Environmental Sustainability Strategy

1. Grow impactful environmental sustainability research and enhance its visibility.

2. Use Warwick Campus as a living lab to strengthen sustainability research and teaching.
3. Expand research reach by building strategic partnerships locally, nationally and globally.
4. Continuously improve the sustainability of our research environment and share best practice with others.

1. Embed holistic ESD principles within institutional quality processes.
2. Empower students and staff through transformative ESD approaches.
3. Develop institutional capacity for transformative ESD.

1. Enhance Awareness and Boost Engagement with Staff and Students.
2. Encourage Environmentally Conscious Decision Making.
3. Be recognised regional leaders in environmental sustainability.

1. Enhance Sustainability Leadership and Accountability.

2. Integrate Sustainability into University Policies.

3. Promote Transparency and Reporting.

4. Ensure Continuous Improvement and Innovation.

1. Reduce our carbon emissions, monitor and report on our progress, and use this data in decision-making.

2. Support nature recovery on our campuses and beyond.

3. Move towards a circular economy campus, minimising waste and keeping things in use for longer.

• Map 80% of funded research projects to SDGs by the end of 2027.
• Reach 100% LEAF accreditation or equivalent for all our research labs by the end of 2027.
• Approve and implement sustainable research policies and guidelines (research, procurement and travel), in accordance with the Concordat for Environmental Sustainability in Research and Innovation Practice.

By 2030, Warwick will lead in environmentally sustainable research practice and impact, advancing knowledge and innovation that supports a just transition to a sustainable future. Our commitment to environmental sustainability is embedded in both the conduct and impact of our research. As a signatory to the Concordat for Environmental Sustainability in Research and Innovation Practice since 2024, we are aligning our practices with sector-wide standards. Across our three faculties, we are improving the sustainability of our research environment through new policies and a targeted effort to increase the number of laboratories achieving LEAF accreditation (or equivalent)—at all levels, including Gold.

Through initiatives like the Interdisciplinary Research Spotlights and the Connect programmes, we are addressing complex sustainability challenges by fostering collaboration across sectors and disciplines. Philanthropy is enabling the development of new research centres focused on sustainable materials, manufacturing, and transitions, which will help shape global supply chains and inform policy.

We are committed to strengthening the breadth, depth, and impact of our environmental sustainability research, while cultivating and increasing meaningful collaborations with stakeholders across regional, national, and international contexts. Our Living Lab approach on the Warwick Campus supports this ambition by integrating research-led teaching with real-world experimentation. By aligning our research with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, we aim to lead transformative change and empower future generations to shape a more sustainable world.

• Transform curriculum planning by embedding ESD into programme-level design and review processes across the university by 2027/28
• Build comprehensive ESD expertise by supporting 250 staff to develop their ESD teaching capability through professional development aligned with recognised frameworks by 2027/28.
• Establish ESD as a recognised graduate competency with 10% of graduating students receiving ESD recognition on HEAR records by 2027-28, increasing by 10% annually thereafter.

By 2030, Warwick will integrate Education for Sustainable Development throughout our institution, empowering students, staff, and graduates as agents of environmental change. Our approach will cultivate critical thinking and collaborative problem-solving essential for addressing complex sustainability challenges.

Our expansive campus will serve as an unparalleled living laboratory, where students engage directly with renewable energy systems, biodiversity conservation projects, and hands-on sustainability initiatives across all disciplines. We will systematically embed sustainability in every module and teaching process, supported by our growing portfolio of sustainability-focused courses and curricula. The ESD Action Group and ESD Network will drive cross-institutional collaboration and innovation, ensuring comprehensive integration.

Students will engage through enhanced Warwick Awards, Sustainability Challenges, Connect Programmes – including new interdisciplinary degrees at both UG and PG level – and student enterprise initiatives that develop real-world solutions. Our comprehensive staff development will include compulsory sustainability induction and an ESD Professional Development Framework encompassing all Warwick staff, building institutional capacity for transformative education.

Through our international partnerships, such as the Eutopia Alliance, The Guild, and Monash Warwick Alliance, we will connect Midlands sustainability challenges to global solutions, while our regional work will link education to local priorities from Coventry's urban sustainability initiatives to Warwickshire's conservation efforts. Our Warwick Venice Centre will serve as both a model for sustainable education practice and a hub for sustainability education. Philanthropic enhancement will expand sustainability learning opportunities, strengthening our capacity for transformative education and research-teaching integration across our diverse academic community.

• Ensure a minimum 10% increase in attendees at events organised by the Energy and Sustainability Team.

• 100% of the University departments with at least one active Green Champion by 2030.

• Increase number of public engagement activities on sustainability related topics.

By 2030, every University department will have at least one active Green Champion who leads and supports behaviour change initiatives within their area. We will continue to strengthen engagement in sustainability by creating meaningful opportunities for participation, supporting student-led and staff-led initiatives, and linking sustainable practices to student and staff wellbeing. Our aim is to empower students and staff to take ownership of sustainability within their communities, developing leadership skills and lasting impact.

We will work in partnership with Warwick’s Institute of Engagement and the University’s Marketing, Communications, Insight and Student Recruitment teams to highlight and celebrate Warwick’s progress and achievements in environmental sustainability, ensuring our success is visible across the University and beyond.

By 2030, we will also take a collaborative approach to sustainability, deepening its regional impact across Coventry, Warwickshire, and the West Midlands. We will harness our strengths in research, education, and innovation to support clean technologies, climate resilience, and community wellbeing. The Warwick Institute of Engagement will play a central role in connecting the university with local communities, enabling co-created responses to eco-anxiety, climate adaptation, and inclusive development.

Listening and responding to community needs will remain core to our approach, as we build long-term partnerships with councils, organisations, and neighbourhoods. We will create opportunities for students and staff to contribute meaningfully to local initiatives, amplifying climate action and fostering shared understanding of Warwick’s sustainability role. While our focus is regional, our global collaborations extend our reach. Together, we will pioneer transformative models of sustainable development that reflect lived realities and shape a just, hopeful future for our region and beyond.

• Embed environmental sustainability in the university’s governance structure.
• Develop clear progress reporting processes and make these publicly available.
• Review all university policies by 2028 to integrate environmental sustainability considerations.

By 2030, we will strengthen sustainability leadership and accountability through robust governance and transparent decision-making. The University’s Sustainability Committee will play a central role in overseeing progress, ensuring strategic alignment, and supporting cross-institutional collaboration, with effectiveness reinforced through the integration of sustainability into governance structures and risk management processes.

Environmental Sustainability Leads will be appointed across Faculties, Departments, and Professional Services to drive local action and connect departmental activity with central strategy. All university committee Terms of Reference will be reviewed to include sustainability as a standing consideration. By 2026, 25% of research centres or departments will have a Sustainability Action Plan, rising to 50% by 2027 and 100% by 2028. The Sustainability Committee will oversee this phased rollout to ensure alignment with university-wide priorities and decision-making.

Transparency will be strengthened through the publication of carbon emissions in line with the Standardised Carbon Emissions Framework (SCEF) and the development of clear, publicly available progress reporting. To support continuous improvement, sustainability objectives and targets will be reviewed annually, and Warwick Leaders will receive dedicated training to embed environmental sustainability into leadership practice. This approach will ensure the University remains agile, accountable, and forward-looking in responding to environmental challenges.

Engaging staff and students in sustainability governance fosters shared ownership and commitment. This is supported by sustainability action groups spanning academic staff, professional services, and students, alongside close collaboration with Warwick SU to align strategy, student voice, and action.

• Achieve net zero carbon for direct emissions (scopes 1 and 2) by 2030 and indirect emissions (scope 3) by 2050.

• Achieve Biodiversity Benchmark certification by 2030.

• Deliver a minimum of 10% year-on-year growth in circular economy activity from a defined 2025/26 baseline through to 2030.

Our environmental impact comes from the energy we use, the materials and products we consume, how we travel, and how we manage our land and natural spaces.

We are committed to cutting scope 1 emissions by 60% by 2030 and 80% by 2035, against a 2018–2019 baseline, and to continuing to source certified renewable electricity. We will build upon our existing work in energy efficiency and the transition away from fossil fuels through further investment in low-carbon heat sources. We will continue to review carbon offsetting options through our sustainability governance process to identify an offsetting mechanism that is aligned to organisational values and activities as well as providing additionality, permanence and verifiability. If these key criteria cannot be met in the defined target years, we would not use offsetting to claim net zero for scopes 1 and 2 but continue to pursue absolute carbon reductions within our control.

At the same time, we are tackling the impact of the goods, services and materials we rely on. Our approach is rooted in circular economy principles - reducing resource use, designing out waste, extending product life, and prioritising reuse, repair and responsible sourcing.

We recognise that the climate and nature crises are inseparable. Alongside cutting carbon, we are committed to restoring nature, preventing pollution and waste, and promoting active and sustainable travel to improve air quality and wellbeing.

As our campus evolves, we will create places where people and nature can thrive together - with efficient, low-carbon buildings, circular use of materials, renewable energy, and high-quality biodiverse green spaces.

• We have seen a marked increase in research projects focused on environmental sustainability, many of which involve interdisciplinary collaborations and deliver tangible impact through engagement with stakeholders at local, regional, and global levels.
• We launched six Interdisciplinary Research Spotlights, strengthening our cross-faculty research culture and collaborations, with one spotlight dedicated specifically to sustainability.
• We have strengthened our commitment to sustainable research practices by becoming a signatory to the Concordat for Environmental Sustainability in Research and Innovation Practice and increasing the number of research and teaching labs with Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (or equivalent) accreditation, including several at Gold level.

• Our undergraduate, postgraduate, and extracurricular provision with environmental sustainability focus has expanded significantly, including successful growth of our Global Sustainable Development degrees and new postgraduate offerings.
• ESD is now embedded across institutional frameworks: as one of the common themes of our Institutional Teaching and Learning Review (ITLR), through dedicated governance with an ESD Lead and Action Group reporting to the Sustainability Committee, and via the ESD Network connecting educators and students across disciplines.
• We have developed comprehensive pathways for sustainability education, including the Warwick Skills sustainability pathway and University-wide Climate Literacy Certificate launched in 2024.

• Since September 2022, we have held 276 events with 267 staff and 853 student Green Champions. In the 2024/25 academic year event attendance increased by 17%, with 2,180 bookings and 2,559 attendees.
• Our contribution to the Coventry Climate Change Board has resulted in us working with partners across the city, actively contributing to projects and programmes addressing key issues such as climate resilience and the circular economy, along with developing key principles for ensuring a fair green future for all. This includes a key contribution to the development of the Council’s green Skills Roadmap and the development of the Coventry’s Very Light Rail.
• A partnership between Warwick Arts Centre, Warwick Institute of Engagement and Foleshill Community Centre (FCC), Planting Roots, aimed to unite people through activities centred around FCC's new Medicinal Garden. The project welcomed a total of 1,177 participants, spanning all ages and backgrounds, providing community members with an opportunity to engage with nature and science.

The Sustainability Committee has been established on behalf of the University Executive Board (UEB) and the University Estate and Environment Committee (UEEC) to coordinate the University’s approach to Environmental and Social Sustainability. The Committee provides strategic oversight and works with, and advises, other relevant committees and groups where their remit impacts sustainability outcomes.

Six Sustainability sub-groups have been formed, all of which report directly to the Sustainability Committee, supporting focused delivery across key thematic areas.

• We have reduced our Scope 1 carbon emissions by 21.7%, successfully achieving our interim target of a 20% reduction by 2025 and demonstrating strong progress towards our longer-term decarbonisation goals.
• We have signed the Nature Positive Universities pledge and created new habitats across our campus, including the planting of 4.5 kilometres of hedgerow and the establishment of over 12,000m² of wildflower habitat to support local ecosystems and pollinators.
• Through our Donation Drive initiative, we diverted more than 16 tonnes of items from general waste, with 75% of collected items reused on campus to support incoming students and the remainder redistributed to local charities, strengthening both our circular economy efforts and community partnerships.