Sustainability Reporting and Sharing on Websites of Sino-Foreign Cooperative Universities

Sustainability is an important issue gaining increasing attention from society, and universities have a significant role in establishing sustainable practices. While universities have actively educated and researched sustainability issues, more can be done to promote awareness and action towards sustainability. One effective way universities can promote sustainability is by showcasing and sharing their sustainability initiatives on their website. This study used the action research and content analysis approach to investigate sustainability-related content on the websites of Sino-foreign cooperative universities in China. Seven sample universities were evaluated using the GRI framework aspect categories as a guide, and comparisons were made to their home campuses' websites. It was found that the level of information sharing and reporting varied among the different universities, with home-campus universities generally being more proactive in sharing and reporting on their sustainability initiatives on their websites. However, the level of information sharing focused primarily on the environmental aspects of sustainability. To enhance the sharing of sustainability information, it is important to improve collaboration with the home campus, extend the range of categories and aspects of sustainability disclosure, and improve the quality of content presented on their websites and reports to engage students and other university stakeholders. By effectively communicating and sharing their sustainability efforts through the web, universities can promote sustainability and provide exceptional experiential learning opportunities for their students and staff.