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Environmental and social sustainability

Our approach to research and education will stay aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Our commitment to environmental and social sustainability will continue to run through our education, research, enterprise, curriculum and public engagement work. Our global presence and profile give us a unique opportunity to drive thought leadership and lead mass public engagement with achieving sustainability.

We define sustainability as meeting our needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. We acknowledge the impact of greenhouse gas emissions from our own operations, including the goods and services we procure, travel and our real estate. As such, we have committed to achieving zero net greenhouse gas emissions from our energy use by 2030 and from all other indirect emissions no later than 2050, through a programme of investment and measures to reduce and mitigate the adverse environmental impact of our activities.

We will continue to embrace policy and practice across the four nations, including the Climate Change Act 2008, the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015, the Climate Change (Scotland) Act 2009 and Ireland’s example of deliberative democracy with the Citizens’ Assembly.  

Over the next five years we will:

  • build a dedicated team that supports, focuses and delivers our commitments to sustainability, whilst continuing our approach that sustainability is everyone’s responsibility. The sustainability team will oversee pan-OU annual reporting in line with the university and college sector Sustainable Development Goals Accord and UN Global Compact.
  • provide training and development to upskill and reskill colleagues on sustainability, including identifying social and wellbeing aspects of sustainability and contributing to system change.
  • continue to advance learning, skills development and action in support of sustainability by developing and promoting curriculum, including open courses and microcredentials, for individuals, employers and communities.

Further information about sustainability and our policies can be found on our sustainability website.