Contributing to the creation of a sustainable society
We live in a world which faces a number of challenges to the continuation of human development – climate change, environmental damage, disease, inequality and terrorism to name just a few. Established at a summit in 2015, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to combat issues such as these, and the SDGs have been adopted in Japan across the public and private sectors. Developing the research capabilities and human resources required to face these issues is a key role for Nagoya University in its contributions to wider society. “Contributing to the wellbeing of humanity” is a mission enshrined in the 2000 Nagoya University Academic Charter, and the 2005 Nagoya University Environmental Directive states that the university will “contribute to the realization of a sustainable society”.
The demands made to meet the 17 main goals and associated 169 targets of the SDGs are wide-ranging. Nagoya University applies its expertise in the humanities and sciences to focus on not only the environmental and energy issues, but also gender equality, poverty and food supply. As social awareness of and appetite for achievement of the SDGs increases, Nagoya University aims to contribute to the creation of a sustainable society through cooperation with domestic and international individuals and organizations and communicate its successes back to society at large.
Our aims for carbon neutrality and net zero
Nagoya University will cut its greenhouse gas emissions by 51% by 2030 (compared to 2013), and will be carbon neutral by 2050 or before. Please see the Tokai Higher Education and Research System Carbon Neutral Office (in Japanese) for details.
Key Policies
Environmental Report
The Environmental Report (published in Japanese) considers Nagoya University’s contributions to the SDGs from both an ecological and also a diversity, disaster prevention and occupational health perspective. See pages 18-41 for environmental education and research, pages 42-53 for social responsibility and environmental issues communication, and pages 14-17, 42, and 54-59 for environmental management and performance.
Environmental Policies
Please click here to read (in English)
Sustainability and Climate Change Policies
By implementing the knowledge gained through world-class research to real-world issues, Nagoya University contributes to a variety of social issues starting with climate change and resource scarcity. By reducing our own environmental load and improving our energy efficiency, we contribute to the sustainability of our local area and global society. Please see pages 16-17 of the 2022 Environmental Report for details.
Reducing our CO2 emissions
Nagoya University aims to make its campuses carbon neutral by 2040. As part of this plan, we are transforming our facilities into Zero Energy Buildings (ZEBs) through the use of energy-efficient LED lighting, advanced air conditioning systems and the introduction of renewable energy sources on campus. On top of making our energy sources renewable, we will introduce schemes to reduce overall energy use on our campuses to bring our CO2 emissions down even faster. As of 2021, energy usage was down 5.5% compared to 2013. Please see page 56 of the 2022 Environmental Report for details.
Sustainable Procurement and Purchasing Policy
As part of our commitment to the creation of a sustainable, low environmental impact and happy society, it is our policy to procure environmentally friendly goods and services, provide information about these goods and services, and create requirements for the use of these goods and services.
Click here to read the environmentally friendly goods procurement policy (in Japanese)
Corruption Prevention Policy
All members of the Nagoya University community are required to conform to the THERS staff regulations for ethical conduct, and maintain a level of ethical conduct to match their responsibilities as members of the university.