approach,
where the senior management took the initiative to create sustainable
HEIs through education, research, and campus operations (Alkhayyal
1
http://www.redecampussustentavel.pt/. et al., 2019; McMillin and Dyball, 2009). Sammalisto et al. (2014) un­
2
https://orsies.forum.pt/. derline the need for action to come from top management in order to

2
S. Leal et al. Journal of Cleaner Production 434 (2024) 139863

inspire all stakeholders. specific context of Portugal.

The literature review shows that despite an initial interest in The survey was designed to explore HEI teachers’ perspectives of
analyzing teachers’ perceptions of SD, it seems superficial and very few sustainability and SDGs by examining their opinion about incorporating
studies scrutinize teachers’ opinions within the scope of their educa­ and implementing them in HEIs, their understanding of teaching sus­
tional action in greater depth. Hence the need for this analysis to tainability and SDGs, their perceptions of climate change as well as their
determine whether teachers consider ESD to be a relevant way of participation in activities to promote sustainability.
developing attitudes in young people and future leaders. Moreover, The first section includes questions on demographic and organiza­
existing studies have focused primarily on secondary education (Fer­ tional information (age groups, gender, type of HEI, seniority, and main
guson et al., 2021; Hobusch and Froehlich, 2021), the challenges of scientific area). The questions in the second section sought to measure
online learning (Eloff et al., 2022; Shah et al., 2022) or on analyzing the teachers’ perceptions of the incorporation of sustainability in HEIs and
perceptions of future teachers and those not currently teaching (Gar­ how it is integrated into their institution’s different activities. The aim of
cía-González et al., 2020). Although much research has been conducted the third section was to determine the extent to which sustainable
on the importance of developing the competences for SD of future development (SD) is addressed in the curricular units taught. Section
teachers; studies on current higher education teachers are scarce. four characterizes the level of training in SD provided by the HEI and
identifies the most relevant actions to improve students’ training in this
3. Methods area. The fifth section measures the level of agreement on different
climate change statements. Finally, section six addresses teachers’
3.1. Data collection and sample involvement and participation in sustainability actions in their
institutions.
Teachers’ perceptions were analyzed using an on-line questionnaire The questionnaire survey was pre-tested by seven teachers and the
administered to teachers at Portuguese public HEIs, namely poly­ feedback provided was used to improve the instrument. In general, there
technics and universities. It is a descriptive and exploratory study sup­ were no major doubts or questions raised in the pre-test, although it was
ported by a quantitative reporting of the findings. The questionnaire was mentioned that the length of service of the teachers should be put in
administered online, through an institutional e-mail sent by the HEIs intervals. There was also a comment that teachers could have more than
themselves to their faculty (only four Universities out of the 14 in the one scientific area of teaching, so this question was changed to the main
Portuguese national HE system did not want to participate in the study). scientific area they’re teaching. There was particular concern about the
Faculty participated voluntarily in the study. A sample of 444 university face validity of the questions. The pre-test was carried out with teachers
and polytechnic teachers was obtained (see Table 1 for sociodemo­ who had already worked on the topic of sustainability. They were then
graphic characteristics of participants). able to provide feedback on whether the questions were relevant for
assessing the proposed constructs. The reliability of the scales was
3.2. Survey design and procedures assessed after data collection and Exploratory Factor Analysis (see sec­
tion on statistical analysis).
The questionnaire was developed based on the questionnaire applied Data were collected after the study’s approval by the Ethics Com­
to students (Aleixo et al., 2021); however, some of the questions were mittees of the Polytechnic of Leiria and submission to the General Data
duly adapted and others eliminated. Most of the questions were adapted Protection Regulation Office at University of Aveiro. Survey anonymity
from the studies by the National Union of Students (2018), Dagiliūtė and confidentially was assured. The respondents (teachers) answered
et al. (2018), and Wang et al. (2020). The modifications made are due to after completing the signed consent form.
the fact that Aleixo et al.’s (2021) questionnaire concentrates on stu­
dents’ perceptions (e.g., To what extent was SD addressed in your
course?), whereas the current questionnaire analyses teachers’ percep­ 3.3. Statistical analysis
tions (e.g., To what extent is SD addressed in the curricular unit you
teach?). The main differences stem from new issues for teachers that did Several statistical methods were used in this research. The statistical
not apply to students (e.g., the inclusion of SD in the HEI’s strategy; the approach was very similar to that of Aleixo et al. (2021). The choice of
existence of SD training at the HEI). A descriptive question was also statistical analysis was primarily based on the types of questions posed
included to better define the HEI type - university or polytechnic - in the (ordinal or nominal scales).
First, the different sections of the questionnaire with Likert-type
Table 1 scale response options were subjected to an exploratory factor analysis
Sociodemographic characteristics of participants. (EFA). The data were extracted with the Principal Component method
and the results analyzed after the rotation performed with Varimax with
n %
the Kaiser Normalisation method. Before proceeding with EFA, the
Gender Female 240 54.1% Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity (χ2 = 3917.30; p = 0.000) and the Kai­
Male 204 45.9%
Age 20–29 years 11 2.5%
ser–Meyer–Olkin measure of sampling adequacy (0.853; meritorious
30–39 years 47 10.6% adequacy, Hair et al. (2006) were calculated. The EFA with the 18 items
40–49 years 125 28.2% of faculty perceptions resulted in three factors with eigenvalues greater
50–59 years 174 39.2% than one, which explains 59.66% of the variance of the data (Table 2).
60–70 years 87 19.6%
The factors were interpreted as.
Educational system Polytechnics 285 64.2%
Universities 159 35.8%
Seniority 9 or less years 84 18.9% • Factor 1 - Incorporation and promotion of sustainability in the HEI’s
10 and 19 years 100 22.5% activities. This factor represents the teachers’ perceptions related
20 and 29 years 163 36.7% with the incorporation of sustainability in the strategy and day-to-
30 or more years 97 21.8%
Scientific areas of the Life and health sciences 121 27.3%
day activities of HEIs, the integration of sustainability in all cour­
courses Exact sciences and engineering 111 25.0% ses, in the research as well in cooperation with other organizations in
Natural and environmental 31 7.0% the field of sustainability;
sciences • Factor 2 - Climate change and environmental concerns. This factor
Social Sciences and Humanities 181 40.8%
represents the teachers’ perceptions related with the effects of
Note. N = 444. climate change, its impact on human lives, environmental

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S. Leal et al. Journal of Cleaner Production 434 (2024) 139863

Table 2 Second, the data for the scales integrated in the EFA were first
Results from the exploratory factor analysis of the faculty perceptions about analyzed using descriptive statistics methods (e.g., frequencies). The
incorporation of sustainability in the HEI’s activities and teachers’ concerns and differences in the respondents’ gender, age, seniority, scientific area,
activities on the topic (with Principal Component extraction and Varimax with and type of institution (university versus polytechnic) were then
Kaiser Normalisation rotation). examined. As the variables do not follow a normal distribution within
Teachers’ perception items Factor loading each group, the non-parametric Mann-Whitney Test (for gender, age,
1 2 3 seniority, and type of institution) and Kruskal-Wallis Test (for scientific
areas) were applied. Where significant differences were found, multiple
Factor 1: Incorporation and promotion of
sustainability in the HEI’s activities comparisons were made. In this procedure, the age variable was divided
into two groups [20–49 years (n: 183; 41.2%) and 50–70 years (n: 261;
My institution incorporates and actively promotes .87 .04 .07
sustainability in its strategy
58.8%)] as was seniority [less than 20 years (n: 184; 41.4%) and 20 or
My institution actively incorporates and promotes .86 − .02 .05 more years (n: 260; 58.6%)].
sustainability in day-to-day campus operations Third, as the remaining questions are nominal scales, descriptive
My institution promotes the active incorporation .82 .00 .14 statistics were also used for their analysis (frequency distribution ta­
of sustainability in all courses
bles). Complementarily, Chi-square tests of independence were per­
My institution actively promotes conducting .66 − .04 .27
research on sustainability formed to test if there is an association between the studied variables
My institution promotes cooperation with other .67 − .04 .23 and some characteristics of the sample (e.g., gender, age groups,
universities/polytechnics and companies at seniority group, type of HEI, and scientific areas of study). In all situa­
home and abroad in the field of sustainability tions with significant associations between the variables, we also
Factor 2: Climate change and environmental
concerns
calculated pairwise Z-tests.
Climate change will negatively impact me and my .06 .73 .03 Fourth, following EFA results, subscales were constructed on the
lifestyle basis of the factor loadings by taking the mean of items loading on any
I am concerned about the effects of climate change .08 .75 .01 factor. The subscales were used for cluster analysis which was also
Governments from across the world should do − .04 .73 − .02
carried out. A hierarchical cluster analysis was performed (the Ward
whatever it takes to address climate change
I would vote for a government that increased .01 .70 .11 method was used as the cluster method and the Squared Euclidean
action to tackle climate change distance was used as the measure of distance) with the three factors
I am quite concerned about the waste of natural − .06 .71 .06 identified in Table 1. Through the observation of the Dendrogram, four
resources and the destruction/pollution of the clusters were identified. Non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis tests were also
environment
I believe that environmental protection is more − .09 .66 .06
applied to compare clusters.
important than economic growth
I believe that we must conserve our resources for .01 .57 .01 4. Results
future generations
Factor 3: Participation of HE teachers in
4.1. Teachers’ perceptions of the integration and incorporation of
activities related to sustainability
I am actively involved in research projects related .06 .01 .81 sustainability in HEIs
to the area of sustainability
I am actively involved in the definition of internal .15 .01 .87 Regarding the incorporation and promotion of sustainability in HEI
strategies that promote sustainable
activities, most teachers agree (sum of answers of 4 - agree and 5 -
development
I am actively involved in the development and/or .09 .04 .86
strongly agree) that the HEI promotes sustainability in its strategy (n:
restructuring of courses related to the area of 260; 58.56%) and in the day-to-day campus operations (n: 242;
sustainability 54.50%). However, only 32.88% agree (n: 146; 32.88%) that the HEI is
I am actively involved in events (congresses, .10 .04 .85 incorporating sustainability topics in all courses, 41.21% (n:183) agree
conferences, seminars, conferences, workshops,
that the HEI is actively conducting research on sustainability, and
cycles, forums, etc.) related to the area of
sustainability 40.99% (n:182) agree that the HEI promotes cooperation with other
I am actively involved in environmental activities .24 .08 .78 universities/polytechnics and companies at home and abroad in the
organized by my educational institution field of sustainability (Table 3). These results do not seem to be influ­
I am actively involved in social activities (e.g., .23 .11 .67
enced by teachers’ gender, age, or seniority. However, there is greater
volunteering, promoting healthy habits,
promoting meetings between employees),
agreement among university teachers (compared to polytechnic teach­
organized by my educational institution ers) that they conduct research in sustainability; this is also true for
Eigenvalues 2.31 3.40 5.03 teachers of courses in the areas of exact sciences and engineering, and
% of Variance 17.94% 18.95% 22.77% natural sciences and the environment. Moreover, the lecturers of the
Alpha de Cronbach 0.85 0.81 0.90
natural sciences and the environment feel most strongly that their HEI
Note. N = 444. promotes cooperation with other HEIs/companies in the field of
sustainability.
protection, conservation of natural resources and Government ac­ To strengthen this analysis, respondents were asked how SD is in­
tions in this domain; tegrated in HEIs (Table 4). Most respondents referred that the integra­
• Factor 3 - Participation of HE teachers in activities related to sus­ tion stems from individual initiatives of teachers and/or researchers or
tainability. This factor is related to faculty perceptions regarding small groups of professors/researchers (n:172; 38.74%), or from initia­
their own participation in sustainability-related activities (e.g., tives of some faculties, departments, or schools, but not from the whole
research projects, internal strategy development, course restructur­ institution (n:134; 30.18%). Only 71 (15.99%) mention that SD is in­
ing, conferences, seminars, social or environmental volunteering). tegrated in the different activities of the institution (teaching, research,
campus) in a holistic way, involving the entire institution, and that
The survey scales’ reliability was examined by conducting EFA on strategic guidelines from top management were followed. The results
the ordinal items and subsequently testing with Cronbach’s Alpha suggest that the perception of most respondents is that SD is not incor­
(Table 2). With alphas exceeding 0.8, the scales’ reliability can be porated and promoted holistically in HEIs. Nevertheless, there seem to
confirmed. be differences between teachers in polytechnics and universities, as well
as between teachers in different scientific areas. Teachers in polytechnic

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S. Leal et al. Journal of Cleaner Production 434 (2024) 139863

Table 3
Frequencies and Mann-Whitney or Kruskal-Wallis test results for perceptions about the incorporation of sustainability in HEIs by teachers’ gender, age, seniority, type
of HEI and scientific area.
Actions by HEIs on SD questions 1 2 3 4 5 Gender Age Seniority Type Scientific
of HEI area

n % n % n % n % n % MW p- MW p- MW p- MW p- KW p-
value value value value value

My institution incorporates and 14 3.15 56 12.61 114 25.68 210 47.3 50 11.26 .998 .917 .442 .760 .318
actively promotes sustainability
in its strategy,
My institution actively incorporates 15 3.38 58 13.06 129 29.05 204 45.95 38 8.56 .921 .285 .233 .972 .161
and promotes sustainability in
day-to-day campus operations,
My institution promotes the active 24 5.41 90 20.27 184 41.44 117 26.35 29 6.53 .574 .696 .396 .768 .614
incorporation of sustainability in
all courses,
My institution actively promotes 25 5.63 87 19.59 149 33.56 127 28.6 56 12.61 .613 .435 .550 .000 .000
conducting research on
sustainability,
My institution promotes 32 7.21 58 13.06 172 38.74 143 32.21 39 8.78 .801 .701 .742 .109 .038
cooperation with other
universities/polytechnics and
companies at home and abroad in
the field of sustainability,

Notes: N = 444.1 - strongly disagree, 2 - disagree, 3 - neither agree nor disagree, 4 - agree, 5 - strongly agree. MW - Mann-Whitney test; KW - Kruskal Wallis test.

Table 4
Frequencies and Pearson Chi-square test results for perceptions about the integration of SD into the institution by teachers’ gender, age, seniority, type of HEI and
scientific area.
(a)
The integration of SD into the institution: Frequencies Gender Age Seniority Type of Scientific
HEI area

n % χ2 χ2 χ2 χ2 χ2
I do not feel that SD is integrated into teaching and research at my institution. 67 15.09 0.54 6.06 6.71 11.27* 22.20**
The integration of SD in the different activities of the institution stems from individual initiatives of 172 38.74
lecturers and/or researchers or small groups of lecturers/researchers.
The integration of SD in the different activities of the institution stems from initiatives of some 134 30.18
departments, faculties or schools, but not from the whole institution.
The integration of SD in the different activities of the institution (teaching, research, campus) is 71 15.99
carried out in a holistic way, involving the whole institution and following strategic guidelines from
top management.

Note: N = 444. (a) The number of teachers who selected each answer option is represented by n. Only one option could be selected in response to this question. * p-value
<0.05; ** p-value <0.01.

education more frequently report that they do not feel SD is integrated of the teachers state that it is largely or widely considered in their
into the HEI’s teaching and research; the same is true for teachers in life curricular units, 251 (56,53%) state it is partly or sporadically consid­
and health sciences. ered, and 64 (14.41%) state that it is not addressed at all (Table 5). There
is no association between these responses and the teachers’ gender, age,
4.2. Teachers’ perception of SD teaching in their HEI and curricular units seniority or type of HEI, but there is an association with the teachers’
scientific area. It is the professors of life and health sciences courses that
Regarding the approach to SD in the curricular units, 129 (29.06%) most frequently state sustainability is only sporadically addressed in

Table 5
Frequencies and Pearson Chi-square test results for questions related with the extent to which SD has been considered in curricular units and in training.
Has SD been covered in your curricular units? (a) Frequencies Gender Age Seniority Type of HEI Scientific area

n % χ2 χ2 χ2 χ2 χ2
It is not considered at all in my curricular units 64 14.41 4.95 6.68 8.46 6.65 41.26**
It is sporadically considered in my curricular units 120 27.03
It is partly considered in my curricular units 131 29.50
It is largely considered in my curricular units 80 18.02
It is widely considered in my curricular units 49 11.04

What training does the HEI provide in the area of SD? (a) Frequencies Gender Age Seniority Type of HEI Scientific area

n % χ2 χ2 χ2 χ2 χ2
My HEI does not provide, in any way, training in the area of SD 101 22.70 0.75 5.03 3.19 15.20** 11.64
My HEI provides sporadic or occasional training in the area of SD 254 57.20
My HEI provides training in the area of SD, on a regular or systematic basis 89 20.00

Note: N = 444. (a) The number of teachers who selected each answer option is represented by n. Only one option could be selected in response to this question. * p-value
<0.05; ** p-value <0.01.

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S. Leal et al. Journal of Cleaner Production 434 (2024) 139863

their curricular units. 4.3. Teachers’ perceptions of climate change and environmental concerns
On the other hand, when questioned about the opportunity that best
characterizes the training in SD provided by their institution, 254 Regarding climate change and its impact (Table 8), most teachers (n:
(57.21%) of the teachers stated that their HEI provides sporadic or oc­ 388; 87.39%) say that climate change will have a negative impact on
casional training, 101 (22.75%) stated that no training is provided at all, them and their lifestyle and 418 (94.14%) of respondents admit being
and 89 (20.00%) stated that HEIs provide training in the area of SD on a concerned about its effects. There is also agreement that governments
regular or systematic basis (Table 5). The teachers in polytechnic in­ should do whatever is necessary to tackle climate change (n: 411;
stitutions tend to state more strongly that the HEI does not offer training 92.57%) and teachers admit they would vote for a government that
in the area of SD. stepped up its climate change action (n: 388; 76.13%). Most teachers
Still within the scope of the HEI’s action for ESD, Table 6 show the believe that environmental protection is more important than economic
most important actions for training students in SD are: actions and ini­ growth (n: 318; 71.62%). The need to conserve our resources for future
tiatives on SD such as conferences and seminars (n: 219; 49.3% of the generations has the most support with 435 (97.97%) in agreement. Fe­
teachers); integrating students into research projects related to sus­ male teachers would vote more often for a government that increased its
tainability (n: 178, 40.1%); promoting student participation in practical action to combat climate change; they also have a greater tendency to
actions on campus (n: 177, 39.9%), and offering free courses/workshops agree that protecting the environment is more important than economic
on SD (n: 174; 39.2%). On the other hand, the introduction of an growth, and believe it is important to preserve resources for future
optional (80; 18.0%) and mandatory (65; 14.6%) curricular unit appears generations. Older teachers are the most concerned about the waste of
with less expression. natural resources and the depletion of the environment. Teachers in the
Regarding each teacher’s individual involvement in sustainability life and health sciences express most agreement on governments doing
activities (Table 7), the most significant group of teachers work on whatever necessary to deal with climate change and protecting the
sustainability through research projects (n:189 agree or strongly agree; environment being more important than economic growth and they
42.57%) or through participation in events such as congresses, confer­ would be more likely to vote for a government that took decisions of this
ences, seminars, and workshops (n:185 agree or strongly agree; kind.
41.67%). Some of the teachers also participate in social activities
organized by the HEI, such as volunteering or promoting healthy habits 4.4. Cluster analysis of teachers’ perceptions
(n:160 agree or strongly agree; 36.04%). Less significant, we find
environmental activities organized by the HEI (n:130 agree or strongly Following previous work analysing students (Aleixo et al., 2021;
agree; 29.28%), the development of internal strategies to promote SD Lambrechts et al., 2018; Zsóka et al., 2013), we now investigate whether
(n:127 agree or strongly agree; 28.60%), and the development/ there are different clusters of teachers in light of their perceptions,
restructuring of courses in the area of sustainability (n:112 agree or representing the distinct perceptions on HEIs’ promotion of sustain­
strongly agree; 25.23%). Some interesting associations emerge between ability, HEI teachers’ participation in SD topics and climate change
these results and the teachers’ gender, seniority and scientific area, as concerns.
well as the type of HEI. Female teachers participate more in events (e.g., A hierarchical cluster analysis was performed with the five factors
conferences, seminars), environmental activities and social activities identified in Fig. 1. Through the observation of the Dendrogram, four
organized by HEIs in the area of sustainability. Senior teachers tend to clusters were identified. The characteristics and differences in the
be more involved in research projects, course development and events clusters were then examined. The clusters can be characterized as.
(e.g., conferences, seminars) related to sustainability. University
teachers are more involved in research projects in this area. Teachers of • Cluster 1 (n: 178; 40.09%) - includes teachers who are moderately
Natural and Environmental Sciences are the most involved and partici­ concerned about climate change and environmental issues but feel
pate in all kinds of sustainability-related activities. that sustainability is seldom incorporated into the strategy and day-
to-day activities of the HEIs where they teach. Additionally, this
cluster includes those faculty members with the least participation in
Table 6 sustainability-related activities;
Frequencies for HEIs’ actions for student training in SD. • Cluster 2 (n: 110; 24.77%) - includes teachers who are less concerned
What the HEI can do to ensure better n % relative to % relative to about climate change and environmental issues (but still quite con­
training of its students in the SD area? total answers total teachers cerned), who participate moderately in sustainability-related aca­
Streamlining actions and initiatives on 219 17.4 49.3
demic activities, and who feel that their HEIs incorporate
SD (e.g., conferences and seminars) sustainability to a great extent in day-to-day strategies and activities;
Integrating students in research 178 14.1 40.1 • Cluster 3 (n: 83; 18,69%) - includes teachers who are very concerned
projects related to sustainability about climate change and environmental issues, who participate
Promoting student participation in 177 14.0 39.9
moderately in sustainability-related academic activities, but feel that
hands-on actions on campus
Offering free courses/workshops on SD 174 13.8 39.2 the HEIs where they teach do not sufficiently incorporate or promote
Encouraging volunteer actions (from 143 11.3 32.2 sustainability in their strategy and day-to-day activities;
internal employees and students) in • Cluster 4 (n: 73; 16,44%) - includes teachers who refer to the highest
the community levels of incorporation and promotion of sustainability in HEI ac­
Promoting participation in social and 135 10.7 30.4
environmental campaigns (e.g.,
tivities, are very concerned about climate change and environmental
saving water; beach cleaning) issues, and participate actively as teachers in various sustainability-
Changing teaching learning 89 7.1 20.0 related activities.
methodologies by adopting project
methodologies or service learning
5. Discussion
Introducing an optional course unit on 80 6.3 18.0
SD
Introducing a mandatory course unit 65 5.2 14.6 This study presents the results of a questionnaire applied to Portu­
on SD guese higher education teachers about their perceptions and practices
Total 1260 100% — on issues related to sustainability. The findings reported herein, based
Note: N = 444. The teachers could select any topic they wished from a list (3 on teachers’ perspectives, could aid HEIs in the planning of the transi­
options), 444 teachers answered the question. tion to a “sustainable HEI”.

6
S. Leal et al. Journal of Cleaner Production 434 (2024) 139863

Table 7
Frequencies and Mann-Whitney or Kruskal-Wallis test results for teachers’ involvement and participation in SD.
Teachers’ involvement and 1 2 3 4 5 Gender Age Seniority Type Scientific
participation in SD of HEI area

n % n % n % n % n % MW p- MW MW p- MW p- KW p-
value p- value value value
value

In research projects related to the 120 27.03 56 12.61 79 17.79 121 27.25 68 15.32 .079 .716 .014 .008 .000
area of sustainability
In the definition of internal 128 28.83 94 21.17 95 21.40 93 20.95 34 7.66 .164 .681 .269 .760 .014
strategies that promote
sustainable development
In the development and/or 139 31.31 89 20.05 104 23.42 84 18.92 28 6.31 .507 .240 .019 .088 .037
restructuring of courses related
to the area of sustainability
In events (congresses, 102 22.97 57 12.84 100 22.52 133 29.95 52 11.71 .009 .167 .004 .940 .000
conferences, seminars,
conferences, workshops, cycles,
forums, etc.) related to the area
of sustainability
In environmental activities 117 26.35 80 18.02 117 26.35 97 21.85 33 7.43 .020 .636 .923 .385 .032
organized by my educational
institution
In social activities (e.g., 105 23.65 75 16.89 104 23.42 124 27.93 36 8.11 .017 .928 .771 .730 .011
volunteering, promoting
healthy habits, promoting
meetings between employees),
organized by my educational
institution

Notes: N = 444.1 - strongly disagree, 2 - disagree, 3 - neither agree nor disagree, 4 - agree, 5 - strongly agree. MW - Mann-Whitney test; KW - Kruskal Wallis test.

Table 8
Frequencies and Mann-Whitney or Kruskal-Wallis tests for teachers’ beliefs related to climate change and behaviours in the SD domain.
Climate change and environmental 1 2 3 4 5 Gender Age Seniority Type Scientific
concerns of HEI area

n % n % n % n % n % MW p- MW p- MW p- MW p- KW p-
value value value value value

Climate change will negatively 2 0.45 8 1.80 46 10.36 195 43.92 193 43.47 .059 .697 .151 .595 .073
impact me and my lifestyle
I am concerned about the effects of 3 0.68 4 0.90 19 4.28 177 39.89 241 54.28 .061 .431 .767 .599 .100
climate change
Governments from across the world 2 0.45 10 2.25 21 4.73 121 27.25 290 65.32 .595 .435 .919 .347 .016
should do whatever it takes to
address climate change
I would vote for a government that 10 2.25 12 2.70 84 18.92 162 36.49 176 39.64 .006 .382 .411 .288 .000
increased action to tackle climate
change
I am quite concerned about the 0 0.00 4 0.90 15 3.38 130 29.28 295 66,4 .368 .010 .174 .294 .288
waste of natural resources and the
destruction/pollution of the
environment
I believe that environmental 3 0.68 29 6.53 94 21.17 165 37.16 153 34.46 .028 .472 .811 .697 .001
protection is more important than
economic growth
I believe that we must conserve our 1 0.23 1 0.23 7 1.58 97 21.85 338 76.13 .005 .305 .529 .141 .774
resources for future generations

Note: N = 444.1 - strongly disagree, 2 - disagree, 3 - neither agree nor disagree, 4 - agree, 5 - strongly agree. MW - Mann-Whitney test; KW - Kruskal Wallis test.

As regards the incorporation and promotion of sustainability in HEI lecturers claim actions result from their individual input or from that of
activities, data suggest that most teachers perceive that HEIs strive to lecturers from certain departments/schools. The holistic integration of
integrate sustainability in their strategy and the day-to-day campus sustainability involving the whole institution and following strategic
operations, but only 16% consider that SD is holistically integrated in guidelines from top management is found in the minority of cases ac­
the institution. About 30% of the teachers report that they largely or cording to faculty members. The lack of a holistic approach to embed­
extensively integrate SD in their curricular units, and about 30% inte­ ding sustainability in HEIs was reported by Pires et al. (2022); the lack of
grate it partly. These findings are in line with those of Mondragon et al. consideration of sustainability in an integrated and holistic approach
(2023), who found that around 71% of teachers incorporate education within the main activities and core business of Portuguese HEIs was also
for sustainability into their teaching, and Fia et al. (2022), who suggest reported by Farinha et al. (2020) and Duarte et al. (2023).
that HEIs are pursuing a variety of strategies at different organizational About one third of the teaching staff report the integration of sus­
levels to achieve the SDGs. Nevertheless, different levels of maturity can tainability in all the institution’s courses; according to Fia et al. (2022),
be observed in the integration of sustainability in HEIs because many this is in line with the macro approach being implemented by some HEIs

7
S. Leal et al. Journal of Cleaner Production 434 (2024) 139863

Fig. 1. Independent-samples kruskal-wallis tests by factor and cluster.

Note: The x-axis in the graphs represents clusters obtained by the Ward method (cluster 1, cluster 2, cluster 3 and cluster 4).

to integrate SDG 4 through teaching. Approximately one third of the a voluntary initiative by teachers (Leal Filho et al., 2023aa). This is a
lecturers partially address SD issues in their curricular units, while bottom-up approach to sustainability, which seems insufficient for the
another third address the issue largely or widely; these results are again adoption of a holistic approach to sustainability in HEIs. Some authors
in line with those of Fia et al. (2022), who show that much of the suggest the alternative of a whole-of-university approach (McMillin and
research addresses the integration of SD in teaching at the micro level, Dyball, 2009) or the integration of top-down and bottom-up approaches
but are lower than those obtained by Mondragon et al. (2023). About (Alkhayyal et al., 2019; Sammalisto et al., 2014).
two fifths of teachers believe that the HEI does research in sustainability In the scope of the HEI’s action for ESD, the most important for
and cooperates with other HEIs/companies in this field; these results are training students in SD are actions and initiatives like conferences and
different from those of Fia et al. (2022) who found that the third mission seminars; integrating students into research projects related to sustain­
of HEIs and research efforts gained less attention. Despite these results, ability; promoting student participation in practical actions on campus,
there is still a long way to go in integrating sustainability into HEIs and offering free courses/workshops on SD. On the other hand, the
courses and more attention should be paid to the need to revise educa­ introduction of an optional or mandatory curricular unit appears with
tional programmes and research activities to include the SDGs (Leal less significance (lecturing is the least preferred option). This result is in
Filho, Salvia, et al., 2023a). line not only with the Lozano’s study (Lozano et al., 2022), but also with
As mentioned, most teachers referred that the integration did not the scoping review by Molina et al. (2023), which shows that the inte­
stem from the whole institution but from the individual initiatives of gration of the SDGs in the HEIs is more often done through workshops
teachers and/or researchers or small groups of professors/researchers or and courses. However, it is different from the results obtained in Winter
from initiatives of some departments, faculties or schools. This seems to et al. (2022) where faculty prefer to teach sustainability through lec­
be the dominant approach internationally, as other studies have also tures. Lozano et al. (2022) argue that practice-oriented pedagogical
shown that the introduction of the SDGs into the curriculum tends to be approaches rather than lectures will allow for greater engagement from

8
S. Leal et al. Journal of Cleaner Production 434 (2024) 139863

students. Students also expressed preference for more practical peda­ to be more important than economic growth. The study by Opuni-­
gogical approaches such as workshops on SD, practical actions in the Frimpong et al. (2022, p. 1) revealed that “teachers’ readiness to educate
field of SD, volunteering in the community and practical on-campus about climate change was influenced by the subjects they taught” (e.g.,
actions (Aleixo et al., 2021); the perceptions of students and teachers most of the non-science instructors did not have in-depth knowledge
in this area are therefore aligned. about climate change).
Regarding the individual involvement of each teacher with activities As in previous studies on students (Aleixo et al., 2021; Ferreira et al.,
in sustainability, the largest group of teachers work on sustainability 2023; Lambrechts et al., 2018; Zsóka et al., 2013), the analysis strives to
through research projects or participating in events such as congresses, identify different clusters of teachers related with the HEI’s promotion of
conferences, seminars, and workshops. Some relevant associations sustainability, HEI teachers’ participation in SD topics and climate
emerge between these results and the gender, seniority and scientific change concerns. Four clusters of higher education teachers were found.
area of the teachers, as well as the type of HEI, with female teachers The largest cluster (#1) includes 40% of the teachers; they feel their HEI
participating more in events, environmental activities and social activ­ does little to incorporate sustainability and they themselves seldom
ities organized by HEIs in the area of sustainability. Female teachers also participate in sustainability-related activities. This group of teachers is
would vote more often for a government that increased its action to the most sceptical or least concerned about SD. The smallest cluster (#4)
combat climate change and agree more that protecting the environment includes 16% of the teaching staff; they participate the most in
is more important than economic growth. Senior teachers tend to be sustainability-related activities and feel their HEI promotes sustain­
more involved in research projects, course development and sustain­ ability. Cluster #1 shows similarities with Zsóka et al. (2013)’s ‘careless
ability related events. More experienced teachers are the most con­ cluster’ and cluster #4 with Zsóka et al. (2013) ‘active cluster’; however,
cerned about the waste of natural resources and the depletion of the we should be cautious about comparisons as the latter study examined
environment. University teachers are more involved in research projects students and included different questions. The study by Aleixo et al.
in sustainability. Teachers of natural and environmental sciences are (a) (2021) found that the cluster closest to the ‘careless cluster’ included
the most involved and participate in all kinds of activities related to only 8% of students (as opposed to 40% of teachers in the present work),
sustainability, (b) tend to agree more that they carry out research in and the cluster closest to the ‘active cluster’ included 45% of students (as
sustainability (this is also true of teachers of courses of exact sciences opposed to 16% of teachers herein). This suggests that students may be
and engineering), and (c) feel more that their HEI promotes cooperation more involved, more concerned, and more motivated to contribute to
with other HEIs/companies in the field of sustainability. A systematic sustainability practices than teachers. However, as the indicators
review by Georgiou et al. (2021) also revealed that teachers’ educational measured for students and teachers are different, these results are only
background influences their perceptions on environmental concerns, so indicative and future studies should examine this in greater depth. The
it is not surprising that teachers in the natural and environmental sci­ difference between students and teachers could also be related to
ences are more actively involved in activities in the area of sustain­ generational differences. Generation Z people are more sustainability
ability. Mondragon et al. (2023) found that teachers in engineering and oriented than previous generations (Dabija et al., 2019). If student
architecture tend to focus more on environmental awareness and energy perceptions are stronger than faculty perceptions, then there needs to be
issues, while those in social and legal sciences tend to focus more on more integration at the curriculum level (if sustainability is seen as an
social engagement issues. Teachers in health sciences are less likely to essential issue in all subjects) rather than the bottom-up approach of
integrate sustainability into their teaching practices (Mondragon et al., integrating sustainability into HEIs. These results also point to the need
2023). A study by Bulut (2019) involving pre-service teachers showed to strengthen teacher training in sustainability/SDGs, not only to reduce
that women’s awareness of sustainable development and levels of global resistance to tackling such issues, but also to enable teachers to integrate
citizenship were higher than that of their male counterparts. SD the topic into their teaching activities. Yarritu et al. (2023) and Leal
competence ‘critical thinking and ethics’ is addressed more often by Filho et al., 2023b also highlight the need for training programmes in
women than by men, and men are less likely to integrate sustainability in sustainability/SDGs for HE teachers.
the classroom (Mondragon et al., 2023). These findings suggest that As in other studies (Duarte et al., 2023; e.g., Lozano et al., 2022;
gender and academic background may influence teachers’ concerns and Sammalisto et al., 2014), the research shows that SD is being integrated
practices in relation to sustainability issues. into HEIs but that the level of maturity of the action of the different
The results show some associations with the type of HEI where the departments and their members varies. A holistic and integrative vision
lecturer works. University teachers are more involved in research pro­ that would speed up the work and institutionalization of SD in higher
jects in the area of sustainability and tend to agree more that they carry education is still lacking. As mentioned in Sammalisto et al. (2014),
out research in sustainability. Teachers in polytechnic education report differences in SD competences continue to be visible. Fia et al. (2022)
more often that they do not feel SD is integrated into the HEI’s teaching claim that HEIs do not have a common framework for implementing
and research. The teachers of polytechnic institutions state more their Agenda 2030 strategy; the present study analysing teachers per­
frequently that the HEI does not offer training in the area of SD. There is ceptions in the Portuguese context also obtains this result. Several
a large group of teachers with moderate concerns of sustainability in studies carried out in Portugal note that the measures introduced in
higher education. To increase practices and perceptions, a more top- relation to sustainability in HEIs are rather fragmented, and call for
down approach will accelerate the process. In Portugal, there are dif­ Portuguese HEIs to adopt a systemic, continuous and holistic approach
ferences between universities and polytechnics in the way institutions to integrating sustainability and the SDGs in teaching, research, campus
approach sustainability (Aleixo et al., 2018aa; Duarte et al., 2023; and outreach (Amaral et al., 2023; Duarte et al., 2023; Farinha et al.,
Fonseca et al., 2018). According to Duarte et al. (2023) and Fonseca 2020). The integration of sustainability in HEIs can also be increased by
et al. (2018), universities have more formal learning courses dedicated developing projects that encourage the design and integration of sus­
to sustainability, which can justify the results obtained in this study. tainability issues in formal (e.g., course curricula) or non-formal edu­
Most teachers say that climate change will have a negative impact on cation (e.g., workshops, MOOCs), in research activities, in HEI campus
them and on their lifestyle. They admit being concerned about the ef­ activities, and in relations with society and involving all stakeholders in
fects of climate change, agree that governments should do whatever this process. There are already some good examples in this area (e.g.,
necessary to deal with climate change and say they would vote for a Pires et al., 2022; Sá et al., 2022). Since the launch of the 2030 Agenda,
government that stepped up its action to tackle climate change. This HEIs around the world have been more dynamic and are implementing
result is similar to the study analysing students (Aleixo et al., 2021). many projects, so promising results are expected in the coming years (e.
Teachers in the life and health sciences are more sensitive to government g., EUSTEPs, 2022; GREEN ERASMUS, 2022; Maruna, 2019; SUGERE,
actions to fight climate changes and consider environmental protection 2019; TEDS, 2022; Time2Act@SD, 2023).

9
S. Leal et al. Journal of Cleaner Production 434 (2024) 139863

6. Conclusion Ana Marta Aleixo: Was responsible for the literature review, data
collection, discussion and, Writing – original draft.
This work provides an exploratory and descriptive study on the
perceptions and behaviours of higher education teachers in sustain­ Declaration of competing interest
ability, and on how the topic is being addressed by Portuguese HEIs.
Given the networks of professors, researchers and staff that have been The authors declare that they have no known competing financial
set up in Portugal to work on sustainability issues in HEIs (e.g., Sus­ interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence
tainable Campus Network, ORSIES), this study has helped to diagnose the work reported in this paper.
the state of the art in some of the relevant dimensions of the issue. This
work has contributed to reducing the gap identified in the literature, Data availability
namely increasing knowledge about: (a) the view of higher education
teachers on the holistic integration (or not) of sustainability in HEIs, The authors do not have permission to share data.
whether at the strategic level or at the level of teaching and research; (b)
the ways in which teachers integrate sustainability in their activities; (c) Acknowledgements
the different teacher profiles (clusters) that exist in Portuguese HEIs,
which suggest that HEIs should adopt diversified strategies to increase Thanks are due to the following entities: (a) We acknowledge
the integration of sustainability issues in their activities. financial support to CESAM by FCT/MCTES (UIDP/50017/2020+UIDB/
The results of this study can be useful for HEI decision-makers to 50017/2020+ LA/P/0094/2020), through national funds; (b) We
improve the faculty’s perception of sustainability and SDGs. HEIs should acknowledge financial support to the Life Quality Research Centre by
promote sustainability in all dimensions of their daily practices (eco­ Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (UID/CED/04748/2020), through
nomic, social, environmental and institutional) and in their activities national funds.
(governance, education, research, operations, and community), and
they should be committed to promoting sustainability and SDGs. HEI References
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