A survey of several European universities shows that corporate responsibility for the economic, social and environmental effects of commercial activities is slowly spreading to the non-profit sector in Europe — including to institutions of higher education.

The survey, undertaken in 2014, polled 73 members of the European University Association, representing 18 countries across a range of institutional age, size and ranking (see Y. Fassin in Proc. 26th Int. Assoc. Bus. Soc.; in the press). Of those 73 universities (response rate 11%), 82% had incorporated sustainability and the European Commission's corporate social responsibility recommendations into their development strategies; 70% were already reporting on their initiatives.

The survey revealed that these universities tend to emphasize sustainable development over social responsibility. Perhaps because social responsibility is a given for universities, sustainability for future generations of students seems to hold more sway with university management.