The resources on Earth are finite. With global population and levels of consumption constantly growing, we are facing unprecedented challenges as a species. To respond to these challenges, we need to change the way we live. We must adapt the way we grow and consume food, how we generate and use energy, and how we live and work together to create a more sustainable world.
At NTU, our researchers are reimagining how we farm and produce our food, how we manufacture fashion and recycle clothing, how to improve the quality of our water and the air we breathe, and how to conserve life on earth and below water. They are developing innovative ways to use resources more wisely, to mitigate climate change through low carbon strategies, to conserve biodiversity, and to create circular economy strategies that prevent waste and minimise pollution to build a more sustainable and promising future for generations to come.
Our researchers are also exploring how to strengthen democracy through increasing citizen engagement in local government, the participative design of local environmental strategies, and by working with local community projects to support the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Our research is transdisciplinary. We bring together the brightest minds from across the University to offer holistic solutions and unique approaches to address the complex sustainability challenges the world is facing. We engage with local communities and work with stakeholders both locally and globally across business and government to co-design research that has a real-world impact.
Key areas of focus
- Sustainable consumption and production
- Ecosystem sustainability
- The built environment and sustainable mobility
- Behaviour, values and norms
- Leadership, governance, participation and policy
Associated research centres
Advanced Design and Manufacturing Engineering Centre (ADMEC)
The Advanced Design and Manufacturing Engineering Centre (ADMEC) conducts research in product innovation and development supported by design, manufacture and multi-disciplinary engineering technologies.
Centre for Animal, Rural and Environmental Sciences Research
Research in this area explores environmental issues, the exploitation of natural resources, sustainable agriculture, climate change, animal sciences, and waste management.
Integrated Water, Energy and Food (IWEF) Centre
The iWEF research centre is a multidisciplinary research platform designed to study water pollution, industrial gas pollution, solid waste recycling, green energy production and food safety in an integrated manner.
Postcolonial Studies Centre
A leading international hub for critical thought around the legacies of social disenfranchisement, colonialism, neocolonialism and the potential for postcolonial thought to contest marginality and social exclusion.
Responsible and Sustainable Business Lab
Founded in 2015 with the goal of supporting income generation, publication and business impact within the business school and across disciplines at NTU.
Marketing and Consumer Studies Research Centre
Marketing and Consumer Studies Research Centre (MACS) includes academics with a wide range of interests and expertise across consumer behaviour, branding and brand identity, services research, and tourism experiences, amongst others.
Centre for International Business Strategy and Decisions
The Centre for IBSD investigates research phenomena of international importance for individuals, groups, organisations, cultures, and nations. Global challenges and opportunities ask for interdisciplinary international collaborations to find solutions regarding global sustainability (from nutrition to microfinance), sustainable cultures (migration, cultural adaptation, decision-making), multinational corporate strategies and transnational entrepreneurship decisions. Our Centre explores new avenues with a diverse set of theories and methods (qualitative, quantitative, and mixed) to identify configurations and reconfigurations in international business, global sustainability and geo-political settings.
Associated research groups
Animal Health
Citizenship, Democracy and Transformation
Ecology and Conservation
Ethics, Ecology, Identity
Identity, Territory and Social Justice
Innovation, Digitization, Entrepreneurship and Operations Research Group
iSBET (Innovative and Sustainable Built Environment Technologies)
Language, Literacy and Psycholinguistics
Natural Environment
Smart Heat Networks
Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security
Sustainable Consumption Research Group
Research projects
Discover research projects our academics are working on under the theme of Sustainable Futures.
Re:grow
Feeding the growing population without further harming our fragile planet.
Re:search Re:imagined
To us, research is about more than writing papers and proposing new ideas. By daring to think differently, we’re disrupting the research landscape and finding the answers to the questions that really matter.
Latest updates
Thu 6 May 2021
Laptops donated to homeless children in Nottingham
Homeless children at hostels in Nottingham, will now get access to laptops thanks to donations from Nottingham Trent University.
Carbon Literacy training toolkit launched to help universities to tackle climate emergency
Tue 19 Jan 2021
Agri-food businesses wanted for food waste reduction study
Tue 10 Dec 2019
Biostimulant results support global food security
Mon 4 Jan 2021
Showcase 2021 Student Spotlight: Zana Kentish Brade
Mon 28 Jun 2021