Sustainable thinking and action are firmly anchored in the structure of HNU – even before the concept was developed, numerous structural and organizational climate protection measures had already been implemented, including the use of heat recovery, digital administrative processes, and mobility services such as bicycle repair stations and electric charging stations.
Transparency and participation as the basis for effective climate protection
Now, HNU is further expanding its active contribution to sustainable transformation: with its integrated climate protection concept, it is setting the course for greenhouse gas neutrality by 2040. The concept focuses not only on a catalog of technical measures for reducing emissions, but also on an institutional understanding of climate protection based on transparency and participation.
“For us, climate protection is not only an ecological necessity, but also a social responsibility,” emphasizes Prof. Dr. Julia Kormann, Vice President of HNU. “With our climate protection concept, we are creating a solid foundation for actively contributing to sustainable development as a university – in teaching, research, and daily operations.”
The concept was developed in close cooperation with internal and external stakeholders, including students, teachers, administrative staff, partner universities, and the student union, and the associated communication strategy is equally participatory.
Greenhouse gas balance and target horizon 2040
A central element of the concept is the greenhouse gas balance for 2022, which records all energy consumption and emissions of the university in accordance with the internationally established scopes from the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol): direct emissions, e.g. from heating systems and service vehicles (Scope 1), indirect emissions from energy procurement such as electricity and district heating (Scope 2), and other indirect emissions, e.g., from mobility or IT (Scope 3). With the goal of greenhouse gas neutrality by 2040 in the areas of Scope 1 and 2, HNU is guided by the objectives of the Bavarian Climate Protection Act.
The accounting was carried out using the “BayCalc” tool from the Bavarian Center for Sustainable Energy (BayZeN), which is also based on the GHG Protocol. For 2022, HNU's total emissions were calculated at around 2,049 tons of CO₂ equivalents. The largest source of emissions is the commuting mobility of students and employees.
Step by step toward reducing emissions
Based on the emissions balance sheet and a corresponding potential analysis, seven key reduction measures that directly impact Scope 1 and 2—such as expanding photovoltaics, heat pumps, or converting the company car fleet—were developed, along with additional measures for greater sustainability. These include, for example, the expansion of e-charging infrastructure and the introduction of action days and information events. All measures were evaluated in terms of feasibility, costs, and savings potential and compiled in a dynamic catalog that is continuously updated.
Implementation is carried out via the university's existing sustainability structure, in particular through the Sustainability Steering Committee and the newly established Climate Protection Management Working Group. Annual monitoring of the greenhouse gas balance enables progress to be reviewed and measures to be further developed.
The project was funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Protection as part of the National Climate Protection Initiative.
Weitere Informationen und das vollständige Klimaschutzkonzept finden Sie unter:
https://www.hnu.de/hochschule/profil/nachhaltigkeit/klimaschutzkonzept
Contact
Matthias Wimmer
