Sustainability at SEAMK
In SEAMK’s strategy and overall operations, sustainability and sustainable development have been taken into account. You can find the Sustainable Development Programme for 2020 in Finnish here (PDF).
In education, the thread of sustainable development aims to make students aware of social responsibility and understand the diversity of sustainable development as a workplace skill. In teaching, sustainable development is examined from the perspectives of ecological, economic, social, and cultural sustainability.
The purpose of competence threads is to demonstrate the development of competence aligned with the threads throughout the education, including basic studies, professional studies, skill-enhancing internships, and thesis.
SEAMK’s research, development and innovation (RDI) activities currently have numerous circular economy-related projects underway. Publications can be found mostly in Finnish in SEAMK’s online magazine.
RDI projects on sustainable development and responsibility
At the beginning of 2025, SEAMK had a total of 91 projects linked to at least one of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This means that approximately three-quarters of all SEAMK projects are related to sustainable development, as the total number of active projects annually ranges from 120 to 140.
Through statistical tracking, SEAMK’s strengths are clearly identified. The highest number of projects relate to Goal 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure (47 projects), followed by Goal 13: Climate Action (41 projects) and Goal 17: Co-operation and Partnerships (36 projects). Notably, the share of projects under Goal 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) has grown significantly compared to the previous year.
On the other hand, in 2025, the least number of projects were linked to Goal 1: No Poverty (4 projects), Goal 6: Clean Water and Sanitation (5 projects), Goal 14: Life Below Water (1 project) and Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (5 projects). This indicates that these themes currently hold a smaller strategic emphasis within SEAMK’s project portfolio.
Towards carbon neutrality
SEAMK is committed to the goals set by the Rectors’ Conference of Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences (Arene) to become carbon neutral by 2030. The aim of monitoring is to identify the impact of SEAMK’s sustainable development efforts and to support the organisation’s responsibility reporting. Since 2023, statistics have also been kept on which of the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals the projects are linked to. This provides an even clearer picture of SEAMK’s contribution.
The work is carried out in collaboration with Arene’s Sustainability and Responsibility Working Group, which defines the calculation principles for key sources of carbon dioxide emissions, including:
- Energy consumption in buildings (heating and electricity), water consumption, waste management, and costs related to property maintenance and new construction
- Travel
- Catering
- Procurement
The Sustainable and Responsible SEAMK Working Group also coordinates other measures that promote sustainability and responsible operations. These already initiated actions include:
- SEAMK’s own Sustainable Development Programme for 2020–2025 is in use. (A new programme will be updated on this page during 2025.)
- The integration of sustainability and responsibility themes into degree programme content is being defined – what does sustainable development mean as a professional skill for our graduates?
- Promotion of sustainable development and responsibility in RDI activities and monitoring their impact (so-called carbon handprint)
On SEAMK Campus, the following measures are being implemented:
- Monitoring the number of printouts and organising campaigns to reduce printing
- Developing waste sorting
- Acquiring campus bicycles and increasing the number of bicycle racks
- Procuring more shared-use electric cars
- Increasing the number of electric car charging stations on campus in cooperation with Seipark
- Installing solar panels on the roof of building Frami F