For the first time, all 30 universities in North Rhine-Westphalia have agreed on a common approach and will collect their data annually going forward. This is an important step toward reducing emissions. The institutions are supported by the Office for Climate-Neutral State Administration within the Ministry of Economy, Innovation, Climate Protection, and Energy of North Rhine-Westphalia, as well as by the State Office for Nature, Environment, and Climate of North Rhine-Westphalia. Experience gained from the state administration’s GHG accounting is also being incorporated into this effort.
The first report covers the reporting years 2019, 2020, and 2021. It records the universities’ emissions in accordance with the internationally recognized “Greenhouse Gas Protocol” standard. The report primarily focuses on the areas of buildings (electricity and heat supply) and business mobility (business travel and vehicle fleets). “The number of students and staff also plays a role,” says Dirk Tappe, Head of the Building Management Department at TH OWL.
Compared to the base year 2019, emissions from the 30 public universities remained largely constant in 2020 and 2021. However, reliable trends cannot yet be derived from this—the time period is too short, and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic is too significant.
The report provides transparency. “We can be satisfied with the results. We are in the good middle range for all recorded values from 2019 to 2021,” says Tappe. “We submitted the data for 2023 and 2024 in December 2025. We expect even better results for this period.” A key lever is the switch to green electricity: “This will significantly advance our progress on GHG emissions.”
However, purchasing “green electricity” is just one component. The university also generates its own energy: A new photovoltaic system went into operation on Building 5 at the Detmold campus at the end of 2025. At the Höxter campus, an existing system on Building 6000 was replaced with a highly efficient one—it is even integrated into teaching. In Lemgo, additional systems are being installed this year on the new laboratory buildings 14 and 16.
Saving energy is just as important. “The cheapest electricity is the electricity you don’t use,” says Tappe. That’s why TH OWL is gradually switching to LED lighting. LED is the standard for new construction projects.
At its locations in Detmold and Lemgo, TH OWL also uses district heating. “Local governments are switching to renewable energy—that has a positive impact. Climate neutrality is also an important issue for regional public utilities.” The Höxter campus is currently still heated with gas. “Here, we need to clarify with the NRW Building and Real Estate Management Agency, as our landlord, what alternatives are possible.”
The new reporting system creates a uniform basis for planning and implementing climate protection measures in a targeted manner. Universities benefit from one another in this process: institutions with experience pass on their knowledge.
TH OWL is continuing to develop its system. “We are gradually improving our data collection to obtain more meaningful results,” explains Tappe. New software for business travel will be introduced soon. “Our goal is clear: to further reduce emissions and become climate-neutral as quickly as possible.” For domestic travel, the university consistently relies on rail. “However, due to the rural location of our campuses, driving a car cannot always be avoided.”
Currently, the reports for 2022 and 2023 are being prepared, and data for 2024 is being collected. In the future, the annual reports will enable reliable trend analyses—and show which measures are effective.
TH OWL is also reorganizing itself: a position for climate protection management is currently open. It is initially a two-year fixed-term position funded by the project. The task will be to develop a climate protection concept, record consumption in detail, and identify potential savings.
“The project provides a great deal of clarity and is an important building block of our sustainability strategy,” says TH OWL Sustainability Manager Christian Einsiedel. The ongoing strategy process focuses on further developments—in teaching, research, knowledge transfer, as well as operations and governance. “Climate protection remains a central task in this regard. The work of Dirk Tappe and his team is just as important for this as the commitment of all students and staff.”
More on this topic can also be found here: www.wirtschaft.nrw/themen/klimaschutz/klimaschutz-hochschulen