Sustainability institutionalization assessment in Brazilian federal higher education institutions

Purpose This study aims to assess the level of adoption of sustainability practices across the environmental, social and governance (ESG) dimensions and analyze the implementation stage of the Sustainable Logistics Plan (PLS) in Brazilian federal higher education institutions (IFES). By integrating these dimensions through institutional and stakeholder theories, the research provides empirical evidence regarding the process of institutionalizing sustainability, thereby contributing to the strengthening of governance and strategic management. Design/methodology/approach A descriptive and inferential quantitative approach was adopted, using an instrument adapted from the model developed by MetaRed S, translated and tailored to the institutional and regulatory specificities of Brazilian IFES. The questionnaire covered governance, environmental, social and PLS comprising 79 questions. A census-based data collection strategy targeted all 121 IFES, yielding responses from56 institutions. Data were analyzed by combining descriptive statistics, frequency measures, visual “traffic-light” classification indicators, and the nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test with effect size calculations (Rosenthal’s r) to assess the impact of PLS implementation on the degree of sustainability institutionalization. Findings The results indicate an intermediate stage in the institutionalization of sustainability within IFES, with greater consolidation of practices driven by coercive isomorphism and public policies. Significant gaps persist in more complex environmental areas, such as greenhouse gas emissions mitigation and the circular economy. The inferential analysis statistically confirmed that the presence of a PLS is associated with higher levels of institutionalization, exhibiting a strong effect size in the environmental dimension (r = 0.52; p < 0.001) and a moderate effect size in the social dimension (r = 0.27; p = 0.045); however, observed variations in the governance dimensions were not statistically significant (p = 0.194). These findings demonstrate that the PLS is associated with higher levels of institutionalization, particularly on the operational and socio-environmental management of higher education institutions. However, its effectiveness depends on the existence of formal governance structures and systematic monitoring processes. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study contributes to the literature by presenting, for the first time, empirical findings from applying the MetaRed S instrument in the Brazilian context. It fills an important gap by analyzing how mandatory regulatory instruments, such as the PLS, contribute to strengthening practices and structures needed to institutionalize sustainability in higher education within a developing country context.