Entangled Accountability: Rethinking University Sustainability Reporting Through Posthumanism

Abstract

University sustainability reporting has traditionally been framed within anthropocentric paradigms, emphasizing human-driven accountability, economic performance, and institutional responsibility. However, in an era of ecological crisis and technological entanglement, sustainability must be reimagined beyond human-centered frameworks. This study critically examines contemporary trends, opportunities, and challenges in university sustainability reporting through a posthumanist lens, arguing for a shift toward more-than-human accountability. By analyzing recent Scopus-indexed literature, we reveal how sustainability reporting is often limited by rigid frameworks, resource constraints, and a disproportionate focus on environmental metrics at the expense of social and technological dimensions. A posthumanist approach challenges these limitations by advocating for relational, dynamic, and multi-agential forms of sustainability reporting that recognize the agency of ecosystems, technologies, and non-human entities. Moving beyond static documentation, this paper proposes an alternative paradigm where universities function as posthuman institutions—co-evolving with planetary systems, artificial intelligence, and non-human stakeholders. Such an approach does not merely enhance sustainability reporting but reconfigures the university’s role in shaping regenerative, post-anthropocentric futures.