From assessment to action: A strategic approach to carbon management for climate neutrality in higher education

Higher education institutions stand at the forefront of sustainable development and climate action. As key innovators and powerful policy influencers, universities are increasingly committed to drastically reducing their environmental footprint. Yet, despite this critical role, granular carbon footprint assessments at the faculty level remain surprisingly scarce. This gap is often due to a combination of inconsistent methodologies and the inherent complexity of accurately capturing Scope 3 emissions. This study aims to fill that gap by providing a comprehensive carbon footprint analysis at the faculty level, with a case study for the Faculty of Building Services Engineering in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, covering all three emission scopes over two years using the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and the One Click LCA software. Our analysis revealed that the faculty's per capita and per square meter carbon footprint remained stable at approximately 0.28 tCO₂e/person and 0.03 tCO₂e/m², respectively. Despite a significant decreased in Scope 1 emissions by 11.4 %, the total location-based footprint slightly increased from 144.48 to 144.81 tCO₂e, driven primarily by a rise in Scope 2 and a steady increase in Scope 3 emissions. Notably, Scope 3 emissions grew from 41 % to 48 % of the total footprint during this period, highlighting its growing importance in the faculty's sustainability initiatives. These findings emphasize the urgent need for a focused carbon reduction strategy centred on energy efficiency, sustainable practices, and stakeholder engagement to effectively lower the faculty’s environmental impact and support the university’s goal of climate neutrality.