Achievements in Sustainability
Nottingham Trent University has been classed as one of the greenest universities in the UK for the past eight years and has also been ranked amongst the world's most sustainable universities.
High performance, low impact
For over 10 years, NTU has consistently ranked as a first-class university in the People and Planet University League, the UK's only comprehensive and independent league table of universities ranked by environmental and ethical performance. For the third year running we have been ranked the second most sustainable university in the world in the UI GreenMetric World University Rankings, out of over 1,183 institutions.
In 2024, NTU was named within the top 100 institutions worldwide in the Times Higher Education Impact rankings.
Sustainability Impact Initiative - AUDE Awards 2024
NTU triumphed at the 2024 AUDE Awards in April. The annual awards celebrate the outstanding achievements of estates and facilities professionals in the higher education sector. NTU won gold award under the category of Sustainability Impact Initiative, for the pioneering Net Zero Carbon Tool.
NTU's Cleaning Services team were recognised with a silver award as Estates/Facilities Team of the Year. A second silver honour for Emerging Talent of the Year was awarded to Mariana Velasco Carrasco, Energy and Carbon Reduction Manager, for her brilliant work on net zero carbon projects and brokering a new energy deal.
Our Green Rewards programme won The AUDE University Impact Initiative of the Year 2022 Award,
EAUC Green Gown Awards
NTU has won a number of highly prestigious Green Gown Awards, presented by the Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges (EAUC).
In 2024, NTU colleagues were awarded the Money for Good award for the Net Zero Carbon Supplier Tool. Professor Emily Burton and Colleagues were also Highly Commended in the Research with Impact category for their "Feed of the Future" research of sustainable poultry.
In 2023, Lecturer Sheri Scott was Highly Commended as a Sustainability Champion- Staff. Sheri has dedicated herself to promoting clinical lab sustainability in biomedical science practice and education. In 2021, the Catering and Food team received the Campus Food and Drink award for their “DINEamic Sustainable Journey”.
Green Flag Status
Since the summer of 2012, both our Clifton and Brackenhurst Campuses have been awarded Green Flag status. This is a national award recognising green spaces throughout the country. NTU is one of only 23 universities in the UK to have achieved this prestigious award for its grounds.
Receiving Green Flag status puts Clifton and Brackenhurst in prestigious company - other notable green spaces with the award include Buckingham Palace Garden, Hyde Park in London, as well Nottingham's Arboretum in the city centre.
The campuses were assessed against eight key criteria including Cleanliness and Maintenance, Health, Safety and Security, Biodiversity, Landscape and Heritage, Environmental Management and Community Involvement.
For further information about our future plans to help enhance biodiversity, manage the landscape and encourage community involvement, please see our:
Nature Positive NTU
Nottingham Trent University (NTU) has become a founding signatory of the Nature Positive Universities Alliance, which was launched at COP15 in Montreal on 8th December 2022. The Alliance is a global network of universities that have made an official pledge to work towards halting, preventing and reversing nature loss by addressing their own impacts and restoring ecosystems harmed by their activities.
Hedgehog Friendly Campus
In 2020, the British Hedgehog was declared vulnerable to extinction and listed on the IUCN Red List for Britain's Mammals. NTU committed to making further improvements across the estate to help the UK’s Hedgehog population as part of the Hedgehog Friendly Campus initiative. In 2023 we achieved Gold Award for Brackenhurst, Clifton, and City Campus
LEAF- Sustainable Labs
NTU is proud to have signed up to the Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework (LEAF), which is a nationwide sustainability standard for laboratory operations. Developed by UCL, LEAF has been designed to facilitate improvements in laboratory sustainability, practice and research quality by providing actions to complete in a workbook – with the aim of achieving Bronze, Silver or Gold status. Laboratory spaces typically use up to five times more energy and resources than an office space of a similar size. By using the LEAF tool, NTU hopes to reduce the environmental impact of these laboratory spaces whilst maintaining the high quality of work that is already taking place within them.
Lab users are presented with pre-set actions to complete starting with Bronze, working up to Silver and then Gold. These actions have been proven to improve sustainability within a lab environment. As of 2024, 22 NTU labs have been awarded the Bronze certification, 4 have been awarded Silver and 4 Gold.
Find out more on our LEAF webpage.
Food Made Good Award
The Sustainable Restaurant Association awarded Nottingham Trent University “The Three Star Food Made Good Sustainability Award” status in July 2024. This is accredited to all of NTU's catering offers, including our catering outlets and Hospitality and Conference catering.
The Restaurant Association commended the Catering team's work toward ethical sourcing, community benefit and environmental impact, particularly in areas such as reducing our carbon footprint and repurposing of food waste.
Philip Leverhulme Prize
In 2025, associate Professor Dr Amy Twigger Holroyd, of the Nottingham School of Art & Design, was awarded the Philip Leverhulme Prize and £100,000 in recognition of her research in helping envisage a more sustainable future for the fashion industry.
Among Dr Twigger Holroyd’s work during the past ten years is the internationally recognised ‘Fashion Fictions’ project, which involves participants imagining and enacting alternative fashion systems as a strategy for sustainability.
The project, which connects design, fashion, making and sustainability, has engaged over 5,000 people via more than 120 activities in universities, schools and communities across six continents.
AGCAS Sustainability Impact Award
Nottingham Trent University has won the AGCAS Sustainability Impact Award 2024 for its Professional Student Wardrobe project.
This award celebrates services that achieve significant sustainability-related outcomes using minimal and/or limited resources, through methods such as collaboration, changing practices, or identifying new opportunities.
NTU, in partnership with White Rose, provides students and graduates with free professional clothing for career-related activities through their Professional Student Wardrobe project. This initiative addresses both economic and environmental needs, ensuring students can make sustainable choices during challenging times
Sustainable Digital Project – UCISA Awards 2023
NTU won an award for its efforts to increase sustainability and optimize device usage by replacing the previous model of laptops with Microsoft Surface laptops. This change has saved at least 38,208kg CO2e over the course of the device's life and 1,672kWh of energy annually.
The project focused on matching device features with job functions, resulting in improvements in user experience, productivity, and lower costs. The Surface Pro has transformed the way teaching academics engage and collaborate with students, and the University has worked with suppliers to encourage bulk deliveries and donated old devices to charity or students through a hardship fund.
Race to Zero
Since 2019, NTU has been one of over 500 higher education institutions to have committed to be Net-Zero by 2050 at the latest through the Race to Zero for Universities and Colleges Letter. NTU has committed to be Net-Zero across Scope 1,2 and 3 emissions by 2040. You can find out more about NTU's Net Zero carbon targets and projects by reading on our Carbon webpage.
Find out more about sustainable achievements and ongoing case studies on our Sustainability Stories webpage
Or read our latest updates within our Annual Sustainability Report