XClose

UCL News

Home
Menu

UCL ranked in top 10 in UK university 'green' league

6 December 2022

UCL has been ranked seventh in the UK’s People & Planet University League 2023 – jumping 12 places compared to last year – with the university awarded ‘First-Class’ Honours for the sixth consecutive time.

sustainable UCL team

Published by The Guardian, the People & Planet University League is a comprehensive and independent league table of 153 UK Higher Education institutions, ranked against a diverse set of environmental and ethical criteria.

Ranked across 14 metrics of sustainability, UCL received an overall score of 71.8% - up from 68.6% in 2022 – placing the university as second highest among all Russell Group universities behind only the University of Exeter, which received a score of 72.2%.

UCL received full marks in half of the 14 categories, namely: environmental policy; sustainable food; carbon management; auditing and environmental management systems; sustainability staff; staff and student engagement; and education for sustainable development. 

Richard Jackson, UCL Director of Sustainability, said: “Once again, I’m delighted to have retained our first-class status and improved our position in the university green league. The League is an independent assessment compiled and overseen by a student campaign group, and the fact that we have retained and improved on our position reflects the ongoing work which the institution is taking to place environmental and ethical performance at the heart of our operational, research and education activity.”

Professor Geraint Rees, UCL Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation & Global Engagement) said: “UCL’s ambition to embed sustainability across the entire university is clearly reflected in these brilliant results - and I’m delighted that we have improved our position on last year, securing a place in the top 10.

“Scoring full marks in half the categories included highlights our strengths across a range of metrics, and indicates our key areas for improvement. We are dedicated to addressing these, and I look forward to continuing our work to ensure a more sustainable institution for our staff and students.” 

Compiled by the UK’s largest student campaigning network, People & Planet’s University League is the only comprehensive and independent league table of UK universities ranking UK institutions by their environmental and ethical performance based on an evolving set of criteria.

Links

Image

  • Credit: Sustainable UCL