Environmental Sustainability

Large organisations like ours, with hundreds of buildings and thousands of staff and students, have a significant part to play in facing the global challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss.

Oxford takes this duty seriously and is committed to reaching net zero carbon and biodiversity net gain by 2035.

Our Environmental Sustainability Strategy identifies ten priority areas in which we will take action through a range of programmes and services. The Environmental Sustainability team is helping the University reach these goals and increase its positive impact on the world around us.

We help departments to reduce their environmental impact through sustainable procurement, waste management schemes, and the efficient use of energy, water, and waste:

We have moved towards designing buildings using the ambitious Passivhaus approach.

We provide support and services for bicycle users and introduced a shuttle bus linking our scientific sites to reduce car use.

We continue to invest in energy efficiency technologies and install solar photovoltaic panels around the University.  

All of our non-hazardous waste is either recycled or used to generate energy.  

We achieve biodiversity net gain on our development sites and have projects to enhance biodiversity across our estate.

The University of Oxford acknowledges the three pillars of sustainability: social, economic and environmental. The University takes on economic and social sustainability in areas such as access and participation, race equality and closing the gender pay gap. Our Strategy is focused on environmental sustainability, but the social and economic impacts of implementing it will also be taken into consideration.

Visit the Sustainability website to find out more.

In March 2021, the University of Oxford approved a new Environmental Sustainability Strategy, aiming to achieve net zero carbon and biodiversity net gain by 2035.

The Strategy includes two targets to achieve net zero carbon and biodiversity net gain, four enablers and ten priority areas in which the University will take action. It replaces previous policies that related to environmental sustainability issues. In the coming years, additional policies will be published, introducing the University's commitments and the mechanisms to address it.  

The four enablers to support the Strategy are governance, reporting, funding and offsetting.

The University will establish a new Oxford Sustainability Fund, making £200 million available for sustainability initiatives over the next 15 years.

Within the first 12 months of the strategy implementation, the University is committed to developing a system of annual reporting of carbon emissions and biodiversity impact. The reports will be published in Oxford’s Annual Review and the financial accounts.  

As part of embedding environmental sustainability in the governance of the University, a new subcommittee has been set up to take overall responsibility for environmental sustainability at the University. The Environmental Sustainability Subcommittee, established in 2021 as a subcommittee of the Planning and Resource Allocation Committee (PRAC), is chaired by Dr David Prout, Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Planning and Resources) and has representatives from across the university and student body.

The ten priority areas that the Strategy addresses are: research, curriculum, carbon emissions from energy consumption on the University estate, biodiversity, sustainable food, sustainable resource use, international travel, local travel, investments and learning from the pandemic. For each of these, the Environmental Sustainability Strategy lists a set of activities and commitments.

Visit the Sustainability website to read the complete strategy, commitments and plans for each of the priorities.

Reporting

In recent years we have reduced our carbon emissions per square meter despite having more buildings, more people and growth in energy-intensive research activities. But there is always more to be done.

Our annual Environmental Sustainability Report outlines the progress we are making. From the 2020-21 report and onwards, our annual reporting of carbon emissions and biodiversity impact will be published in Oxford’s Annual Review and the financial accounts.

Visit the Sustainability website to view our reports and reviews.

Targets

To achieve net zero carbon and biodiversity net gain by 2035, the Environmental Sustainability Strategy sets outs our commitments and plans for each of the listed priority areas.  

Below are some examples:

Introduce a building retrofit programme to maximise energy efficiency

Measure, report and compensate for the damage to biodiversity caused by the University’s operations and supply chain

Reduce the need for staff to travel locally by supporting remote and agile working

Develop and implement a Travel Policy which incorporates a Travel Hierarchy approach with a phased-in levy on flights

Actively engage with investment fund managers using the Oxford Martin Principles for Climate-Conscious Investment

Install heat networks on chosen sites across the university estate and adopt the Passivhaus approach for all new developments

Visit the Sustainability website to find out more.

Initiatives

Our Green Impact environmental accreditation scheme enables staff and students to improve sustainability in their office, department, lab or college. Colleagues work together to complete a set of objectives and depending on their success they can receive a bronze, silver or gold award at the end of the year.

We acknowledge that local and keen colleagues are in the best position to understand their teams' unique circumstances and needs, so can deliver the message and motivate change in the most effective way. Over the years, over 150 teams of staff and students across the University have completed thousands of actions to improve the environmental sustainability practices of their departments, buildings, colleges and laboratories.

We encourage people to walk and cycle around Oxford to reduce air pollution, carbon emissions, and traffic congestion. We provide bicycle loans, cycle training and a bike repair service to make cycling easier for University staff.

We introduced the Science Transit Shuttle service, linking scientific research sites across Oxford and the surrounding area. Improving these transport links is essential for the success of the work carried out by researchers and helps to reduce carbon by cutting down on car journeys.  

The University operates a minibus service between Oxford and Begbroke Science Park, which is free of charge for University members and visitors.

WARPit (Waste Action Reuse Portal) is a scheme that helps departments reuse and recycle unwanted items. This includes office equipment, furniture and storage, stationery, printer consumables, and even plants and laboratory equipment.

Oxford colleges participate in the Student Switch Off energy-saving scheme run by the National Union of Students. This not-for-profit campaign encourages students to save energy in their colleges through efficient use of heating, lighting, cooking and other day-to-day activities.

The Environmental Sustainability team runs campaigns focusing on key environmental issues, including Plastic Free July, Cycle September, Sustainable Food Month and more. These allow us to engage with staff and students and raise the public profile of various issues.

Further information can be found on the Sustainability website and Travel website.