Sustainability Code

Declaration of Commitment of the mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna to Sustainability

The mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna is of the firmconviction that all people can contribute to society’s sustainable development – be it on the institutional or the individual level.

It is a declared goal of the mdw, as an institution of education and training for the performing arts of music, theatre, and film, to contribute positively to our society’s transformation into one that is more sustainable and more climate-friendly and to provide students with perspectives and competencies that will help them to creatively shape a future worth living in.

In view of the urgency of the global “Grand Challenges” we face and the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of Agenda 2030, which the United Nations adopted in 2015, and as a member of the Alliance of Sustainable Universities in Austria, the mdw is continuing to strategically anchor sustainability in its activities, thereby fulfilling its responsibility to society. The mdw obligates itself to deal respectfully and conscientiously with tangible and intangible resources with an eye to ecological, economic, and social dimensions in order to help shape society such that it provides for a greater degree of meaning and justice.

The mdw makes a commitment to sustainability in its teaching, its research, and its activities geared toward developing and exploring the arts as well as in its inner workings as an organisation. All of this is intended in the spirit of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and associated with the clear intent to encounter nature and human beings with respect and mindfulness.

Sustainability is the principle of action that underlies all measures aimed at the implementation of strategies and the attainment of goals. Alongside the fundamental tenets of the Austrian Universities Act of 2002, the basis for decision-making also encompasses the principles of efficiency, consistency, and sufficiency as well as equal treatment and anti-discrimination.

With this Code, the Rectorate seeks to underline universities’ position in the vanguard of sustainability efforts as well as the urgency of the task at hand in keeping with the “Manifest für Nachhaltigkeit” [Manifesto on Sustainability] adopted by Universities Austria (UNIKO).

The mdw’s commitment to sustainability is an essential component of the mdw’s future development and represents a central influence on the University’s socio-politically relevant activities.

 

I. The mdw aims to achieve climateneutrality by 2030

As a forward-looking university, the mdw contributes to efforts toward staying within the long-term global warming limit of 1.5° C, emphasising the ecological dimension of its social responsibility. A “Road Map” helps determine measures, to be evaluated and adapted on a continual basis with reference to regular greenhouse gas balances and the environmental management system EMAS, that are necessary in order to improve the mdw’s environmental performance in this regard.
 

II. The mdw recognises mobility as an important factor and supports climate friendly models

Mobility is relevant to the careers of both artists and researchers. At the same time, it has strong effects on the development of the Earth’s climate and makes up a large share of the University’s CO₂ emissions. For this reason, the mdw provides active support to members of its community in applying and further developing climate-friendly models of networking and international exchange. (Cf. Internationalisation Strategy 2025) 

Moreover, members of the mdw community are encouraged to commute to
the University’s individual locations in a climate-friendly manner.
 

III. The mdw makes efficient use of material resources and optimises its waste management

In its procurement processes, the mdw makes an effort to favour highquality, long-lived products made from sustainable raw materials as well as to facilitate their reuse. Via the targeted employment of digital formats as well as precise target audience analysis, the University also aims to reduce its output of printed matter. The mdw’s waste management processes ensure that the amount of waste produced is kept to a minimum and that unavoidable waste and problematic materials are disposed of separately.
 

IV. The mdw gives consideration to sustainability as it tackles the challenges of digital transformation

The mdw deals critically with the challenges of digital transformation. Sustainability’s integration into everyday university life is accompanied by judicious consideration of digital applications. Provision of the associated resources takes place with a focus on social and ecological sustainability. (Cf. Digitalisation Strategy of the mdw)
 

V. The mdw supports research, teaching, and the development and exploration of the arts, which in turn support not only the social and economic but also the ecological dimension of sustainable development

Alongside subject-specific curriculum content, the development of sustainability-relevant competencies is supported in a holistic manner. This entails a substantive transfer of climate and environmental policy themes into the system of artistic thought and values as initiated by efforts including transdisciplinary art and research projects as well as the establishment of the “Lectures for Future”. The mdw works to ensure that the themes of climate protection and sustainability are continually anchored in its teaching, research, and development and exploration of the arts.
 

VI. The mdw facilitates internal processes of discussion and involves itself actively in networks

The mdw has been a member of the Alliance of Sustainable Universities in Austria since 2017. As part of UniNEtZ – Universitäten und Nachhaltige Entwicklungsziele [Universities and Sustainable Development Goals], it takes part in the inter-university process of developing options for Agenda 2030’s implementation. 

The platform “green mdw” conceives of itself as a platform for information and action and provides a forum for internal communication and networked engagement with the topics of sustainability and social responsibility.
 

VII. The mdw stands for an organisational culture that empowers its members, enabling them to become active participants in society wide change

The mdw perceives the members of its community in combination with their diverse competencies and forms of expertise, which they also contribute where sustainability is concerned. All members of the mdw community are invited to help shape the University’s development via processes designed in a participative manner.
 

VIII. The mdw seeks to facilitate socially broader access to music and the other performing arts

The mdw views the performing arts of music, theatre, and film as (also) being media of socio-political engagement that impact the landscapes of media, politics, and civil society in a discursive manner. The areas of activity and thematic areas to which the mdw’s socio-political responsibility extends are commensurately diverse and interlaced. 

The mdw intends to continue affording broad-based, socially just access to music and the other performing arts in the future. It sets out to do this with an eye to overall societal themes such as poverty, gender relations, migration, demographic transformation, and climate change.