ETH establishes a Sustainability Council
With the establishment of the new body, ETH Zurich is strengthening its strategic commitment to sustainability. Starting in October 2025, the council will advise the Executive Board on issues of sustainable development, thereby efficiently unlocking new potential in research, education, and campus operations.
ETH Zurich sees sustainability as a cross-cutting issue that affects all areas of the university – from education and research to operations and university management. With ETH Sustainability, which was transferred to the Vice Presidency for Infrastructure and Sustainability in January 2025, ETH has an organisational unit that supports, accelerates and initiates processes and projects aimed at promoting and further developing sustainability at the university and in society.
A part of this is the ETH Net Zero programme, which serves to implement the federal government’s climate goals and to avoid and reduce emissions across ETH until only “unavoidable emissions” remain. Examples include the reduction of CO2 emissions on the campus through the Anergy grid, low-emission business trips, and the procurement of goods and services from transparent supply chains.
The new Sustainability Council will complement the governance, advising the Executive Board on fundamental issues such as ETH’s strategic orientation, the role of universities in sustainable development, and international developments relating to sustainability. Its work will be based on scientific evidence of ecological boundaries, social justice and economic stability.
“With the Sustainability Council, ETH will benefit from a formally established structure for reflection and advice based on scientific insights,” says Claudia Zingerli, Head of ETH Sustainability. “This body will bring together expertise and perspectives from various disciplines and university groups, boosting the strategic importance of sustainability at ETH Zurich.”
Tasks and role of the council
The aim of the new Sustainability Council is to shape ETH’s sustainability efforts holistically and build a bridge between science and institutional action.
The council will also provide strategic momentum, propose new approaches and develop a sustainability action plan that is geared towards ETH’s institutional priorities, with quantitative and qualitative sustainability targets. Moreover, the council will observe national and international discourse and, where necessary, propose specific working groups for individual subject areas.
“We see sustainability not as an add-on but rather as a strategic principle,” says Ulrich Weidmann, Vice President for Infrastructure and Sustainability. “The Sustainability Council will help us to further develop and implement sustainability systematically with a view to the whole university.”
The council is thus not an operational unit but a strategic advisory body with strong links to education and research. ETH Sustainability will manage the Sustainability Council’s secretariat and remain the first point of contact for all matters relating to sustainability at ETH. It acts as an interface between the council’s expertise and practical implementation.
Composition and modus operandi
In total, the Sustainability Council will have around 16 members, comprising ETH professors from various departments as well as representatives of ETH Zurich’s Union of Students (VSETH), the Academic Association of Scientific Staff (AVETH) and the Staff Commission (PeKo). They will be complemented by members of the Executive Board. The term of office is two years, and members can be re-elected. The council, which is constituted by the Executive Board, will meet two or three times a year. If necessary, experts or guests can be invited to the meetings.
The Sustainability Council will work closely with the Executive Board’s future Delegate for Sustainable Transformation, who will generally also serve as the council’s chair. The chair will play a key role, leading the meetings, representing the council to the outside world, and reporting to the Executive Board on an annual basis. “The role of the chair is vital in order to raise awareness of the council’s work and bring strategic impetus to everyday university life,” explains Zingerli. The Sustainability Council is actively involved in the search for the new delegate.
A step towards greater responsibility
For Weidmann, one thing is clear: “We want to make sustainability an integral part of all strategic considerations at ETH – based on scientific depth and reflection.” The council is intended not only to react to challenges but also to proactively provide momentum by indicating new developments or introducing global perspectives into the University’s strategy.
Zingerli also sees the council as a driver of change: “We want a university where sustainability is a matter of course – in education, in research and in the way we work together and make decisions.” For her, the council is a place for intergenerational exchange and collaboration across different disciplines: “It provides a forum for dialogue about the complex challenges of the modern world, for which there is often not enough time during everyday study, research and work at ETH.”
Together, Weidmann and Zingerli believe the council is an opportunity to further strengthen the culture of sustainability at ETH – based on scientific insights, rooted within the institution, and communicated in a transparent manner.
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