UWE Bristol in world top 50 on host of sustainability measures in Impact Rankings

Media Relations Team, 17 June 2024

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UWE Bristol has been named in the top 50 in the world on a range of measures in a league table focused on institutions pursuing sustainable development goals.

The University excelled in five areas in the 2024 edition of the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings, which identifies and celebrates education institutions that perform well across multiple United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, UWE Bristol was ranked in the top 50 for five goals: Responsible Consumption and Production (15th); Climate Action (24th); Reduced Inequalities (30th); No Poverty (32nd); and Life on Land (43rd).

In the Climate Action category, UWE Bristol was named in third place among UK universities while it was placed fourth among UK universities in the No Poverty category.

UWE Bristol’s overall score in the rankings remained the same as last year, in the bracket of 101^st – 200^th in the world. This puts the university in the top 10 per cent of all institutions included in the tables. Times Higher Education evaluated 2,152 universities from 125 countries/regions to produce the rankings.

Paul Roberts, Head of Environment and Sustainability at UWE Bristol, said: “It's wonderful to see the university doing so well in this important global benchmarking of higher education effort towards Sustainable Development Goals. This is thanks to the active engagement of so many staff and students from across the university in a huge range of positive activity. It builds on years of embedding sustainability into how we operate as an institution in our teaching, research, community outreach and operations.”

Earlier this month, UWE Bristol published its Climate and Sustainability Plan 2024-26 aimed at empowering its students and staff to tackle climate and sustainability challenges, and reaffirming the university’s commitment to being a sustainable institution.

The Climate and Sustainability Plan has been developed according to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to guide the university’s strategic direction and covers cross-cutting topics such as education for sustainable development, climate mitigation and adaptation, biodiversity, circular economy, travel, sustainable food, and procurement.

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