Sustainability awards

The University has an environmental policy which is regularly reviewed and updated by the Sustainability Executive Committee.

View our environmental policy and other documents

To keep us on track, the University has SMART targets (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Timely) in Emissions and Discharges, Biodiversity, Waste Management, Travel and Transport and Water.

View our relevant action plans

Leadership for sustainability is guided from the top by the Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Chair of the Sustainability Executive Committee Pro Vice Chancellor and Head of College (CATE), Professor Elena Marco. UWE Bristol has 14 dedicated staff working in sustainability roles along with others in key areas.

To engage and support all staff in our sustainability work, the University runs compulsory and optional training events and activities and provides sustainability networks for academic and service staff.

Sustainability strategy, leadership and plans

How students and staff can get involved

To check we are on the right course, the University's sustainability performance is scrutinised annually by external auditors using the international standard BS:EN ISO14001:2015 standard. This certification covers the whole institution, our Estates, Services and Educational provision. 

To ensure transparency for any financial investments, we publish an Ethical Investment policy reviewed annually by the Sustainability Executive Committee. This policy excludes holdings in fossil fuel companies, arms companies and companies in violation of human rights.

The University wants to empower our students and graduates to make informed careers choices that meet with their values and contribute to a sustainable future. Our Ethical Careers Policy core principles are inclusivity, diversity, sustainability and social responsibility.

To greatly reduce our impact on the planet, the University is committed to becoming net zero carbon by 2030 including all emissions caused on and off campus. We have a detailed Carbon and Energy Management Plan for 2030 and put significant funds into one off capital and ongoing projects on a yearly basis. We also have a detailed Travel Action Plan route to 2030.

View our relevant action plans

Carbon, energy and water management

We are a Living Wage Employer and committed to improving workers' rights both within the University and across the globe. To support of farmers and producers in the developing world, we are a Fairtrade University and in terms of our supply chain we are a member of the Southern Universities Purchasing Consortium which is affiliated to the Electronics Watch on behalf of it's members.

Sustainable purchasing and procurement

To ensure transparency, we have signed a Can't Buy My Silence pledge to stop using Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) for complaints about sexual harassment, bullying and other forms of misconduct.

The University has a sustainable food plan which commits us to measures which reduce the impact of food consumption on campus, such as an increase in plant based food, accreditation to the Soil Association sustainable food framework, support for growing projects on campus and sustainability requirements in our tender specification for outside contractors.

View our policy and strategy documents

Our Sustainability Engagement Strategy shows how we raise awareness and involve students and staff: from sustainability inductions, our annual Green Fortnight, to project funding, consultation with students and Trade Unions in our Carbon Management plan and student led auditing of our Fairtrade and Responsible Futures accreditations.

Get involved 

Education for sustainable development (ESD) sits at the heart of UWE Bristol’s teaching and learning and we are proud to be one of only three UK universities to have Professor in Education for Sustainable Development. To embed ESD in all courses we have mapped each one in relation to the Sustainable Development Goals. To ensure that we are on track and to provide scrutiny we apply for and have received SOS-UK’s Responsible Futures accreditation. To support asylum seekers and refugees we offer two Sanctuary scholarships.

Information on our energy sources, waste and recycling, carbon and water reduction on campus are reported to the Higher Education Statistic Agency (HESA) which is publicly available along with waste, recycling, carbon and water reduction on the HESA website under Estates Management Records.