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Higher education institutions (HEIs) must take on a leadership role in building a sustainable world, given their responsibility for preparing future professionals and leaders worldwide and considering the role they provide to society. To accomplish this goal, HEIs need to holistically embody sustainability in everything they develop. This study aims to help HEIs in this purpose by developing a method to integrate sustainability into the strategic planning process in these institutions.

In the first stage, the method was developed based on papers selected through a systematic literature review. The proposed method was then applied in a Brazilian HEI to validate and adjust it.

A method that adopts a participatory process to integrate sustainability into HEIs’ strategic planning was proposed.

This study provides university leaders with a simple and practical method to aid with elaborating on strategic plans for holistic sustainability integration.

This study uniquely applied a framework called “HEIs sustainability action archetypes” as the foundation for selecting sustainable objectives, goals and actions to be integrated into these institutions’ strategic planning.

Higher education institutions (HEIs) should assume their role as leaders in the search for a sustainable future. Consequently, such institutions need to incorporate sustainability into their activities. However, this needs to be done holistically and not with isolated and independent actions. Therefore, this study aims to develop a structure of sustainability action archetypes to help HEIs holistically incorporate sustainability in their strategies.

A systematic review of the literature was conducted focusing on the subject of sustainability in HEIs.

A structure of sustainability action archetypes for HEIs was proposed. Further, based on scientific literature, examples of actions were presented within each archetype.

This study provides HEI administrators and other organizations with a practical structure to enable the systemic incorporation of sustainability objectives and actions into institutional activities.

This study adapts the tool “sustainable business model archetypes” for a new purpose. This tool was initially developed to classify innovations of sustainable business models.

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are crucial in sustainable development. To this end, they must infuse sustainability into all their endeavors. This study aims to delve into the unique vertically integrated project (VIP), a project-based learning approach and its impact on students’ skills and the surrounding community.

The research design was collaborative, reflecting the spirit of the VIP. Step 1 involved an action research approach, where students and instructors worked closely with municipal representatives to identify challenges and devise solutions for local economic development. In Step 2, students' voices were heard through a survey. Step 3 encompassed presentations in scientific and nonscientific events, capturing the community’s perception as a valuable feedback loop.

The authors identified the most effective policies implemented by municipalities that excelled in indices related to the business environment. VIP enhanced students’ soft skills, including critical thinking, teamwork and community spirit. The outcomes of the VIP were effective in identifying public policies aimed at social transformation.

This study’s findings offer significant insights for HEI managers, guiding them in adopting interdisciplinary pedagogical practices. These practices, in turn, foster sustainable development within both internal and external communities. Furthermore, the empirical study’s focus on improving local community governance can potentially enhance the local business environment.

Literature emphasizing the social dimension of sustainability in HEIs is scarce, particularly those practices related to teaching, research and extension linked to projects aimed at community sustainability. This study introduces interdisciplinary practices encouraging student involvement in addressing tangible issues and searching for solutions to community problems.