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
Latest updates
Tue 12 Mar 2024
Funding to train next generation of Chemists to take the East Midlands towards net zero
The University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University have been awarded funding for a centre that will train chemists of the future to find new ways to decarbonise manufacturing sectors, and help the East Midlands achieve its net zero target.
Students Help NTU Move Towards Sustainability Targets with Real-World Problem Solving
Mon 11 Mar 2024
Urgent need to better understand the impact of lead exposure in wild mammals, researchers warn
Mon 11 Mar 2024
Gentle tap to the hive can reveal health of honeybee colonies
Mon 04 Mar 2024
Expert blog: What we could learn from first reported footage of a newborn great white shark
Thu 01 Feb 2024
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.
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.
Centre for Sustainable Construction and Retrofit
The Centre for Sustainable Construction and Retrofit offers insights into the sustainability in the built environment, specifically how the net-zero by 2050 target presents a huge challenge to the construction sector, which accounts for up to 50% of carbon emissions.
Associated research groups
Animal Health
Citizenship, Democracy and Transformation
Ecology and Conservation
Ethics, Ecology, Identity
Cities and Community
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.