About

IMPACTS

• SFU's Strategic Research Plan (SRP) identifies priority research challenges to push the limits of discovery and knowledge mobilization. Success in tackling these challenges rests on the ability to draw from fundamental research and applied research. The SRP directly contributes to the UN's SDGs and addresses environmental concerns to create a sustainable future
• Between 2018 and 2022 SFU had 5,826 research publications align with one or more of the SDGs 
• SFU has 48 Research Centres and Institutes that carry out work that directly contributes to the achievement of the SDGs  
• Between 2017 and 2022, SFU researchers were awarded a total of 2,345 research grants aligning with one or more SDGs
• Between summer 2019 and spring 2022, SFU students published 1,715 Master’s and PhD-level theses aligning with one or more SDGs
• From 2016 - 2020, SFU authors published articles in collaboration with scholars from 154 countries that align with one or more of the SDGs 
• Learn more about SFU's research performance, including our positioning within the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings

TEACHING AND LEARNING

Ranked as one of Canada’s top comprehensive universities for over a decade, SFU is committed to innovative education to empower the next generation of leaders to protect our planet.

impacts

• SFU offered 231 sustainability or sustainable development-related courses accounting for a total student enrollment of 39,979 from the 2018/19-2020/21 academic years.
• 24 of these courses—representing 4,858 students—align with most or all of the SDGs
• We have also offered five undergraduate programs (majors and minors) in sustainability or sustainable development. A total of 1,397 students enrolled in these five programs from 2018-2022.
• SFU International mobilizes SFU’s research and expertise to support global development and sustainability initiatives
• In 2016, in response to the global refugee crisis, SFU began a coordinated and multi-pronged approach to refugee-related issues. SFU engages refugee communities in a variety of ways including research, scholarships and support services for refugee students and community engagement. We have partnered with over 30 local, national and international stakeholders and have engaged with over 2000 people in 30 community events since 2019.
• SFU is among more than a dozen Canadian universities to sign a charter furthering their commitments to addressing global climate change. Under the charter, the universities pledge to adopt responsible investment guidelines that follow recognized standards, such as the UN-supported Principles of Responsible Investment
• SFU is a member of the International Sustainable Campus Network, a global network of nearly 100 higher education institutions in 30 countries. Network institutions work collaboratively to increase sustainability best practices in their campus operations, research and teaching

Campus operations

Across all three campuses, SFU continues to minimize its environmental footprint through campus operations, plans and policies and infrastructure sustainability. Aligning with the United Nations' objective of net-zero GHG emissions by 2050, SFU is on track to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50 per cent and shift half of its energy use to renewables by 2025.

Impacts

• Nine tonnes of CO2e avoided annually due to lower 20 degree base temperature at SFU's Burnaby and Vancouver campuses
• Since 2016, SFU’s GHG emissions have been reduced by 35% compared to 2007 levels, despite growth in total building area by 23%
• The university has already achieved the 2025 target to cut the carbon footprint of the investment portfolio by 45% relative to the 2016 baseline
• 260,000 water bottles avoided annually
• SFU is first and only Canadian institution to ban all single-use plastics beverage bottles
• 168 water refill stations across all three campuses—making SFU one of the top universities in Canada with refill stations
• 100,000 plastic bags avoided annually
• 454,000 to-go beverage containers recycled through an innovative, solar-powered container system between November 2019 and June 2021
• 44,833 chopsticks (and therefore 61.6 Kg of CO2e offset) recycled between September 2019 and March 2020
• Gold Fair Trade Campus certification achieved for 2021-2022

Impacts

• Between 2016 and 2021, SFU stakeholders hosted 66 podcasts, 62 panel events and 58 public lectures around one or more of the SDGs—with SDG 3 (good health and well-being), SDG 11 (sustainable cities and communities) and SDG 13 (climate action) being profiled the most
• SFU has more than 280 international partnerships in 20 countries for research, experiential learning, academic collaborations and sustainable development projects. Our strong network of partners allow us to work together, across disciplines, sectors and countries, to mobilize on the SDGs at a global scale
• SFU’s membership in networks such as the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), University Social Responsibility Network (USRN), Association of Pacific Rim Universities (APRU), Inter-American Organization for Higher Education (IOHE) and the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) network—which focus on the SDGs—allow us to collaborate globally to advance these goals
• Since 2019, SFU has participated in Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, the only global platform that assesses universities performance against the SDGs. Ranking in Canada's top 20 in 2023, SFU has demonstrated its potential to be a global leader in advancing this global commitment
• In 2023, SFU ranked first in the world for sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11), 5th in the world for climate action (SDG 13) and  4th in Canada for peace, justice and strong institutions (SDG 16)