DLSU still among the world’s top sustainable HEIs

De La Salle University is among the world’s leading universities in pursuing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to the 2025 Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings. The 2025 edition ranked 2,526 universities from 130 countries or territories based on their progress towards the SDGs. The yearly rankings reflect sustainability-related outcomes from the previous 3 years.

DLSU was the pioneering Philippine participant of the THE Impact Rankings when it launched in 2019. This year, the University placed in the 801-1,000 bracket, making its seventh consecutive appearance in the said rankings.

For the 2025 rankings, the University was assessed according to five SDGs: Life Below Water (101-200), Responsible Consumption and Production (401-600), Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure (601-800), Good Health and Wellbeing (801-1,000), and Partnership for the Goals (801-1,000).

In pursuit of Life Below Water, or SDG 14, DLSU bolstered the aquatic stewardship of coastal and river communities in Southern Luzon primarily through the College of Science SHORE Center and the Sustainability Hub – Laguna, and has internationally partnered/awarded projects through the College of Computer Science CIVI Center (AutoPPLEx), the Department of Chemical Engineering (Bio+Mine) and the Practical Genomics Laboratory (CrabTECH).

For Responsible Consumption and Production or SDG 12, the University-wide commitment to operational sustainability was particularly highlighted through comprehensive waste reduction and management policies upheld by the Building and Grounds Maintenance Office (BGMO), Civil Works and Maintenance Civil and Sanitary Works Office (CSWO), Facilities Management Office (FMO), Supply Chain Management Office, and the University Sustainability Hubs.

In addressing Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure or SDG 9, Lasallian research center accomplishments shone as championed by the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation (VPRI), especially for: patents citing university research across all fields, STEM research income by the SHORE Center, and “spinoff” startup companies guided by the DLSU Innovation and Technology Office (DITO).

University outcomes related to Good Health and Wellbeing, or SDG 3, also embodied the Lasallian mission through extensive outreach organized by the Center for Social Concern and Action (COSCA); as well as holistic (physical, mental, and sexual) healthcare of students and employees by the Health Services Office (HSO), Lasallian Center for Inclusion, Diversity and Well-being (LCIDWell), and Office of Counseling and Career Services (OCCS).

For SDG 17 or Partnership for the Goals, DLSU continued to be a leading proponent of the SDGs through the national and global contributions of the Lasallian Social Enterprise for Economic Development (LSEED) Center, AdRIC, Department of Chemical Engineering, SHORE Center, and Social Development Research Center (SDRC).

In his statement, University Sustainability Office Executive Director Antonio Maralit says, “Back in 2019, DLSU was the sole Philippine university out of around only 450 worldwide in the inaugural THE Impact Rankings. This year, we are joined by 120 fellow Philippine universities among 2,526 worldwide. Our recently institutionalized whole-of-university approach enables us to set the course from benchmarking to transformation. I thank the Lasallian community for these past efforts, and look forward to even more transformative education rooted in Lasallian values.”