Organizational life cycle sustainability of higher education in Afghanistan

Higher education institutions (HEI) significantly affect the environment, economy and society. Even though the rising importance of sustainability in higher education, there is lack of comprehensive studies on organizational sustainability in poor and developing countries context. The study objectives are to evaluate the Kabul University Environmental impacts applying the organizational life cycle assessment (O-LCA), calculate higher education costs using life cycle costing (LCC), and assess the social performance using social organizational life cycle assessment (SO-LCA) in relation to the concept of sustainability. The study makes a unique contribution to the application of OLCSA within a poor country’s higher education system and enhances the understanding of comprehensive sustainability challenges in these contexts. This study addresses the gap in the literature regarding the sustainability assessment of universities in developing countries. The ISO/ST 14072 standard was utilized for the O-LCA study by using the ReCiPe 2016 method and using SimaPro software. The research examined the activities of the university in 2021 and categorized them into three damage assessment areas: human health, ecosystem, and resources. The UNEP/SETAC 2020 guidelines were used to assess the social performance of Kabul University. Furthermore, an LCC study was conducted to evaluate the costs of Kabul University, and OLCSA integrated the data of O-LCA, LCC, and SO-LCA using a scoring technique, and LCT triangle visually represented all three dimensions of sustainability. In alignment with the objectives of the environmental dimension of sustainability the research findings of O-LCA revealed that electricity use, transportation, and building operations are key contributors to environmental impacts, with significant impacts on fine particulate matter generation (16.24 DALY) and global warming's impact on human health (8.56 DALY). Furthermore, the LCC analysis showed that the cost per reporting unit (one student) for six-year graduation period at Kabul University is approximately AFs 792,277 (USD 11,174), while for five-year, it is AFs 660,231 (USD 9,311), and for a four-year it is approximately AFs 528,185 (USD 7,449). These figures indicate a need for strategic financial planning to enhance economic sustainability. The SO-LCA revealed varying of satisfaction among university stakeholders. The SO-LCA identified moderate satisfaction among students and administrative staff, while highlighting the areas for improvement in academia category, particularly regarding fair salary and discrimination. This emphasizes the need for targeted social policies to improve stakeholders' satisfaction. Regarding the integration of sustainability dimensions, the findings indicate that the values for the social, environmental, and economic dimensions are 3.06, 2.3, and 0.8 respectively. This suggests that the environmental and social dimensions contribute more significantly to sustainability than the economic dimension. This underlines the urgent necessity for economic improvement to achieve balanced sustainability. In conclusion, these findings provide a framework for assessing sustainability in HEIs in poor countries, with potential applications in similar contexts worldwide. The finding aligning with and contribute to SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) offering insight for sustainable development in higher education. Additionally Kabul University can serve as a model for other institutions in the region and contribute to the achievement of SDGs 2030.

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