Responsibility
In accordance with its strategy, Xamk’s goal is to be a good, responsible and desired place to work and study. Together, we work for a better tomorrow in a responsible manner and make sustainable decisions based on knowledge. We treat everyone in a fair and equal way.
Responsibility is a part of Xamk’s strategy
Responsibility at Xamk
Responsibility extends to all of Xamk’s operations and is also an important part of our strategy. The goal is to move from individual activities towards more comprehensive sustainability thinking. The sustainability development work and its results are regularly communicated to employees, students and stakeholders, while we simultaneously aim to encourage all members of Xamk higher education institution community to be responsible in their everyday life.
All Xamk operations and people are guided by common ethical principles that define the common rules according to which we all must act. The development of Xamk’s responsibility and sustainability is guided by Xamk’s own responsibility programme.
Xamk’s social responsibility includes, among other things, the wellbeing, health and safety of staff and students. Social responsibility also includes equality and inclusiveness. Environmental responsibility includes identifying one’s own environmental impacts and minimizing negative environmental impacts. Financial responsibility includes maintaining the stability and profitability of operations and ensuring the responsibility of procurement and investments.
Xamk’s responsibility work is based on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
Ethical Principles are based on Xamk’s strategy
At Xamk, equality work is guided by the Equality and Non-Discrimination Policy
We want to ensure at Xamk that everyone feels good in their studies and work
Responsibility Networks and Commitments
Xamk wants to take part in international networks of responsibility. In November 2020, as the first Finnish higher education institution Xamk was accepted into the UN Global Compact corporate responsibility initiative, which aims to promote responsible and sustainable business. By committing to the Global Compact, Xamk is involved in promoting UN goals, declarations and agreements and is committed to complying with the ten principles of UN Global Compact related to human rights, labour, environment, and anti-corruption. As a UN Global Compact member, Xamk reports on its responsibility annually through the Global Compact reporting system.
Xamk is committed to complying with the Women’s Empowerment Principles WEPs created by the Global Compact and UN Women. Xamk also assesses its equality and non-discrimination practices by using the WEPs Gender Gaps Analysis Tool.
As part of the cooperation on sustainable development under the Rectors’ Conference of Finnish Universities of Applied Sciences Arene, Xamk is involved in working groups that promote sustainable development in education and RDI, and develop the sustainable development skills of personnel and management. Xamk is also involved in the network of responsibility personnel of universities of applied sciences. Xamk is committed to implementing the joint Programme for the Sustainable Development and Responsibility of Universities of Applied Sciences, which was drafted by Arene.
Responsibility Development Work
Xamk develops its responsibility continuously and reports on progress annually. The responsibility work at Xamk is guided by Xamk’s strategy and responsibility programme, performance agreement with the Ministry of Education and Culture, the sustainable development guidelines by the Ministry, as well as, the Programme for the Sustainable Development and Responsibility of Universities of Applied Sciences.
UN Global Compact members report on their responsibility through the Global Compact reporting system annually. In addition to this, Xamk calculates its carbon footprint each year by using Arene’s carbon footprint calculator. Xamk also assesses its equality and non-discrimination practices by using the WEPs Gender Gaps Analysis Tool.
A responsibility development group is responsible for the progress of the development work. The group has members from all Xamk campuses and widely from different fields, and a student representative from the Student Union Kaakko. The group also monitors the progress of the responsibility programme and supports responsibility reporting and communication.
Sustainability Coordinator is responsible for coordinating the development work, whose duties also include updating the responsibility programme and drafting the responsibility reports. Sustainability Coordinator plans the responsibility communication activities together with communications unit and acts as Xamk’s representative in responsibility networks.
Responsible RDI
Social, especially regional impact is an important part of Xamk’s responsible operations. Through research, development, and innovation (RDI), Xamk’s expertise is directed directly to the applied development of the region’s business life, supporting responsibility and the green transition.
RDI work is mainly carried out in the form of various projects. At Xamk, already during the planning phase of the projects, the project’s impact has to be assessed from the perspective of sustainable development. This supports the evaluation and direction of Xamk’s RDI work so that it is responsibly impactful and ethically justified. It also ensures that Xamk’s RDI activities answer to the current regional and global challenges.
We are also actively involved in the social discourse, and we create new knowledge and bring Xamk’s know-how and perspective to the discussion. By strengthening the culture of open science and increasing the number of peer-reviewed research publications, we also strengthen the dissemination of high-quality and responsible new knowledge and know-how.
Sustainable Development in Education
Our goal is to train highly employable experts, whose skills meet the demands of working life and who have the ability to renew their skills and meet the challenges of the future. By integrating sustainable development into education, we also guarantee that our students get the skills required by the working life of the future.
Education is Evolving and Internationalizing
Currently, Xamk is undertaking a comprehensive renewal of education. Through our own UusiX2030 project, we are revamping the structures and practices of teaching and learning.
In the national Digivisio project, we are collaborating with other Finnish higher education institutions to build the future of learning. We are renewing Finnish higher education through digitalization and making Finland a model country for flexible learning. For example, we are participating in the Digivisio pilot projects for continuous learning services.
We are also involved in developing a joint European university campus within the European University INGENIUM, which includes 10 universities from different countries. We are developing joint courses and degrees, engaging in research collaboration, and sharing knowledge and experiences. We are also promoting student exchange and staff mobility. INGENIUM is also working on developing common rules for equality and inclusivity.
Responsible restaurant services
In Xamk restaurants, responsibility and ecology concern the used raw materials, but also food preparation and the entire restaurant environment.
We prefer local and organic food, and vegetarian food also has an important and growing share in the food we serve. The detergents and chemicals that we use have environmental labels, and disposable tableware have been switched to biodegradable products. In addition, sustainable development is emphasized as a procurement criterion in other purchases of the campus restaurants.
Responsibility is also promoted by continuously improving waste sorting guidelines and customer guidance. In addition, the restaurants have invested in energy- and water-saving machines, devices and practices, as well as in the continuous growth of the staff’s environmental know-how.
Ecolabel restaurants
The Nordic Swan Ecolabel guarantees that the restaurants’ environmental issues have been handled in a good manner in accordance with the principles of sustainable development.
The restaurants of the South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences in Mikkeli and Savonlinna, as well as cafe Alfa, have received the environmental label. Although Restaurant Paja at Kouvola campus does not yet have the ecolabel, the restaurant is also operated sustainably.