The 2025 UI GreenMetric World University Rankings Results Announcement and Round Table Forum were recently held in Taiwan, and National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) has once again achieved outstanding results in sustainable higher education! Amidst fierce global competition between 1,745 universities from 105 countries, NPUST secured 2nd place in Asia and 21st worldwide—a leap of two spots from its 2024 global ranking. On top of this, NPUST has maintained its position as the No. 1 university in Taiwan for the 12th consecutive year. The results serve as a testament to NPUST’s international influence as an institute of higher education and its dedicated commitment to sustainable development.
KEY RECORDS BROKEN
The UI GreenMetric assessment is graded based on six major categories: 1) Basic Infrastructure, 2) Energy and Climate Change, 3) Waste, 4) Water Resources, 5) Transportation, and 6) Education—with a maximum total score of 10,000 points. This year, NPUST set a new school record with a score of 9,172.5 points, an impressive increase of 122.5 points over last year. The university also performed exceptionally well on the “Waste” and “Water Resources” indicators, largely attributable to the school’s long-term and solid commitment to circular economies, resource efficiency, and sustainable governance on campus.
SHARING STRATEGIES ON THE GLOBAL STAGE
This year’s ranking announcement was held in conjunction with a roundtable forum themed “Integrating SDGs into Curriculum and University Governance—Cases and Stories”. NPUST President Chin-Lung Chang was invited as a speaker to share the university’s sustainability strategies regarding curriculum design, organizational governance, and interdisciplinary collaboration, which became a focal point of the forum.
During this talk, President Chin-Lung Chang stated that NPUST has long been committed to sustainable development and is actively responding to Taiwan’s 2050 Net-Zero Emissions goals. The university created several institutions dedicated to related work, including:
- The College of Agriculture Office for the Promotion of Net Zero and Carbon Sink Tropical Organic Agriculture, which helps agriculture and forestry industries reduce carbon emissions through low-cost methods.
- Center for Advanced Vehicle Technology Research and Service, which champions R&D for electric vehicles.
- Center for Agricultural, Forestry, Fishery, Livestock and Aquaculture Carbon Emission Inventory and Emerging Compounds (CAFEC), which promotes carbon footprinting and pollution reduction.
- Research Center of Railway Vehicles, which is pursuing innovations in rail transportation.
- Center for Circular Economies in Agriculture and Forestry, which helps farmers transform agricultural by-products into high-value resources and create new green economy opportunities.
In terms of talent cultivation, NPUST inaugurated the Center for Technological Agriculture in 2024 to promote R&D in smart farming. The university continues to train young farmers and professional agricultural managers, using technology to drive the transformation of Taiwanese agriculture toward an era of resilient and high-value “smart” farming.
PURSUING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Looking ahead, NPUST will continue to bolster the sustainability efforts it is making in campus governance, research innovation, social responsibility, and industry-academic cooperation. Using the 17 UN SDGs as a core framework, the university aims to collaborate with global higher education institutions to advance sustainable education and environmental governance, and to serve as a pivotal force for global change.
