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- From knowledge to action: how portuguese higher education students engage with circular economy principlesPublication . Pardal, Ana; Moreira, Anabela Mendes; Galacho, Paula Cristina; Mateus, Dina; Viegas, Laura; Gaspar, Marcelo; Teixeira, Margarida Ribau; Manteigas, Vítor; Dinis, Maria Alzira PimentaThis study investigates the perceptions and practices of Portuguese higher education students regarding the circular economy (CE), emphasising their knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours toward sustainable resource management. Carried out by the Working Group on Circular Economy and Waste Management of the Portuguese Sustainable Campus Network (RCS), the research used an online survey targeting students from 20 higher education institutions (HEIs), resulting in 400 responses. The findings indicate that while students generally hold positive views of the CE, their understanding of its practical applications, such as waste reduction and resource efficiency, remains limited. Only a small proportion of students reported exposure to CE-related topics in their curriculum, revealing a gap in academic integration. This study also identifies significant demographic variations in CE awareness and practices, influenced by factors such as age, field of study, and employment status. These insights underscore the need for HEIs to strengthen CE education and actively involve students in hands-on sustainability initiatives, fostering a generation equipped to drive the transition toward a circular economy.
- A critical analysis of sustainability indicators for education and curricula in higher education institutions and their adaptation to the Portuguese contextPublication . Rigueiro, Maria Constança Simões; Caeiro, Sandra; Câmara, Patrícia; Fonseca, Ana; Godinho, Teresa; Mapar, Mahsa; Moreira, Anabela Mendes; Dinis, Maria Alzira Pimenta; Farinha, Carla Sá; Simão, João; Silva, Manuela Vieira da; Leal Filho, Walter; Trevisan, Laís Viera; Pace, Paul J.; Mifsud, MarkThe sustainability assessment within Higher Education Institutions (HEI) serves as a critical learning and capacity-building tool, fostering reflection on sustainability initiatives and advancing alignment with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Current sustainability assessment tools include various indicators across different dimensions of sustainability implementation within HEI. However, there is a significant gap in categorising specific indicators relevant to learning and curricula. In line with a recent initiative by the Sustainable Campus Network (RCS) in Portugal, this study aims to analyse how existing sustainability assessment tools address indicators within the domains of education and curricula. The research aims to identify and categorise indicators relevant to the education and curricula dimension, offering a preliminary list complemented by implementation examples. This analysis draws on a variety of available sustainability assessment tools for HEI. This goal is part of a broader research context in future development of sustainability indicators to systematically assess and monitor sustainability practices within Portuguese HEI. A systematic literature review was done to extract the education and curricula indicators from two key sources (i) existing sustainability assessment tools used globally, and (ii) existing sustainability reports of Portuguese HEI. As a result, 216 “education and curricula” indicators were collected, laying a solid foundation for further analysis and application in the Portuguese HEI context. The indicators were grouped into four different categories, Teaching, Learning, Outreach, and Administrative and Organisational Framework. Within the Portuguese context, only 13 sustainability reports were analysed (out of 97 HEI), in which six institutions addressed the ‘education’ category, primarily focusing on the number of courses, subjects, research initiatives, and projects aligned with the SDG. Although the present analysis was limited to publicly available sustainability reports, which may not fully reflect the breadth of initiatives undertaken by HEI, the findings highlight a significant gap in sustainability reporting among Portuguese HEI. The results of this study are expected to guide HEI towards more effective integration and promotion of a global culture of sustainability within the domains of curricula and education.