A COMUNICAÇÃO DA SUSTENTABILIDADE ATRAVÉS DOS SITES DAS UNIVERSIDADES

Abstract

As entities responsible for the creation, development and dissemination of knowledge, Universities are increasingly expected to incorporate Sustainable Development (SD) policies and principles, both in their management and in teaching, research and extension activities. But in addition to establishing policies and developing actions in the area, universities have also realized the importance of communicating them to society. The internet has brought new opportunities for carrying out this communication, and websites, in a specific way, provide spaces for disseminating information to many people at any time and place, without the need for intermediation by the mass media. The aim of this study is to investigate how the best-placed Brazilian universities in the UI Green Metric Word University Ranking (UI GreenMetric) are using websites to communicate their sustainability performance. To this end, we analysed the content of the universities' websites through a structured direct observation. In the analysis carried out, we noticed that most of them bring information on the subject, but they still have little visibility, being difficult for stakeholders to find. Stakeholders value proactive and transparent communication on sustainability, and it also contributes to building a relationship of trust, positively reflecting on the Institutions' legitimacy and reputation. The communication of sustainability carried out by universities can contribute to the achievement of broader organizational objectives, but it also contributes to society as a whole advancing towards sustainable development as this communication draws attention to the theme and contributes to awareness and development. increase in knowledge on the subject.