An integrated framework for carbon accountability sustainability learning and institutional governance in universities

Abstract

Abstract Universities are central to advancing sustainability, yet evaluation systems continue to treat campus operations and sustainability education as parallel domains, limiting evidence of integrated progress. This article presents the Integrated Education for Sustainable Development, Sustainability, Carbon, and Operations (I-ESD-SCO) framework. Using an integrative conceptual synthesis of operational benchmarking systems, educational sustainability frameworks, governance scholarship, and enabling digital infrastructures, the study develops a model that links operational performance, curriculum, competencies, and governance processes through integration mechanisms and feedback loops. Compared with STARS and UNESCO’s whole-institution ESD approach, which recognise multiple sustainability domains but provide limited mechanisms for connecting carbon data, learning outcomes, and governance decisions, I-ESD-SCO positions integration itself as the evaluative function. Three adoption archetypes, namely executive integration offices, distributed champions, and living-lab governance, illustrate how the framework may be operationalised across diverse contexts. The analysis identifies risks, including symbolic compliance in the Global North and resource constraints in the Global South. As a conceptual synthesis, the framework is not yet empirically validated and requires testing through comparative and longitudinal institutional studies. The article reframes sustainability assessment as a tool for whole-institution transformation aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.