As digital technologies become ever more embedded in academic, professional, and everyday life, universities face the dual challenge of fostering digital competence and instilling a sense of environmental and social responsibility. Within this context, the concept of digital sustainability has gained increasing attention. This study investigates how educators in four European countries (Sweden, Italy, Greece and the Netherlands) perceive, interpret, and implement digital sustainability in their teaching, drawing on data from a cross-national survey (N=100) and a series of structured focus groups conducted as part of the EcoDigify Erasmus+ project.

Survey results show that while the majority of respondents believe digital sustainability is highly relevant to the future of education, their motivation to teach it is often based on personal conviction rather than institutional mandates or student demand. Conceptual understanding of digital sustainability varied significantly, with many participants expressing uncertainty about its scope, particularly the distinction between “digitalization for sustainability” and “sustainable digitalization”. Lack of deep understanding of the concept of digital sustainability and appropriate teaching materials were identified as the most significant barriers to curricular integration, even among respondents from fields such as computer science and environmental studies. Despite these challenges, educators emphasized the importance of fostering critical thinking, awareness of the environmental footprint of digital technologies, and ethical digital practices among students. They also indicated a strong need for accessible, discipline-specific resources such as online modules, real-world examples, and toolkits for assessing digital sustainability impacts.

To explore these issues in greater depth, four focus groups were conducted with 31 participants from universities in four EcoDigify consortium countries. Participants expressed initial unfamiliarity with the term “digital sustainability,” yet showed strong interest in understanding and embedding its principles. They highlighted the relevance of environmental, social, and economic dimensions, including the carbon footprint of digital infrastructure, algorithmic bias, ethical challenges in AI, and issues of digital equity. Rather than proposing new standalone courses, participants favored embedding sustainability-related content into existing subjects through targeted lectures, assignments, and case-based work. They shared examples such as including digital sustainability impact analyses in business models, exploring the energy consumption of code in programming classes, or addressing ethics in data-driven research. A key theme in all focus groups was the need for students to not only understand the issues conceptually but also develop competencies to critically evaluate and influence digital systems in practice. To achieve this, suggestions included experiential learning formats such as Living Labs, role-play simulations, and challenge-based projects involving external stakeholder, such as industry experts.

The study underscores the imperative for universities to adopt a structured, institution-wide approach to integrating digital sustainability into curricula. This, of course, demands effort and new knowledge for the teachers, who don’t always have the necessary resources, while not all universities offer training to update their knowledge on this topic.

Keywords: Digital Sustainability, Education.