Environmental Sustainability

The University’s goals are to achieve Carbon Net Zero for Scopes 1 and 2 by 2030, and scope 3 by 2050, to improve biodiversity and to be recognised as major influencers on environmental sustainability matters.

This plan is lead by:

• Sally McGill, Chief Financial Officer and Deputy Chief Exec and Exec Lead for Sustainability

• Dr Laura Rhodes, Sustainability Engineer, and all other Sustainability Leads

UN SDGs

Overall approach

Environmental sustainability is one aspect of the University’s response to Environmental, Societal and Governance (ESG) issues and also to the broader agenda of sustainable development, as defined within the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In 2021, the University published its Environmental Sustainability: Strategic Framework, which was revised in June 2023, and which sets out the University’s objectives, vision and enablers for all aspects of environmental sustainability.  It also sets out how success will be measured. 

The main themes within the Environmental Sustainability Strategic Framework are: Built environment; Consumption, lifestyle and workstyle; Communities; and Education, research, innovation and enterprise.  The framework also recognises that the University’s responsibilities go beyond carbon reduction and include improving biodiversity and influencing as well.

Within the main themes, managers from all parts of the University take responsibility for environmental sustainability matters within their own areas of operations.  By embedding this responsibility across the University, we can achieve our goals. The main themes contain the following areas, each of which has its own policy, targets and operational priorities.

The framework is also supported by an Environmental Sustainability Policy.

Progress against the framework is monitored in the Environmental Sustainability Annual Review.