51Âþ»­

Sustainability strategy

The university is committed to sustainability and to working towards the aims of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As part of this commitment the university has developed a sustainability strategy for the whole university in consultation with staff, students and other stakeholders. We have avoided a 'bolt-on' approach, instead focusing on integrating sustainability into the very fabric of the university.

 We seek to not only comply with current sustainability guidelines, but to become a leader in the field through adopting best practice. We are building on our teaching, learning and research strengths, whilst making 51Âþ»­ (51Âþ»­) a more sustainable organisation. Through this approach, we hope to minimise our environmental impact and create a healthy and inspiring place to work and learn.  

Sustainability policies and plans

51Âþ»­ has committed to embrace sustainability and work towards the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across all its activities and operations. Sustainability and the SDGs are a cornerstone of The Empowering University strategy and the University is a global hub for SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions, the only UK university to be given this accolade.

The university is committed to improving the sustainability impact of its activities at the local, regional, national and global levels. The university has set out its commitments to sustainability in its policies and plans and has already made considerable progress in addressing sustainability issues through its travel planning, recycling and energy saving activities. Our current policies and plans can be accessed through the links below.

• Environmental policy 
• Biodiversity policy
• Sustainable food policy 
• Energy policy (includes water and sustainable construction commitments)
• Business travel policy 
• Investment policy (including ethical investment)
• Vehicle and cycle parking policy 
• Sustainable procurement strategy 
• Carbon plan 
• Travel plan 
• Fairtrade policy

Sustainability targets

The university has set a series of targets in relation to sustainability to measure our progress in this area. Our targets cover the breath of sustainability issues including waste, green travel, engagement and carbon emissions. Progress against these targets are reported annually to the University Sustainability Committee and published in our annual sustainability report which you can find on this page.

View details of our targets

Strategy themes

 

Sustainability governance

Sustainability governance is managed through the University Sustainability Committee (USC) which comprises of representatives from across the university community.

The USC provides strategic direction for the sustainability elements of the university’s Empowering University strategy and receives updates and progress reports on sustainability strategies and objectives. These updates are then reported to the University Leadership Board. The USC meets three times a year. Membership of the USC is listed below. Membership of the committee includes representatives from the students’ union, representatives from Trades Unions and representatives from faculty and directorates.