Innovazione delle modalità e dei metodi organizzativi per il miglioramento delle performance di sostenibilità dell’Università

Universities, with their complex structure (size, location, composition, functions, facilities, staff, users, services), can give a significant contribution to the transition process towards sustainability by adopting internally, and then transferring to society, practices and behaviors that are more responsible and healthy for the individuals, the community and the environment. Through a systematic review of the scientific literature, recent research has reconstructed an articulated framework of methods and tools to ‘measure’ the sustainability performance of universities, known as Campus Sustainability Assessment Tools. Starting from this framework, the contribution proposes a taxonomy of CSATs by type, purpose and level of use, and outlines their strengths and weaknesses, referring to their application to Italian universities. This critical analysis is used as a guide to define criteria and contents of a smart platform, intended as a dynamic tool to support a university in managing the sustainable transition process. Such a platform is conceived as a digital environment for collecting, organising, processing and communicating data and information, and as an interaction space between University and society. It is meant as a support in the different phases of the path towards sustainability goals, that provides cognitive elements, methodological and operational tools with which to raise awareness, orient strategic choices and interventions, monitor, evaluate and transfer the results produced.