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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 second 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.

We have also achieved an overall performance level of Platinum for all frameworks of the Sustainability Leadership Scorecard (SLS) following a self-assessment made in 2023. Read NTU’s SLS report.

In 2023, NTU was named within the top 100 institutions worldwide in the Times Higher Education Impact rankings.

1st Class University for Sustainability in the UK

(People and Planet League, 2023)

2nd most sustainable university in the world

(UI GreenMetric World University Rankings 2023)

Top 100 in Times Higher Education Impact Ranking

2023 assessment against SDGs

Platinum in Sustainability Leadership Scorecard (SLS)

2023 Self Assessment

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.

AUDE- Impact Initiative of the Year Award

Our Green Rewards programme won The AUDE University Impact Initiative of the Year 2022 Awardwhich seeks to recognise a specific initiative having a significant positive impact on the institution or the higher education sector. The programme, which has now been adopted across Nottinghamshire, was applauded by the judges for enabling "easy and realistic ways for the public to make their own [sustainable] impact". This is the second time that NTU has won an award within this category.

Wharton-QS Reimagine Education Award

NTU won the Sustainability Gold category in the 2021 Wharton-QS Reimagine Education Awards for its Carbon Literacy Training for Educators, Communities, Organizations and Students (CLT-ECOS). The training was one of 1,100 global submissions in the awards and was celebrated for having reached more than 10,000 individuals from 76 nations on all continents, 240 universities and 64 organisations. Find out more about CLT-ECOS.

EAUC Green Gown Awards

Green Gown NTU 2021

NTU has won a number of highly prestigious Green Gown Awards, presented by the Environmental Association of Universities and Colleges (EAUC).In 2023, Lecturer Sheri Scott was Highly Commended as a Sustainability Champion- Staff. Sheri, who is also the sustainability lead for her professional body the Institute of Biomedical Science, 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” which generated a reduction in food miles, waste, and energy, and expansion of Fairtrade, organic, MSC, Red Tractor and plant-based produce. We were also highly commended in the Student Engagement category. In 2019, NTU won Outstanding Leadership Team of the Year in collaboration with NTSU.

Queen's Jubilee Challenge

As the recipient of a Queen’s Anniversary Prize in 2021 - the highest national Honour awarded in UK further and higher education - NTU was invited to contribute to the 2022 Queen's Jubilee Challenge, specifically looking at solutions to reduce carbon emissions within within HE and FE supply chains. NTU’s Net Zero Carbon Supplier Tool was highlighted in the report as an example of best practice as it helps suppliers to quantify and act on their emissions.

Fairtrade University

NTU is a Fairtrade university, with us earning a one star in the 20-22 Fairtrade University and College Award programme, on behalf of the Fairtrade Foundation, NUS and SOS-UK. With commitment from both NTU and NTSU, we only offer Fairtrade certified tea, coffee and hot chocolate in all of our catering outlets and hospitality offerings. We also sell a range of Fairtrade products through our cafes and Student Union shops, from chocolate to t-shirts!

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

HFC Gold Banner

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

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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 2023, 15 NTU labs have been awarded the Bronze certification, 1 lab has been award Silver and 28 tonnes of carbon have been saved.

Find out more on our LEAF webpage.

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