Cardiff Metropolitan University has been ranked as the best university in the UK for sustainability in People and Planet’s Green League 2022/23.
People & Planet’s Green League is the only comprehensive and independent league table of all UK universities ranked by environmental and ethical performance.
To add to this accolade, Cardiff Met has just been ranked as a gold tier university in Uswitch’s Green Universities Report 2022, which highlights UK universities’ commitment to sustainability.
Cardiff Met has undertaken extensive work in a number of areas which has brought huge benefits to students, staff and community members.
The University has renewable installations on campus, including solar panels, solar thermal panels, and air source heat pump and has signed up to a green energy tariff for its electricity on both campuses.
The university runs many eco-friendly initiatives, including: community days, electric chargeable rentable bikes; a subsidised bus service for staff and students; and four electric vehicles as part of its fleet.
Cardiff Met also arranges the collection of single use coffee cups; the re-use of office equipment / furniture, donation to local schools and charities; free repair cafes; and community litter picks.
Cardiff Met also has Fairtrade accreditation; is a Living Wage employer; has achieved a Sustainable Restaurant Association 3 gold star award with a sustainable food policy; has an ethical investment policy; is a signatory of the Can’t Buy My Silence pledge and runs sustainability work placements with students.
Sustainability Engagement Manager, Rachel Roberts said: “Sustainability is very much on the agenda at Cardiff Met and we have made incredible progress in this area in recent years which has been reflected in our rise up the People and Planet Green League.
“We are working across all Schools and professional units to create a culture and environment where sustainability takes centre place at all times whether that’s transport, energy, food or investment.”
President and Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff Met, Professor Cara Aitchison said: “We describe our Cardiff Met community as being ‘values driven’ and so focussing on the development of our ethical and environmental performance is wholly aligned with this approach. The entire Cardiff Met community is delighted to have been named the number one university in the UK for sustainability. I wish to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has worked tirelessly to contribute to this significant national achievement.
“This week sees the launch of Strategy 2030, our new strategic plan, which places sustainability firmly at its heart by identifying ‘Low Carbon Futures’ as one of five strategic priorities for the university. One of our other priorities is the development of ‘Campus 2030’ with major investment in our university estate resulting from a Master Plan that is currently being finalised and which includes ambitious targets for the creation of a net zero carbon estate by 2030. As we embark on these next steps it is especially pleasing to know how well we are currently performing in comparison to over 150 universities in the UK.
“Our students can be assured they are part of a community which takes its responsibility to the environment and sustainability seriously and which has and will continue to make further strides over the coming years so that we all play our part in tackling the climate emergency.”
University League Manager, People & Planet, Jack Ruane said: “’Huge congratulations to Cardiff Metropolitan University for their outstanding achievement of being the first Welsh university to finish top of the People & Planet University League. This fantastic performance can be attributed to their commitment never to invest in the border industry and a 65% decrease in carbon emissions between 2005/6 and 2020/21.”
Cardiff Met has been steadily climbing People and Planet’s Green League over the past few years – performing well in December 2021 when it was ranked 1st in Wales and joint 5th in the UK, out of 154 assessed universities.
People and Planet bills itself as ‘the largest student network in the UK campaigning for social and environmental justice’. It carries out an annual survey of all universities in the UK, assessing ‘environmental and ethical’ performance against its own determined methodology. Universities do not choose to participate, as the methodology is based upon information published on university websites and their respective Higher Education Statistics Agency data.
The Green League’s methodology is based on over 100 indicators, grouped into 14 headings that test commitment, policy and performance in sustainability.
