Integrating ethics and sustainability into institutional quality assurance: a conceptual and methodological framework

Purpose This study aims to develop a conceptual and methodological framework for the systemic integration of ethics and sustainability into institutional accreditation in higher education. Design/methodology/approach The study follows a three-stage conceptual design. First, a critical review identified theoretical foundations and relevant international benchmarks. Second, the study compared the Catalan institutional accreditation framework, developed in accordance with the European Standards and Guidelines (ESG), with selected international accreditation frameworks to identify integration gaps. Third, a context-sensitive methodological proposal was developed to operationalize ethics and sustainability principles through assessable indicators aligned with the ESG. Findings Among the frameworks reviewed, only two international accreditation frameworks formally recognize ethics and sustainability as independent accreditation dimensions. The proposed framework translates these dimensions into indicators across nine key areas, including governance, teaching and learning, research and digitalization. The analysis also identifies artificial intelligence (AI) ethics as an emerging dimension of institutional integrity and as an area not currently addressed in the accreditation documents reviewed. Research limitations/implications The framework is a first-stage conceptual and methodological proposal and has not yet been empirically validated. Its applicability is primarily situated in Catalan and European contexts and further testing is needed to assess its feasibility, reliability and transferability across diverse higher education settings. Originality/value The article’s main contribution is methodological; it moves beyond normative statements to offer a methodologically transparent, rubric-based framework. It is also among the first studies to propose a structured approach for integrating generative AI ethics into institutional quality assurance.