Avans again among the top performers in sustainability in higher education
Avans University of Applied Sciences is once again among the five best-performing universities of applied sciences in the SustainaBul 2026, the national sustainability ranking for higher education. In the ranking, which includes 33 institutions and is led by Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences, Avans is one of five participants to receive a gold rating. During the SustainaBul awards ceremony, it was also announced that former Avans student Léo Chenu is this year’s winner of the Rachel Carson Graduation Award.
Avans achieved a gold rating in five out of eight categories:
- Vision
- Curriculum
- Professional development
- Environment
- Operations
Particularly in the area of operations, significant progress has been made in recent years. Avans is leading in areas such as:
- Circular procurement: Avans works with a code of conduct for suppliers, sharing responsibility for sustainability across the entire supply chain;
- Circular campus development: 60% of the furniture used in the development of Campus 300 was reused;
- Biodiversity: biodiversity policy is applied as an integral part of campus management, including food forests, flower meadows and herb-rich grasslands;
- Water management: climate-adaptive measures such as wadi systems, sedum roofs and permeable parking facilities ensure the capture and reuse of rainwater.
Sustainability in education and research
Geoffrey van der Horst, Director of Sustainable Development, emphasizes that sustainability is no longer a separate project at Avans: “It is embedded in everything we do: in how we work, learn, conduct research and collaborate. From climate-adaptive campuses to education that systematically works towards the Distinctive Feature Sustainable Higher Education, and a research vision linked to the Sustainable Development Goals. Sustainability forms the foundation of our daily work.”
Former Avans student Léo Chenu wins Rachel Carson Award
During the SustainaBul ceremony, Léo Chenu received the Rachel Carson Graduation Award for his thesis “Hemp-Derived Sustainable Aviation Fuel: A Carbon and Environmental Assessment.” This annual award recognizes the best graduation thesis in the field of sustainability in higher education. Chenu graduated from the Avans programme Environmental Science for Sustainability, Ecosystems and Technology (ESSET). For his thesis, he investigated how hemp can be used to make fuels in the aviation industry more sustainable.
Another former Avans student, Iwona Bartyzel, who completed the same programme, was also nominated for the award with her thesis “Shellament: Use of nylon fishing nets and oyster shell powder for 3D printing filament production.”
The Rachel Carson Graduation Award is an initiative of the VVM (Dutch Association of Environmental Professionals).
About the SustainaBul
The SustainaBul is the sustainability ranking for higher education in the Netherlands. Institutions are assessed on themes such as education, research, energy, biodiversity and circular operations.
The ranking provides insight into how institutions implement sustainability in practice. It also stimulates knowledge-sharing and collaboration between institutions, contributing to the acceleration of sustainability in higher education.
Avans & sustainability
Avans is a knowledge institution where education, research and professional practice come together. By integrating sustainability into its education, research and operations, Avans works on solutions to societal challenges of today and tomorrow.
Read more about sustainability at Avans