Günther Dissertori launches Sustainability and Ethics in Education at ETH Zurich, Switzerland; graduates equipped to shape a sustainable future
Sustainability and Ethics in Education | ETH Zurich
Sustainability and Ethics in Education
Sustainability and Ethics in Education is a strategic teaching initiative of the Rector of ETH Zurich, Prof. Dr. Günther Dissertori. Its goal is to systematically integrate sustainability and ethics competencies into the curricula of all bachelor’s and master’s programmes at ETH Zurich. While the ETH Net Zero programme focuses on reducing the environmental footprint of the institution, this initiative strengthens ETH’s sustainability handprint through education: it equips graduates with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to shape a democratic, just, and sustainable future.
Anchored in the ETH Competence Framework , the initiative develops dedicated Sustainability and Ethics Lenses that define what students should know, apply, and value. Through a spiral curriculum approach, students encounter sustainability and ethics topics starting with a pre-study onboarding workshop and revisit them with increasing depth throughout their studies, culminating in their final thesis.
In parallel, lecturers have access to practical tools, collections of good practices, self-paced training, and peer-exchange formats to support them in integrating sustainability and ethics into their disciplinary teaching. In doing so, they can engage and empower students to apply their competence to address sustainability and ethical challenges.
This initiative is closely coordinated with the ETH Net Zero programme, the ETH-wide curriculum revision PAKETH , and international partners within the ENHANCE+ Alliance . The initiative is sponsored by external page swissuniversities , ENHANCE+ , the DOPAL Foundation via the external page ETH Foundation , and ETH Zurich.
Strategic alignment, institutional priorities and funding
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Abt. für Lehre und Lernen Auf der Mauer 17 8001 Zürich Switzerland
Operational implementation, day-to-day coordination and content questions
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Strategy and Analytics UTL Auf der Mauer 17 8001 Zürich Switzerland